Chemistry Special Effects Video
For our project we were assigned to come up with a short film and incorporate chemistry concepts we have learned in class into our video. My group consisted of me, Matt, Emmy, and Jessica. We started by brainstorming all of our ideas we had for what our video could be about. We decided to do a bank robbery because it would be a cool way to put in multiple chemistry concepts and it would be really fun to make. We created a script of how our video would roughly go. After we recorded all of our scenes we put them together and wrote down the science behind our chemistry concepts we used. We then presented in class and showcased our video on our presentation movie night. VIDEO:
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Chemistry Concepts Explained
Fake Blood: In order to simulate blood, we created a mixture composed of water, flour, corn syrup, and food coloring. To change the consistency of the liquids, flour was added to the solution. This is achievable because the characteristics of the solid flour change the characteristics of the liquids. This solution was colloidal meaning that the solid did not completely dissolve in the liquid, therefore light could not pass through. For the most part, red food coloring was used to produce the correct shade of the blood, but we also added alight amounts of blue to make a darker color.
Flammable Bubbles: To design the effect of exaggerated explosives, we used flammable bubbles. Although the mound of bubbles appears ordinary, there is a hidden element that creates a dynamic effect. The transparent gas inside the bubbles is able to light on fire. When a heat source is added to natural gas, it combusts and produces a large, but short-lived flame. By injecting natural gas into a mixture composed of water and dish soap, bubbles filled with natural gas are produced. This creation is able to be placed on the door handle and the lighter then provided the needed energy for the bubbles’ internal gas to ignite.
Egg Explosion: To amplify the actions of shooting the guard, we manufactured the noise of an egg exploding to correspond with the firing of a fake gun. We were able to detonate an egg by using hydrogen and the energy of a heat source. To fill an egg with hydrogen, a chemical reaction between zinc and hydrochloric acid produces the gas as a by-product. Once the egg is brimming with hydrogen gas, the heat source is added and allows the hydrogen inside the egg to react with the oxygen in the air. This creates water and pressure, which is the factor that explodes the eggshell.
Dry Ice: Dry ice is the common name for carbon dioxide in a solid form. It possesses the ability to sublimate, which is the changing of phases from a solid directly into a gas. Pressure contributes greatly to the science behind this concept. For carbon dioxide to be in a liquid state, the pressure needs to be greatly increased. Under the typical conditions of the earth’s atmosphere, there is not enough pressure to force carbon dioxide into a liquid state so the dry ice transforms directly into a gas. One way to prove this concept is by observing dry ice when it is secured in an enclosed container. Initially the normal pressure allows the dry ice to transfer into a gas form. As this process occurs, pressure builds up because gas molecules move faster than solid particles. Therefore, the increased pressure allows the remaining dry ice to turn into a liquid state, no longer sublimating directly into a gas.
There were many things that went well throughout this project. One, was our groups collaboration and ability to get all of our work done efficiently. Another thing our group excelled in was coming up with new ideas for our project, and after coming up with these ideas we were very good at combining our ideas to come up with our main points of what we will do. I learned that I was able to work very efficiently with my group given that we had to be done with our product at a certain deadline. Another thing I learned about myself was that I could incorporate projects we did in class in our chemistry video. There were many new things I learned how to do during the process of this project. For example, I learned how to create various solutions that we ended up using in our video, such as creating a bloodlike substance using the procedure we did in class to create the play-dough. I also learned more about making our own videos and overall working with imovie. Some things that I can work on for next time would be to have a more scheduled and organized way of filming our scenes for our movie and working more efficiently to finish our film faster so that we could practice presenting.