The Road to Infinity - Making Journey to the Edge of the Universe
Nigel Henbest
Pioneer Productions
Many years ago, I was a keen young stargazer, spending long hours out with my telescope on snowy star-studded winter nights. Back then, our views of the Universe - even taken through the world's biggest telescopes - were hardly any more compelling than my backyard observations: the photographs were in black-and-white, and fuzzed out by the Earth's turbulent atmosphere.
I often wondered... What was it really like out there? How would the deserts of Mars look in close up; the Orion Nebula in full colour; or the rings of Saturn in 3D?
Fast forward to a year or so ago. NASA's Cassini spacecraft is orbiting the ringed world Saturn. The robot explorers Spirit and Opportunity are roving over the Martian plains. And the Hubble Space Telescope - with its crystal-clear outlook from Earth-orbit - has the Crab Nebula in sharp full-colour focus, along with hundreds of other distant wonders of the Universe.
Inspired by such images, I sat down with Stuart Carter - my colleague at Pioneer Productions (and now Executive Producer of Journey) - to think of a way we could link our incredible new views of the Universe, plus astounding new astronomical discoveries (such as black holes), into a single TV program.
How would we explore the whole Universe, from the Moon right out to the farthest galaxies? Our first thought was a "cosmic zoom": boring deeper and deeper into the Cosmos with what was effectively a single zoom-lens. But that restricted us from looking around when we arrived at a new planet or nebula. Instead, our program became a "journey", from here to infinity...
For a lot of that expedition, we'd need to use computer graphics - to get from one planet to the next, to track across a surface, to fly around a nebula or to voyage close the massive black hole in the heart of a quasar. We had to make a hard decision. Would we intercut the computer graphics with the real NASA images?
In the end, we decided no. The program would be 100% computer graphics. We would make the graphics match the real images where they exist; and then we would go one further as we added the 3D information.
Unlike most documentaries, nothing was filmed on location, apart from a few seconds at the start that acts as a springboard to send us away from Earth. This would require a seasoned director, who could carry the storyline without any location shots or interviews. We called on Yavar Abbas, who already has many science documentaries under his belt.
In some ways, the production process was more like an animated movie than a documentary. Yavar and I spent several weeks storyboarding every single scene with the graphic designer. Because we weren't allowing ourselves the luxury of cutting from one astronomical highlight to another, we had to storyboard the travel sequences too: how would the next planet appear in vision - as a pan, a zoom - maybe sometimes with a rotate? Variety was key to keeping the visuals looking lively.
While Yavar and the graphics team started making the scenes look real, I was researching the best references from NASA and other space agencies and observatories around the world. Sometimes it meant delving into heavy research papers, where astronomers had deduced the 3D structure of nebulae and galaxies. Often these were hidden in technical terms and tables of numbers; part of my job was explaining these to the team, an exercise that involved a lot of arm-waving and pencil sketches!
At the end of the day, the graphics teams - C4 Studios in Toronto and Red Vision in Britain - did us proud. As we fly past the remains of the Apollo lander on the Moon, speed through Saturn's rings and take a sightseeing tour around the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula, I can see my childhood dreams come true. We hope that this production will instil the same sense of wonder and awe into our viewers.
Want more? Click here to go to Journey of the Universe's site
Click here to hear what else it took to make the film from the film's Director.
Journey to the Edge of the Universe premieres Sunday December 7th at 8p e/p
No TrackBacks
TrackBack URL: http://ngccommunity.nationalgeographic.com/admin/mt-tb.cgi/2172
Recent Blog Comments
- I am currently watching a rerun... on Service Dogs: Angels on Earth
- If you found it disgusting, why,... on Best of NGC Week: Friday
- I just watched this episode on... on Baby Girl
- where is the program about the... on Sprucing up NatGeoTV.com
- I can't remember what Ceasar did... on Season Six Premiere this Friday -- How to Raise the Perfect Dog
Monthly Archives
- December 2009 (4)
- November 2009 (6)
- October 2009 (13)
- September 2009 (9)
- August 2009 (12)
- July 2009 (16)
- June 2009 (20)
- May 2009 (5)
- April 2009 (10)
- March 2009 (10)
- February 2009 (12)
- January 2009 (14)
- December 2008 (6)
- November 2008 (9)
- October 2008 (7)
- September 2008 (10)
- August 2008 (10)
- July 2008 (19)
- June 2008 (14)
- May 2008 (11)
- April 2008 (16)
- March 2008 (13)
- February 2008 (14)
- January 2008 (16)
- December 2007 (11)
- November 2007 (15)
- October 2007 (12)
- September 2007 (12)
- August 2007 (11)
- July 2007 (3)
- June 2007 (10)
- May 2007 (7)
- April 2007 (4)
- March 2007 (9)
- February 2007 (5)
36 Comments
cool program; great narration
This was a very interesting program. Really makes you think about our insignificant existence in the whole universe. The narration was so-so but overall it was really good.
