Documentary proposal plus video promo
Apocalypse When: How Bright Is Our Future?
Apocalypse When: How Bright is Our Future? – A one hour, myth-busting documentary that takes a reassuring, scientific look at the Mayan 2012 doomsday prophecy, and explores what is actually going to happen, and whether or not it will affect life on Earth.
Quebec, 1989. Six million people are left without electricity for nine hours after a sudden and unexpected increase in Solar activity. This is just a small example of how the Sun can be our greatest enemy. A Solar flare of sufficient strength would fry our satellites, getting rid of all communication. Planes would drop from the sky. All electrical power would be lost. The world’s economy would collapse. Our over reliance on technology would see society crumble, and the human race would be reset back to the Stone Age. Some predict that it would take decades to recover. And some predict that this will happen in 2012. They are wrong.
Although there is a small amount of science behind the Mayan prophecy (the sun will come to the end of its current cycle in 2012 which will create a period of increased activity, showing that the Mayans may have had a basic knowledge about the cycles of the sun and magnetic fields) and solar events of a similar magnitude have been observed elsewhere in the universe, this documentary will set out to reassure those who may have fallen prey to the doomsday hype exaggerated by certain sections of the media.
Presented by world renowned astrophysicist Michio Kaku, this film takes the viewer on a scientific journey, using a combination of computer visual effects, interviews with experts and other scientists, and technological demonstrations. Scientists will explain to the viewer what causes Solar flares, and what kind of threat they pose to humanity. This documentary will also look at what steps are being taken to increase our knowledge of Solar activity, such as new satellite technology to monitor the Sun, and what we may be able to do to protect ourselves from the suns power in the distant future. The documentary will also explore the Mayan prophecy itself, and how they knew so much about our sun, going on location to ancient Mayan sites and examining their culture, and what it was that lead them to believe the world would end in 2012.
Michio Kaku has already expressed an interest in being involved in the project, and permission has already been granted to film and interview scientists and experts at the royal observatories in Greenwich, London and Edinburgh. Members of the team that built the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) a joint venture between NASA and the ESA which currently orbits the Sun have also agreed to contribute to the program.
This documentary is being made with either the Monday or Tuesday 9:00pm slot on Channel 4 or More 4 in mind. It is for people who have a passion for science, or even casual viewers with a passing interest in the subject matter. It is also for those who may be worried or concerned about what they have seen or read about the Mayan doomsday prophecy that has gained so much media attention recently.
Below is a short promo video for Apocalypse When: How Bright Is Our Future?
