June 2020 Journal of the International Planetarium Society - Vol. 49, No. 2 - COVID-19: This changes everything - International ...
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Online PDF: ISSN 233333-9063 Vol. 49, No. 2 June 2020 Journal of the International Planetarium Society COVID-19: This changes everything Page 38
Soon there will be no
reason to do without
a brilliant starry sky.
ZEISS ASTERION®
The new star ball for hybrid planetariums.
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For domes from 8 to 18 m (24 to 60 ft) in diameter.
Seeing beyond
Executive Editor
Sharon Shanks
484 Canterbury Ln
Boardman, Ohio 44512 USA
+1 330-783-9341
sharon.shanks@gmail.com
June 2020
Webmaster
Alan Gould
Lawrence Hall of Science Planetarium
Vol 49 No 2
University of California
Berkeley CA 94720-5200 USA
adgould@comcast.net
Advertising Coordinator
Articles
Dale Smith
(See Publications Committee on page 3) 10 Letter to the Editor: There’s been a “see” change
in observing Jim Sweitzer
Membership
Individual: $65 one year; $100 two years 12 Guest Editorial: Fulldome storytelling: Embracing the
Institutional: $250 first year; $125 annual renewal
Library Subscriptions: $50 one year; $90 two years
Dome’s uniqueness Michael Daut
All amounts in US currency Planetarium Research
Direct membership requests and changes of
address to the Treasurer/Membership Chairman 18 The Aesthetics of the Planetarium Experience.
Research-Based Best Practices Part II: Music Ka Chun Yu
Printed Back Issues of Planetarian
IPS Back Publications Repository 30 Design considerations for a seasonal constellations
maintained by the Treasurer/Membership Chair planetarium program: Comparison of embodied design
(See contact information on next page)
and computer visualizations
Final Deadlines Heather Bradley, Julia Plummer,
March: January 21
June: April 21 Christopher Palma, Margaret Teuber
September: July 21 Special Section: COVID-19
December: October 21
38 COVID-19: This changes everything Sharon Shanks
Associate Editors 44 How planetariums are affected Mark SubbaRao
Book Reviews April S. Whitt
Calendar Loris Ramponi 46 Putting idle computers to work
Cartoons Alexandre Cherman 48 Keeping the community in touch Michael McConville
Classroom Education Mark Percy and the
Classdome Cadre 49 Ode to the Coronavirus: A Planetarian’s Lament
Data to Dome Mark SubbaRao Patty Seaton
Education Committee Jeanne Bishop
Humor April S. Whitt 49 The hospitality suite goes virtual Mark Webb
Ron Walker 50 A pandemic sparks a revolution Guilherme Marranghello
Immersive Media Carolyn Collins Petersen
International News Lars Petersen 52 The lighter side of a serious situation Steve Tidey
Live Interactive Programs Karrie Berglund
Mobile News Susan Reynolds Button
Planetarium Design/Operations Tim Barry 54 A Week with the GDP winner will be welcomed in
Sound Advice Jeff Bowen Berlin (when it is safe) Anna Green
Southern Hemisphere Haritina Mogoșanu
History/Years ago Tom Callen 56 Week in Italy Winner Susan Button
Ron Walker 90 Tributes: Matthew Stein, Larry Krozel
91 Tributes: Oleg Vasilievich Verkhodanov
On the Cover
contents continue on next page
Earth breaking free of the grip of COVID-
19 symbolizes the planetarium commu- Index of Advertisers
nity, which is still bringing the stars to American Museum of Natural History....... 15
world. Original artwork by Jackie Baugh- Ash Enterprises................................................. 61
man commissioned by Planetarian; artist Audio Visual Imagineering........................... 85
permitted to retain copyright. Bays Mountain Productions......................... 64