Great visuals and the journet itself was fun to watch, but in all honesty, the narration kept putting me into fits of giggling It was truly horrendous. Please don't let Alec Baldwin recite poetry anymore.
While watching "Journey to the Edge of the Universe," I felt as though it was the intention of the producers to take me on a personal tour - inside Alec Baldwin's space craft - of the beauty that is outer space.
I found myself focusing at the center of my 52 inch HDTV, as though I was looking through a small port hole, yet seeing everything. It was if Alec Baldwin was the "driver," and I the "passenger" of this unique sightseeing tour of the galaxies.
With respect to Mr. Baldwin's narration: I found it to be intimate, as if he were a story teller. His voice was filled with inflections of wonder, fascination, amazement and, sometimes, danger (look out for those Quasars and Black Holes!). At no time did Mr. Baldwin's voice overpower the mood or the moment, as I was "discovering" space for the first time. Alec Baldwin was the perfect choice for narrator, tour guide, space ship driver and, in a sense, teacher of the Universe.
The music and sound effects were extremely effective, while, at the same time, very conservative. After all, there is no air in space, so no sound waves can be generated or travel. Yet, it felt as though I was "hearing" subtle galactic noises from within Mr. Baldwin's "space ship" every time we passed planets, asteroids and other space "bodies." The "sounds" of events that took place also didn't have an overbearing tone, except when they were done to accentuate the extreme power of exploding stars.
In the end, I was left with a feeling that although we are but a small part of the entire population of space, one has to wonder about the possibility of a parallel Universe, somewhere out there, and that we may not be, entirely, alone.
Again, much kudos goes to the producers of this exceptionally high quality look at the Universe, with a very special thanks to Mr. Baldwin for being a wonderful tour guide and giving me such a fantastic "buzz around the galaxies!" I hope you will consider using Mr. Baldwin's talents for future programs of this nature.
Thanks, again!
We absolutely adored your programming Journey to the Edge of the Universe. We taped it and caught the last hour of it and cannot WAIT to see the beginning tonight. This type of programming restores my faith in not only television but man himself for having the genius to put something like that together. What a joy it is to watch and listen. I also love the narrator. I am not sure who it is but I suspect it is Alec Baldwin. I heard him narrate a program on the ascent of man as well and think he has a true gift for presenting science. We are simply riveted. Keep up the wonderful, educational and brilliant programming. National Geographic is one of the best!!
I just read some of the other comments which seemed to love the program also. A couple had some criticism of Alec Baldwin. I just want to reiterate my kudos to him. No one I suppose can be loved by all. We thought Mr. Baldwin was inspirational and conveyed the awe and also a kind of quiet intensity that I think I would feel when I imaginatively think about traveling in a craft to the outer limits. I thought Mr. Baldwin was simply excellent and just PERFECT!!
I just want to clarify: I have no problem with Alec Baldwin's narration, he does a good job with the material given him. What I thought was silly was the script he was reading. Seriously, this wasn't open mike night at the local poetry club.
I enjoyed the show very much. Great writing, effects work and narration. It had a great mood throughout. I was expecting our trip to end up at the end boundaries of our universe not the beginning of it, maybe questioning what is beyond the edges of our ever expanding universe. Still, it was an interesting way to end the show.
Ok - I'll try and be delicate in how I phrase this, as I am, and have been, an avid fan of NatGeo's programming for years now. I am an amateur astronomer and avid science, physics, and space geek. This being said, it is understandable that I've spent many waking hours either watching educational specials on TV and many more hours actually looking at the cosmos through my own telescopes.
I have been excited about the "Journey to the Edge of the Universe" for weeks now, my TiVo has been waiting many, many days to record this special. To my glee, I found it was a 2 hour program. Jackpot, right? Two hours of great National Geographic programming about my favorite topic, the cosmos.
Less than five minutes into the show, however, I am sitting dumbstruck by how, well, bad, this program is. Maybe "bad" is the wrong word, as I see lots of positive comments by other posters here, but at the very least, I am disappointed. Weeks of anticipation have culminated in Alec Baldwin's poor attempt to recreate what the great Carl Sagan did decades ago on his own program "Cosmos."
I am glad so many people seem to have gotten some pleasure out of this program, and I hope a lot of people have learned something from it, however at only 38 minutes in I have concluded that there is nothing new this "Journey" has to offer.
