Film Futures

Computer Scientists and digital artists are behind the fabulous special effects we see in today's movies, but for a bit of fun we look at how movie plots could change if they involved Computer Scientists.

Titanic

The ship builders employ a Computer Scientist to run a series of simulations on the design for their new luxury ship Titanic. The simulation calculates the probabilities of a whole range of accidents from boiler explosions, steering wheel malfunctions and iceberg collisions. The results show that if they put tops on the watertight compartments running the length of the ship rather than just leaving them open, then any water from a long gash in the side wont be able to spill over and topple the ship. Leonardo De Caprio wins a ticket for Titanic's maiden voyage from South Hampton to New York, and spends his time dancing and jigging in third class, doesn't fall in love and more importantly doesn't fall into the icy water.