BIG & Digital.................................................... 29
California Academy of Sciences................ 27
Digitalis Education Solutions....................... 17
Endurescreens.....................................................9
Evans & Sutherland........... 23, 55, 57, 59, 87
International Planetarium Society home page: GOTO Inc........................................................... 71
www.ips-planetarium.org Kraftwerk.............................................................5
Metaspace.........................................................35
Planetarian home page: Mirage 3D.......................................................... 65
www.ips-planetarium.org/page/plntrn
Navitar............................................................... 69
Ohira Tech/Megastar........Inside back cover
RSACosmos..................... Outside back cover
Spitz, Inc..................................................... 73, 89
Spitz Creative Media.................................7, 79
www.facebook.com/InternationalPlanetariumSociety You Can Do Astronomy................................. 81
twitter.com/IPS_Planetarium ZEISS......................................Inside front cover
Vol 49 No 2 June 2020 Planetarian 1
Off icers
June 2020
Vol 49 No 2
President
Mark SubbaRao
Adler Planetarium
Columns 1300 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605 USA
+1 312-294-0348
6 In Front of the Console: Embracing the mask president@ips-planetarium.org
Sharon Shanks
8 President’s Message: How much the world has changed
Mark SubbaRao
51 PARTYcles Alex Cherman Past President
Shawn Laatsch
58 IMERSA Matters: Using the “down” time for serious Emera Astronomy Center
167 Rangeley Road
planning Carolyn Collins Petersen
Orono, Maine 04469 USA
60 Seeking What Works: Thanks for a wonderful tenure past-president@ips-planetarium.org
as chair Jeanne Bishop
62 From the Classdome: Welcome to the ClassHome
Mark Percy
66 International News Lars Petersen President Elect
Kaoru Kimura
74 Tales from Dome Under: The Score: Tor 1, NASM 0 Japan Science Foundation/Science
Museum
Tom Callen 2-1 Kitanomaru-koen, Chiyoda-ku,
76 Sound Advice: When the music is live under the dome Tokyo, Japan 102-0091
+81 3-3212-8506
Jeff Bowen Fax: +81 3 3212 8443
78 41 South: Citizen Science: One way to keep your president-elect@ips-planetarium.org
audience engaged Haritina Mogoșanu
80 LIP Service: LIPS in the time of COVID-19
Karrie Berglund
Executive Secretary
82 Mobile News: Keep the momentum when your dome Patty Seaton
is closed Susan Reynolds Button Howard B. Owens Science Center
9601 Greenbelt Road
84 Book Reviews April Whitt Lanham, Maryland 20706 USA
Light from the Void: Twenty Years of Discovery with +1 301-906-5990
secretary@ips-planetarium.org
NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory
The Lost Constellations: A History of Obsolete, Extinct,
or Forgotten Star Lore
Treasurer
88 A Different Point of View: The music of leftover brats Ann Bragg
Ron Walker Anderson Hancock Planetarium
Marietta College
91 Calendar of Events Loris Ramponi 215 Fifth Street
Marietta, Ohio 45750 USA
92 Last Light: Musings from isolation April Whitt
+1 740-376-4589
treasurer@ips-planetarium.org
Director of
Operations
Jeannie Benjamins
Managing Matters
411 Richmond Street East, Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5A3S5
operations@ips-planetarium.org
2 Planetarian Vol 49 No 2 June 2020
Aff iliate Representatives
European/ Mediterranean Planetarium Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association
Association RMPA
EMP Michele Wistisen
Manos Kitsonas Casper Planetarium
Eugenides Planetarium 904 North Poplar Street
