The following article was published in Digital IQ magazine A Truly Universal Picture IMAX Film Spearheaded by Local Players and Stephen Hawking By Heather Beers The theater is dark, not unlike the expanse we imagine before the Big Bang. Within moments, the 10-story screen transports the audience to Cambridge University, until we are eye-to-eye with Stephen Hawking, professor, physicist and visionary, who has spent his life translating the scientific complexities of the universe for earth-bound couch potatoes. The next scenes are quick — an explosion, flashes of light, swirling, vivid colors. The theater vibrates, then quiets as images of the birth of our universe unfold. What ensues is a confluence of science, storytelling and revolutionary IMAX achievement that will lift the understanding — and vision — of the 200 million expected to see it. Produced by Universe Partners, a production company led by Utah-based financier and developer David Allen, the film will examine the universe of the small — subatomic particles — and of the gargantuan — planets, galaxies, universes (yep, that’s plural, which may shock us astronomical neophytes). What’s most astounding, the film will treat these otherwise esoteric subjects in a way that is understandable and interesting to children and adults alike. With the support of groups such as NASA, The Hubble Space Telescope Institute and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Museum of San Diego, Stephen Hawking’s Beyond the Horizon promises to be a $9 million landmark production in science, technology, education and yes, even entertainment. The Genesis So just where does a film of this magnitude find its genesis? The film began as a discussion between Stephen Hawking and Diane Beam, a Utah-based producer/writer of more than 25 science programs for science museums, planetariums and classrooms worldwide. Hawking and Beam had previously collaborated on several projects, including the production of videos and multimedia presentations. When their thoughts turned big — toward giant-screen production — they turned to Bruce Neibaur, a renowned Utah-based IMAX film director. “I was approached by Diane Beam about four years ago. She and Professor Hawking had talked about doing a film together. Originally it was not slated as an IMAX film, but when it moved into that arena, Diane contacted me,” says Neibaur. Not surprisingly, the development of the film’s premise followed a scientific formula. “We basically went through about 15 different creative proposals of how we would approach it,” says Neibaur. “We looked at each one as an experiment — if we did it that direction, what kind of film would that make? What would it emphasize? “Each of these approaches had at its center: How do we make this something exciting and interesting to the general public? How do we take this complex science and really wow people — so that people would walk out of the theater saying, ‘Wow I never knew that! I can’t believe that!’ ” The Evolution To generate that “wow,” Neibaur knew masterful storytelling and cutting-edge technology would be critical. With his previous IMAX films, which include the $94 million box office success Mysteries of Egypt, Neibaur had pioneered the blending of fictional narrative with the IMAX format’s traditional documentary-style presentation. Finding the appropriate writer was paramount, and, thank their lucky stars, a bit of cosmic serendipity intervened. “We started working with a writer out of L.A. [Leonard Mlodinow, Ph.D.]. He’s an interesting combination of a physicist and a screenwriter,” says Neibaur. “I had never heard of him until on a trip to Cambridge to meet with Hawking. The day before I left, I went into a local bookstore in Cambridge and picked up a book by [Mlodinow]. His book featured one of the personalities, Richard Feynman, that we’ll be featuring in our film. I wanted to read more about Feynman, and thus we discovered our screenwriter. He’s a wonderful find.” As an author, screenwriter, and physicist, Mlodinow’s work includes Scholastic books for children, episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and nonfiction science books. Neibaur is impressed by Mlodinow’s script for the film, which weaves together Einstein’s theory of general relativity, Feynman’s basics of quantum mechanics, Hawking’s vision of how the two converge, and an intriguing narrative that involves a cynical reporter, time travel and mind-blowing responses to the basic human questions: 1) How did the universe get here? 2) Will the universe come to an end? and 3) Why are we here? The Digital Creation But as everyone knows, successfully taking a film from script to big screen can be another story. To ensure the audience’s “Wow” doesn’t turn to “Oh, well,” executive producer David Allen has assembled an enviable technological team to create visual images that will set new precedents in IMAX production. Using seldom-seen deep-space images gathered by the Hubble Telescope and NASA, the special effects team will animate the photographs so that audience members will “fly around and