I hope not to offend anyone who thinks this was a great program. I hope your eyes have been opened to the vastness of the universe and what we know...what we think we know...and what we don't know about it, but I promise you, there are scores of better produced, more educational, and less trite and non-patronizing programs out there.
To National Geographic: If you think of this program as a "gateway," an attempt to get those not proficient in the lore of space interested in the cosmos, good for you. I only wish you would have billed the program as such and I could have saved some time on my TiVo's hard drive. However, if you see this program as your triumphant gift of education, knowledge, and wonder to the world, then you should truly be ashamed.
Alas, I share the opinions of asTanaX. I would be interested to know for which age group these graphics animations were intended for ? I think the youngsters would be bored very early on, in spite of the kindergarten level vocabulary of the innumerate script. The film seems to have drained away all sense of immediacy or of wonder. Rather than having our frame of reference expanded, it seems to have transported us into a cartoon.
I think the some criticisms on this blog are just silly and some people feel the need to be contrary with no meaningful purpose. This is an exceptional film making-period. Alec Baldwin did an exceptional job- period.
Maybe some of you should re-read Bobby’s post and rethink your perspective. I would reiterate some of the films merits but he did such an excellent job of capturing the value of this production that I don’t feel the need to - besides, I couldn’t have said it better.
I watched this with my kids (9 and 14) and they were totally engrossed and mesmerized. We talked about our favorite parts and what interested us most afterward - with my 14 year old suggesting we all go to the Science Center after the holidays.
Thank you to NG, Stuart Carter, Yavar Abbas, Alec Baldwin, C4 Studios in Toronto and Red Vision in Britain for producing not only an interesting film, but arming teachers and parents with a tool to help our children develop and maintain an interest in science.
You should be very proud of you are doing - keep of the good work!
I have never been so hypnotized by a television set. I loved it . I understood what was said. Everything was explained well. I can't believe that the universe is so breathtaking. It was unbelievable. Beautiful!! As you can see I am lost for words. Great job guys!!!!
I love this show!! My mouth was hanging open the whole time. I have to say I enjoyed Alec Baldwin as narrator! Amazing and I can't wait till its on again to watch it over and over!
It occurred to me that black holes might be larger on the inside than the outside. "The laws of physics to not apply." Here is how I see it: as something approaches the speed of light it appears to stand still in time to those watching it. Also, it stretches in length from that same prospective. Things on the event horizon appear to be frozen in time as well and objects pulled towards it appear to stretch. Black holes affect both time and space.
Please bring this to IMAX!!!!!!!!!!!
Am I the only one dismayed by the overly loud music while trying to watch the program Jesus' Tomb. It is impossible to hear the commentary due to the loud volume of the 'music'. I'd much rather not have the sound effects/special effects.
This was the most mind-blowing, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping and thought-provoking program I've seen in a long time. Alec Baldwin's narration and guide for the journey was perfect. The graphics were stunning - can't wait till I can buy this on Blu-ray. As for asTanax, my advice is to get the telescope lens out of your butt and lighten up - we're not all experts like you.
I have to agree with Doomster, this was the MOST AWESOME SHOW on our known universe I have ever seen, and I've seen them all! I can not wait for this to come out on DVD to watch it with no commercials. This is the program I've been waiting for my whole life, and Alec Baldwin was the perfect choice for narrator! I'm going to buy several copies of this to give as gifts, because it's the perfect gift to keep our egos in check as humans!
The program did give a wonderful impression of the mind-staggering vastness of space. I thought the photos and the graphics were superb but I wasn't crazy about neither the script with its overuse of the word 'creation' and reference to prayer nor the narration which seemed at times melodramatic.
Is this program going to be re-aired (and when)? I missed it the first time around and don't see it on the near-future schedule.
This program left me with feelings of one: sadness that not only does anarchy exist on earth but in the whole of the universe, there seems to be no order, Also in the great vastness of space a sense of the human race being so alone. Two: of wonder that the chances of having life is so remote to value it however long it last rather like the astrodes that can just impact on a planet so is life.
I wasn't able to catch it either of the times it aired, any idea if or when it will be on again?
This show was complete rubbish in my opinion as it was all based on speculation and assumptions! I should have known that it'd be all computer generated too which confirms the fact that it's all just make believe! Nobody and I mean nobody was there in the begining so what right has any human to dictate history? Why don't you start admitting that the world is really flat and that they never landed on the moon? If the U.S. landed on the moon then show us a recent photo of the flag that was left there and why is it that we never send any space craft ''down there?'' What's beneath Earth? There was that other scare monger ''Discovery'' channel showing some disaster show called Super Comet: After the Impact too which was all based on computer rubbish which insults my intelligence! I don't think you scientists will be happy until disaster finally wipes us out. They're always preaching death 'n disaster at every avenue. The universe is infinite, ok? It's endless! And when you leave our atmosphere then you reach nitrogren oxide levels and we all know what that does to Earthly materials. Somebody tell me, what's beneath Earth? What's under us?