387 Syngrou Avenue Casper, Wyoming
APA ABP PLANed APLF AMPAC ASP APS 17564 P. Faliro 82601 USA
Athens, Greece +1 307-577-0310
+30 210 946 9674 michele_wistisen@natronaschools.org
+30 210 941 7372 fax
mak@eugenfound.edu.gr Russian Planetariums Association
RPA
Great Lakes Planetarium Association Yaroslav Gubchenko
GLPA Fulldome Film Society
BAP CASC CPS EMPA GLPA GPPA PlanIt
Mike Smail PO Box 103
Adler Planetarium 60310 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
1300 S Lake Shore Drive gubchenko@fulldomefilm.org
Chicago, Illinois 60612 USA www.apr.planetariums.ru
+1 312-294-0365
msmail@adlerplanetarium.org Society of the German-Speaking
www.glpa.org Planetariums
JPA MAPS NPA PPA RMPA RPA GDP GDP
Great Plains Planetarium Association Björn Voss
GPPA LWL-Museum für Naturkunde
Jack L. Northrup Westphalian State Museum
Sci-Tech Instructional Facilitator of Natural History
Omaha, Nebraska USA Sentruper Str. 285
jlnorthrup@fbx.com 48161 Münster Germany
SEPA SWAP +49-251-591-6026
Italian Association of Planetaria +49-251-591-6098 fax
IAP bjoern.voss@lwl.org
African Planetarium Association Association of Spanish Planetariums Loris Ramponi www.gdp-planetarium.org
APA ASP National Archive of Planetaria
Susan Murabana Owen Javier Armentia c/o Centro Studi e Ricerche Southeastern Planetarium Association
The Travelling Telescope’s Nairobi Planetario de Pamplona Serafino Zani SEPA
Planetarium Sancho Ramirez, 2 via Bosca 24, C.P. 104 John Hare
105 Riverside Lane off Riverside Drive E-31008 Pamplona Navarra Spain I 25066 Lumezzane (Brescia) Italy Ash Enterprises
Nairobi, Kenya +34 948 260 004 +39 30 872 164 29 Riverside Drive, Apt 402
+254 722 218 267 +34 948 260 056 +39 30 872 545 fax Cocoa, Florida 32922 USA
smurabana@travellingtelescope.co.uk +34 948 261 919 fax megrez58@gmail.com +1 941 730 3434
javarm@pamplonetario.org osservatorio@serafinozani.it johnhare@earthlink.net
Association of Brazilian Planetariums www.planetarios.org www.planetari.org www.sepadomes.org
ABP
Alexandre Cherman Australasian Planetarium Society Japan Planetarium Association Southwestern Association of
Rua Bento Lisboa, 106 BL1 AP1005 APS JPA Planetariums
Rio de Janeiro, RJ Amanda Kruger Sumito Hirota SWAP
22221-010 Brazil Science Space–University of Wollongong Kawasaki Science Museum Sarah Twidel
alexandre.cherman@ UOW Innovation Campus 7-1-2 Masugata, Tama-ku Noble Planetarium
planetariodorio.com.br 60 Squires Way Kawasaki, Kanagawa Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
www.planetarios.org.br North Wollongong, NSW 2500 Australia 214-0032 Japan 1600 Gendy Street
www.planetariodorio.com.br +61 (2) 42865000 hirota@e23.jp Fort Worth, Texas 76107 USA
amandak@uow.edu.au planetarium.jp (817) 255 - 9409
Association of Dutch-Speaking www.aps-planetarium.org stwidal@fwmsh.org
Planetariums Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society www.swapskies.org
PLANed British Association of Planetaria MAPS
Jaap Vreeling BAP April Whitt
Nova informatie centrum Nina Cameron Jim Cherry Memorial Planetarium
Science Park 904 Glasgow Science Centre Fernbank Science Center
1098 XH Amsterdam 50 Pacific Quay Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA
+31 0 20 525 7480 Glasgow, Scotland G51 1EA april.whitt@dekalbschoolsga.org
+31 0 20 525 7484 fax +44 (0) 141 420 5010 www.mapsplanetarium.org
J.A.Vreeling@uva.nl nina.cameron@glasgowsciencecentre.org
www.astronomie.nl www.planetaria.org.uk Nordic Planetarium Association
NPA
Association of French-Speaking Canadian Association of Science Centres Kai Santavuori
Planetariums CASC Sweco Structures LTD
APLF Frank Florian Viitankruununtie 34 B 11