through” fascinating extraterrestrial phenomena. “We will do with CGI [computer-generated imagery] what has not been done in IMAX before. Craig Barron, our special effects supervisor, is at the top of the game, the best you can get out of Hollywood,” says Allen. Owner of Matte World and one of the film industry’s top special effects experts Barron’s filmography includes Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, Titanic, The Green Mile, The Mummy Returns, X-Men and dozens more. Barron will collaborate with a team of designers from Silicon Graphics, Inc (SGI), the company that produced CGI feats in films such as The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series. SGI is donating $2 million of in-kind visual effects rendering to the film. Neibaur estimates the team will take about a year to render all the CGI material for the film. “All of this begins as complex math, which then has to be distilled into something that can be visualized. They’re an amazing group of people who are able to do that,” says Allen. The Science of Filmmaking Allen underscores the importance of collaboration on a project such as this. To guarantee scientific principles presented are acceptable to the general scientific community, advisors from across the nation are involved. The scientific advisory board includes experts from Harvard University, MIT and NASA. Other experts weighing in include those from the Reuben H. Fleet Science Museum of San Diego, The Hubble Telescope Institute and from the University of Utah -our own Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., professor of computing. As if the film’s benchmark achievements won’t be enough, Universe Partners plans to expand the reach of this film through several channels. Partnering with the Harvard Smithsonian Institute for Astrophysics, a team led by Dr. Roy Gould is expanding the film’s principles into an interactive web site and an array of educational materials that will be disseminated to classrooms nationwide. Allen says the National Science Foundation has indicated interest in awarding a sizable grant for this educational component. “We have this great opportunity for support from the National Science Foundation to really educate and inspire kids,” says Allen. “I’m not aware of other IMAX films that have that impact. “Because of this support from all our strategic partners, we’ll be able to create a sense of anticipation for the film prior to its release. With Hollywood films, you know they’re coming. We want to do that with this film as well. In our fundraising efforts, we’re going to raise money to promote the film.” Neibaur estimates the film will be complete in 2005, premiering in conjunction with the worldwide celebration of the 100th anniversary of modern physics. After years of planning and plotting, Allen says, “We can’t wait to make the film now. It’s been a long road coming to this point. We have absolute confidence in every aspect of our project. We’re standing on the springboard of making a great motion picture.” A Constellation of Experts The IMAX film’s anticipated success is based on the production team, many of whom hail from Utah, collaborators who represent the best in their fields. Neibaur, for example, is a Utah-based director and writer who has the distinction of being perhaps the only Director’s Guild of America member to have successfully written and directed award-winning projects in television, broadcast news, feature filmmaking and IMAX motion picture production. Allen, also from Utah, has years of experience in finance, development and executive management. He has been key in attracting major national support for the film and in current fundraising efforts. Other Utahns include executive producer Chris Harding, whose award-winning work has appeared on ABC, CBS and Disney Television and Jeff Miller, a film producer and IMAX veteran. Others include director of photography Matt Williams whose credits include IMAX films, CBS’s Touched by an Angel and Promised Land, and work on the 2002 Olympic Winter Games’ Bud Greenspan’s Stories of Olympic Glory. “I’m fairly amazed at the Utah connection. There’s this amazing talent here in Utah. And we hope to bring some financial participation from Utah-based companies and individuals, as well,” says Allen. A Visionary Effort Connection is what this film is about. From its production team to its central scientific message — the connection between general relativity and quantum mechanics, between the infinite cycle of creation and our own circle of life — it’s that universal connectivity that lifts human understanding and offers purpose. “This film won’t duplicate something [audiences] have seen before. It will take us beyond the scope of our amazing telescopes, to see what is out there, hence the title of our film, ‘Beyond the Horizon.’ We truly believe people will walk out of the theater amazed at the possibilities that exist,” says Neibaur. Thanks to the vision of Stephen Hawking and the effort of Universe Partners, what occurs amid cosmic darkness will shed light on millions of minds worldwide.