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S T E M I N C U R R E N T E V E N T S

during film productions have led some people to question whether animal- handling practices are ethical ; some say that the animals are exploited and are bred and raised in poor conditions. Over the years,handlershave responded to these concerns with new training practices based in behavioral science , such asmotivating animalswithpositive reinforcement rather than forcing them aggressively to do certain things. Physics of CGI When it comes to science-fiction and fantasy films, live-action cinematogra- phy sometimes just doesn’t do the trick. The 2009movie Avatar , for example,de- pendedheavilyoncomputer technologies such asmotion capture (ameans of digitally

Tricks of the Trade

Insect wranglers have developed many tried-and-true strategies for getting insects to act in certain ways. Lines of sugar laid out in cer- tain patterns can get ants to march in formation; a quick stint in a cooler can slow down a mosquito just long enough for a close-up; and a tiny bit of honey will force a fly to clean itself. Sometimes the wranglers have to make up things on the spot, problem-solving according to the whims of a director or the logistics of filming. Butterflies are most active during the daylight hours, for instance, but if the crew isn’t ready until nightfall, the wranglers have to improvise.

recording human movement for use in computer animations) to render its otherworldly characters and alien environments. What many people don’t realize is just how much physics goes into this sort of computer-generated imagery (CGI). Since CGI does not use traditional artists to draw and animate different scenes, physicists help computer animators calculate movement with various equations. By simulating the ways that solids and fluids move in the real world, they can create highly realistic images of drifting smoke, flickering fire,windswept hair,