Milene Wèndling TELUS World of Science 00970 Helsinki
Université de Strasbourg 11211 142 Street NW Finland
Jardin des Sciences Edmonton, Alberta T5M 4A1 Canada +358 44 9867 630
12 rue de l’Université fflorian@twose.ca KaiSantavuori@gmail.com
Strasbourg F-67000 France www.canadiansciencecentres.ca
+33 (0)3 68 85 05 32 Pacific Planetarium Association
+33 (0)3 68 85 04 88 fax Chinese Planetarium Society PPA
milene.wendling@unistra.fr CPS Benjamin Mendelsohn
www.aplf-planetariums.org Jin Zhu West Valley Community College
Beijing Planetarium 14000 Fruitvale Avenue
Association of Mexican Planetariums No. 138 Xizhimenwait Street Saratoga, California
AMPAC Beijing, 1000044 95070-5698 USA
Ignacio Castro Pinal P.R. China +1 408-741-4018
Ave. San Bernabé, 723, Casa 7 +86 10-5158-3311 +1 408-741-4072 fax
San Jerónimo Lídice, C.P. 10200 +86 10-5158-3312 fax Benjamin.Mendelsohn@wvm.edu
México City, D.F. México jinzhu@bjp.org.cn sites.csn.edu/planetarium/PPA
+52 (55) 5500 0562
+52 (55) 5500 0583 fax
icastrop@hotmail.com
Vol 49 No 2 June 2020 Planetarian 3
Standing Committees
Awards Elections Finance
IPS Permanent Mailing Address
Manos Kitsonas, Chair Martin George, Chair Current Officers
Eugenides Planetarium Launceston Planetarium International Planetarium Society
387 Syngrou Avenue Queen Victoria Museum Membership c/o Ann Bragg, Treasurer
17564 P. Faliro Wellington Street Mike Murray, Chair Marietta College
Athens, Greece Launceston Tasmania 7250 Delta College Planetarium 215 Fifth Street
+30 210 946 9674 Australia 100 Center Avenue Marietta, Ohio 45750 USA
+30 210 941 7372 fax +61 3 6323 3777 Bay City, Michigan 48708 USA
mak@eugenfound.edu.gr +61 3 6323 3776 fax +1 989-667-2270 IPS Web Site:
Martin.George@qvmag.tas.gov.au mikemurray@delta.edu www.ips-planetarium.org
Conference
Current Officers Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Publications Please notify the Editor and Secretary of any changes
Upcoming conference host, past Karla Peregrina. Chair Dale W. Smith, Chair on these two pages.
conference host, any IPS member Cancun Planetarium Ka’ Yok’ BGSU Planetarium
appointed by the president ConsejoQuintanarroense de Ciencia y 104 Overman Hall Contact the Treasurer/Membership Chair for
Tecnología Physics &Astronomy Department individual member address changes and general
Av. Palenque s/n S.M.21 Mz. 5 CP 77505 Bowling Green State University circulation and billing questions. Addresses
Cancún, Quintana Roo, México Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA also may be changed online on the IPS Web Site.
+1 52 (998) 883 95 57 +1 419-372-8666
+1 52 (998) 201 15 18 +1 419-372-9938 fax
dwsmith@bgsu.edu
Professional Partners
Ad Hoc Committees/Task Forces/Working Groups
Armand Spitz Immersive Audio Portable Planetariums
Planetarium Education Fund Charles Morrow Susan Reynolds Button, Chair
Finance Committee 1961 Roaring Brook Road Quarks to Clusters
Barton, Vermont 05822 USA 8793 Horseshoe Lane
Education Phone: +1-212-989-2400 Chittenango, New York 13037
Jeanne E. Bishop cm@cmorrow.com +1 315-687-5371
Planetarium Director sbuttonq2c@twcny.rr.com
Parkside Administration Building International Relations sbuttonq2c@gmail.com
24525 Hilliard Road Martin George, Chair
Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA Launceston Planetarium Science & Data We are gathered together from all
+1 440-871-5293 Queen Victoria Museum Visualization Task Force
+1 440-835-5572 fax Wellington Street Mark SubbaRao corners of this globe, inspired by the
jeanneebishop@wowway.com Launceston, Tasmania 7250 Adler Planetarium world and the universe we inhabit.