I think that dis programme was ace!!! i found it really interesting. i think in some parts more things needed explaining but i thought that this was great. makes you think how smll we are. The planet will end and we will never no when it happens as itll happen too quickly but we need to enjo our time, but learning about the space around us has been great. big thumbs up!!
i just watched the show its really interesting and wonderful to watch it
Totally wonderful and amazing show, with only one glaring, chalk-on-the-blackboard repeating oversight: with all the effort and research that obviously went into this, it's too bad nobody checked on the proper pronunciation of 'kilometer'; any high-school Physics professor could have set these people straight. It's bad enough that the British and the Americans continue to reject the metric system like a petulant child refusing his vegetables, but at least they should take the time to properly pronounce the units they refuse to adopt. Fortunately the show eventually gets into distances too large to measure in kilometers and at least the narrator pronounces 'light year' correctly. For those that think this is a matter of opinion, preference, or 'usage', I ask how you would refer to 1,000 feet. Would you say 'KILL-oh-foot' or 'kill-AW-fit'?
Are these not inaccuracies...
Neil Armstrong's foot prints near the lunar lander would have been destroyed by the jet exhaust when they took off.
Have not the elevations on the planets been exaggerated many fold ?
The asteroid's in the asteroid field where shown ridiculously close to one another. (Also the debri in saturn's rings)
Very beautiful to watch, I'm glad I had taped it! I've seen almost every space program around and this is one of the prettiest I've ever seen. I know a lot of work goes into those kinds of visuals & animations. I didn't realize who was narrating at first, but Alec Baldwin's voice was perfect. Thank you---I loved it!
The only dismay I felt was in reading a few of the less than stellar comments here, unfortunately, some people just find fault with any & every, thing. To "Dave": it's "debris", Not "debri". Unless you live in Debri, in Sudan, Africa. The footprints are a *depiction* (the lander wouldn't be there, either).
Well this is the 2nd time have watched this unbelievable journey to the beginning of time, and i cannot get enough of it, i have a question! The speed of light is actually not fast enough to travel to the edge of our galaxy let alone to other universes in our lifetime, but say for instance we had to bend time and take a short cut through space and actually travel to the edge of our galaxy or to other galaxies, what would we see? because when we look into the sky and we are looking at 100 and 1000 and millions of light years away, we are really looking into the past, and if we did succeed to travel to these far away galaxies in our life time when we looked back at earth would it still be there, i think we will only know this through time travel! Anyway really fascinating stuff especially Nebula and quasars.
well i really liked this program but i want the transcript of it
i searched everywhere but i didn't find it so plz can anybody tell me where to find it?
thx
I missed this show when it premiered, and I have since set my TiVo to record it should it ever be re-aired.
Are there any plans to re-air this show?
I just saw this for the first time on May 31, 2009.
WHAT AN MAGNIFICENT PRODUCTION. I AM SPEECHLESS.
Thank you for all the little extras too, like Hawking recommendation that we shouldn't be "calling out into the jungle" with celestial maps pointing to Earth etched on our probes.
Aside of the phenomenal 3D rendering, the Soundtrack was just as amazing. Brought tears to my eyes. Narration too, everything was just perfect.
Thank you for this production- I found the blu-ray on Amazon, and it's on the way. Way to go NatGeo, we love you.
If Alec Baldwin can convince the Captain of the USS Dallas to give Soviet Captain Ramius a chance, in the 1990 movie, Hunt for Red October: then he can certainly convice people that this show is an accurate description of the Universe :)
Someone help me with the arithmetic that suggests that at 65 light years from Earth one might be able to turn on the television and see Adolph Hitler speaking at the Olympics. Hitler's speech was given at the Winter Olympics in 1936. Dish Network's program guide gives December 7, 2008 as the first air date for "Journey...". This would seem to suggest that one would need to be 72 light years from earth to catch Hitler's speech (1936 + 72 = 2008). In Carl Sagan's book Contact the round trip time for Hitler's speech and the rebroadcast back to earth took 52 years (26 each way). That put the events of Sagan's novel just three years ahead of its 1985 copyright date (1936 + 52 = 1988). What am I missing here?
does anyone know if this will eventually be on ondemand?
amazing....thank u
Add a Comment