www.glpaweb.org Australia 1300 South Lake Shore Drive
Mail address: +61 3 6323 3777 Chicago, Illinois 60605 USA Our society draws its strength from
3180 Oakwood Lane +61 3 6323 3776 fax +1 312-294-0348
Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA Martin.George@qvmag.tas.gov.au msubbarao@adlerplanetarium.org
our predecessors and from the
wide diversity of our present
Emerging Communities Planetarium Centennial Task Force Vision 2020 Initiative
Dave Weinrich Björn Voss Jon Elvert, Chair membership. Building on our past
S250 State Road 35 S LWL-Museum für Naturkunde Baton Rouge, Louisiana heritage, we are inspired to dream
Nelson, Wisconsin 54756 USA Westphalian State Museum Of Natural 70802 USA
dave.l.weinrich@gmail.com History jelvert1@gmail.com of future accomplishments, working
History
Sentruper Str. 285
48161 Munster, Germany
together as a worldwide society.
John Hare, IPS Historian +49-251-591-6026
Ash Enterprises +49-251-591-6098 fax IPS President Dave Weinrich
29 Riverside Drive, Apt 402 bjoern.voss@lwl.org
Cocoa, Florida 32922 USA
Welcome to the 2012
+1 941 730 3434 Planetarium Design and Operations IPS Conference
johnhare@earthlink.net Ian McLennan Baton Rouge, Louisiana
#404-1275 Haro Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6E 1G1 Canada
+1 604-681-4790 phone + fax
ian@ianmclennan.com
ian.mclennan@gmail.com Planetarian (ISSN 0090-3213) is published quarterly by
www.ianmclennan.com the International Planetarium Society. ©2020 Interna-
tional Planetarium Society, Inc., all rights reserved.
Also known as The Planetarian from Vol. 1 No. 1
through Vol. 6 No. 4. Titled Planetarian starting with
Vol. 7 No. 1 forward.
Opinions expressed by authors are personal opinions
and are not necessarily the opinions of the Interna-
Guidelines for contributors •• Contributors agree that their printed version has been received by
tional Planetarium Society, its officers, or agents.
•• Planetarian welcomes submis- submission is their own original work members), contributors may post the
sions of interest to the planetari- and has not appeared elsewhere in submission on a personal website, Acceptance of advertisements, announcements, or
um community. Preference is given print or electronically, nor is not blog, or a website of general inter- other material does not imply endorsement by the
to articles that closely relate to the being submitted simultaneously else- est as long as the following appears: International Planetarium Society, its officers, or
philosophy, management, techni- where in print or electronically. If the Copyright 2013 (or appropriate agents.
cal aspects, educational aspects, or submission has appeared elsewhere year) International Planetarium
history of planetariums, and to ideas in print or electronically, permission Society; used with permission and Note that photos may be enhanced digitally for print-
that can readily be incorporated to re-print must be obtained and provide a link to the IPS. If in doubt, ability only, never for content.
into planetarium shows. Authors are a copy of this permission emailed contact the editor with questions.
responsible for obtaining all neces- to the Editor with the article. •• The Guidelines for Contributors The editor welcomes Letters to the Editor and items
sary copyright clearances, especial- •• Once accepted for publication, on the IPS website should be consult- for consideration for publication.The editor reserves
ly for illustrations and photographs. the contributor also agrees that the ed before submitting an article. the right to edit any manuscript to suit this publica-
copyright for original works not •• Potential advertisers are invited tion’s needs.
•• Research articles dealing with
educational aspects of the plan- appearing elsewhere is held by the to check the Advetising Guidelines
International Planetarium Society. and Rate Sheet on the IPS website: The online PDF version holds ISSN 2333-9063
etarium and other topics are
highly desirable and will be refer- Once a submission has appeared www.ips-planetarium.org/plntrn
Planetarian is part of the EBSCO research database.
eed if applicable and requested. in Planetarian (but not before the
4 Planetarian Vol 49 No 2 June 2020
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In Front of the Console
Sharon Shanks
484 Canterbury Lane
Boardman, Ohio 44512 USA
+1 330-783-9341
sharon.shanks@gmail.com
Embracing the mask
It was a cruel type of irony that I titled my March I decided that the astronomy-themed hat was
enough justification to pull editor’s privilege
column “The importance of face to face,” just in time
and share another picture of my granddaugh-
for the coronavirus pandemic to hit and face to face to ter. Ellis is rocking a hair scarf her mother, an
became “face to face six feet apart and wear a mask.” emergency room nurse, wears for work. And
I am frequently reminded of a line from the 1993 movie then I couldn’t decide which one. Photos by
Jurassic Park spoken by Dr. Alan Grant, “The world has just John Shanks.
changed so radically, and we’re all running to catch up.”
We’re running, certainly, to produce and launch content, Lars Petersen noted that masks “are hard to
education, and connection with our audiences on line. come upon in Denmark because the authorities
And it also feels like were’s stuck in a nightmare, one in don’t recommend them in public. People tend
which we run but never make progress fleeing from the to reuse them or do not replace after the max 2
monster. In this case, the monster is uncertainty. We can’t hours of use or when moist.”
make decisions without knowing when and how we can Loris Ramponi made a poignant statement
reopen (or if we even should or could). through his image. See Page 91.
When I wrote this column, news was just starting to Carolyn added the back story for hers: “I like
break about major layoffs and staff reductions at the large to sew. In March, I began making face masks for
science museums in the U.S. Uncertainty now is future us to wear, and offered one to a neighbor who
employment and the sustainability of science centers that was undergoing chemotherapy. She mentioned
rely on visitors through the door, not watching on line. it to someone else, and I started to get requests
for masks from others. So, I’ve been sewing and
Making a point to remember the vendors selling space-themed masks for people who
When it became obvious that this issue of Planetari- want something special.
an was going to include a lot of content about the effects “Then the project blossomed into a mask-
of COVID-19 on the planetarium community, I decided making task force in our area. People in our
to make one of my occasional story contribution and Colorado county have donated fabric, thread,
survey the vendors to see how they were faring. Planetar- etc. to the task force. Sewists have banded
ium vendors are family, even if they are only one or two together and are busily making masks to donate
colleagues from a large company or from a company of one or two. to first responders, law enforcement, hospice workers, local veterinari-
About half of the vendors I contacted replied, and I think their answers ans, other essential workers, immune-compromised neighbors, etc. It’s
are a good sample of the care and camaraderie that everyone in this been a real joy to learn the little scraps of material I have been whip-
community feels about each other. ping through my sewing machine are helping others stay safe as they
do their jobs during the epidemic.”
And now, about the masks I did not request masked photos from the four authors of the research
The other thing special in this issue is the response to my request for paper on embodied design that starts on page 30. It would be hard to
the associate editors and other contributors to share selfies in masks. explain later when their article is shared.
Susan Button started it all when she shared a picture her granddaugh-
ter had taken, and it grew from there. A farewell for Jeanne Bishop
Some of the photos came with stories, and some of the masks are Finally, Jeanne Bishop went a step further and added gloves to her
as creative as the the people whose lives they are helping to keep safe. image. Oh, that is so typical Jeanne—to go above and beyond. I will
Astronomy themes are favorites, of course. miss her presence in Planetarian.
Michael Daut shared train robber Michael, and a fierce and sinister She announces (page 60) that this will be her final contribution
Alex Cherman stuck a pose with a Marvel Comics-themed mask. to Seeking What Works, the column focused on the IPS Education
Guilherme Marranghello’s mask is hand decorated with planets Committee. She is retiring from her role as committee chair.
and satellites. April Whitt chose astronomy, and a pair of sun glasses is Anyone doing planetarium research knows that the name of Jeanne
enough to change up for her second picture for Last Light. Mark Percy Bishop appears frequently; she was one of the first to publish scholar-
represents the United Federation of Planets in his mask, and you can ly articles about education under the dome and those papers are cited
tell that Mike McConville is smiling behind his constellations bandana. frequently in later studies.
Ron Walker (being typical Ron) is protected behind the face hugger She has spent her entire life, literally, immersed in planetariums
from the movie Alien. Mark SubbaRao makes up for his plain (albeit and involved with the International Planetarium Society. She has
neon green) mask with having a telescope in the background. been here for us since the beginning So much of what we try to do as
Masks are not as common outside the U.S. Tom Callen photoshopped a society—to educate, share and lead—have been set by her example.
one into his picture, but he noted it is also anaglyphic. We, as a society, will miss her quarterly contributions. I
6 Planetarian Vol 49 No 2 June 2020
FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com/fulldome_shows
Vol 49 No 2 June 2020 Planetarian
SHOW DISTRIBUTION7
Contact: Mike Bruno mbruno@spitzinc.com T: 610.459.5200
President’s Message Mark SubbaRao
Adler Planetarium
1300 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605 USA
+1 312-294-0348
msubbarao@adlerplanetarium.org
How much the world has changed
My March President’s Message talked about what a wonderful time affiliates across the globe. Affiliate reps will be needed more than ever
we were to have at the conference in Edmonton. I talked about the as the communication link between their members and the board.
great sessions that were planned, the opportunities to greet old friends
and make new ones, and to seal the deal I even included a picturesque New director of operations
photo of Jasper National Park where the post conference tour was to Due to a staffing change at the association management company
be held. that the IPS has engaged, Managing Matters, we now have a new direc-
In the three months between issues, the world has changed. The tor of operations. The IPS would like to thank
COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to our community. Plane- our previous Director of Operations Kristen
tariums all around the world are shuttered and we have been hearing Lepine dos Santos for her service to the orga-
about many members losing their jobs.. We face great uncertainty of nization.
when we’ll be able to open our planetariums again, and how much Jennie Benjamins has taken over this
we’ll need to change how we operate when we do open our doors. role. Jennie has worked in the association
At the same time it has been inspiring to see how our community management industry for over three and a
has responded. Almost overnight planetarians started teaching them- half years. She has developed and executed
selves new skills and started producing online content. I’d like to recog- an association rebrand, managed member-
nise the work of Michael McConville and the other organizers of The ship development plans, and commu-
Dome Dialogs eConference series through Facebook and Zoom. These nication strategies for her clients. Her
webinars have been a great service to the community, both for the professional background is based in the not-
content of the sessions and the fellowship that these virtual gatherings Jennie Benjamins for-profit sector with various roles ranging
bring. from fundraiser to marketer and publi-
As an industry, we need to transition from survival to recovery. cist. Jennie is excited to be part of the IPS community and looks
Ideally we will do this in a way that makes us more efficient and stron- forward to connecting with all of you. I
ger in the long run. While we were hit with the impact of the pandem-
ic seemingly overnight, that recovery will be much longer.
IPS also needs to change to adapt to the new needs of our commu-
Coronavirus forces deadline extensions
nity. I’d like to thank Thomas Kraupe for co-chairing the new IPS
In light of the disruptions caused by the pandemic, the IPS
COVID-19 Task Force with me. So far we’ve sent out surveys, issued a
Council has voted to extend the deadline for the submission of
mini-grant program, increased the frequency of the Communicator
bids for the 2024 conference. Bids are now due on September 1,
newsletter, and opened the new Planetarium Network forum. (https://
2020.
ipshub.mn.co/)
More information about the bidding process is available from
While we won’t be able to gather in person, we are excited about
President Mark SubbaRao at the email listed above.
the upcoming virtual IPS conference now being planned. My hope is
In addition, the deadline for nominations for the positions
that this virtual event becomes a model for get-togethers in the future.
of president elect, secretary, and treasurer for 2021-22 has been
Perhaps in the future we can hold a conference every year, alternating
extended to September 2, 2020.
between in-person and online meetings.
Candidates normally present their reasons for wanting to
become an officer to IPS members in person during conferences,
From council to board but because the 2020 conference has been cancelled the Election
IPS was scheduled to hold a council meeting on June 19 during the Committee is requesting that all nominees submit a 3-minute
Edmonton conference. It still will be held, albeit virtually instead of in video that will be accessible to all members via the IPS website.
person. At that meeting we will transition from our current governing Nominations must be received by Martin George, Elections
structure of a council made up of affiliate representatives to the new Committee chair, by 12h Universal Time on September 2, at
board structure with representatives from each continental zone. martingeorge3@hotmail.com. Acceptances by nominees are
We’ve gotten many questions about what that will mean for affil- asked to be received by, at the latest, one day later. Persons who
iates and their relation to IPS. For the most part little will change in have accepted a nomination at any time before the closing date
that relationship. IPS will still be, at its core, an organization made up are encouraged to prepare their video as soon as possible.
of affiliates. In fact, we are actively encouraging the creation of new IPS Note that the terms of office for secretary and treasurer are
two years each, but the office of president elect will be followed
by two years as president in 2023-24 and two years as past
IPS President Mark SubbaRao, among his many associations, also is the
director of the Space Visualization Laboratory at the Adler Planetarium. president in 2025-26. I
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Planetarian 9Letters to the Editor
An open letter to my fellow planetarians:
There’s been a “see” change in observing
1
Jim Sweitzer, PhD
Science Communications Consultants, LLC
Chicago, Illinois USA
j.sweitzer@icloud.com
Dear Friends and Colleagues focal ratio is F/4, so at
Please excuse the puns (it’s been a long few weeks), but I wanted to the size of its CMOS
share my recent experiences with a new type of electronically-assist- color-imaging chip,
ed telescope that has been keeping me “focused” while staying home. it achieves a resolu-
The eVscope. Used with permission from
It’s called the eVscope, and it’s made by Unistellar of France. tion of 1.7 arc seconds Unistellar Optics.
(unistellaroptics.com/) I was one of the first in the U.S. to buy one and I per pixel across a full
have been using it from my backyard on the west side of Chicago, Illi- image diameter of
nois. about 25 arc minutes. It delivers a 1.2 megabyte image.
(Of course, eVscope is not the only electronically-assisted telescope The scope has its own onboard computer that automatically
to come on the market recently. The Stellina telescope from Vaonis, conducts starfield identification, so it’s easy for the user to point it, find
also a French company, is another. (https://vaonis.com/about-us) Both objects and then track them. This latter feature alone makes it a winner
retail for about $4,000. Others are surely in the works.) in light-polluted skies where it’s hard to see enough stars to locate any
The Class 9 Bortle scale skies in my neighborhood are as light-pollut- dim object, even with binoculars. I’ve found pointing accuracy is never
ed as they get, but I have been amazed at the scope’s performance and off by more than a couple of arc minutes and tracking never waivers.
intrigued by the opportunities it offers to our community. First let me
tell you a little about the scope itself and then about its educational Put the scope in enhanced mode
potential. But finding the quarry is just the first step. Once you are on target,
The eVscope is an all-electronic Newtonian telescope with a modest the telescope can be put into “enhanced” mode where it takes a stream
114 mm (4.5 inch) objective mirror. (Links at the end of this letter will of 4-second exposures, which it continually rotates and averages in a
take you to a couple of webpages with more details.) It only weighs 9 process called stacking. If you then integrate for a couple of minutes,
kg (approximately 20 pounds), including the tripod (see picture 1). The even in Chicago skies, you can easily image and start to see fine details
2 3 4
From left: M51—Four minute Exposure from Chicago; M61 with its new supernova; M42—After only 3 minutes of image stacking. All images by author.
10 Planetarian Vol 49 No 2 June 2020of 9th or 10th magnitude deep sky objects. (See pictures 2, 3, 4, and 5 is a tiny, onboard monitor on the telescope with an eyepiece so you
for typical images from my location. The last picture in that series was can watch the same enhancement process on your phone screen. My
tweaked a bit with Adobe Lightroom after the session.) guest observers have all enjoyed watching the signal to noise gradual-
Dark sites can do even better in less time. (See picture 6 from a ly improve on the screen in real time. Within a couple of minutes, you
colleague in France who observes with his at a Class 4 Bortle site.) Even usually have a great image.
where I live, I can easily see stars at least down to 16th magnitude and I have found that although some like to look through the onboard
fainter. eyepiece, most are happy to watch the image continually improve on
Along with the fact that this scope allows me to see deep sky objects the phone. And because the images are already on the phone, they are
from my urban backyard, its ease of use and portability are among easy to share. I’ve used Zoom to bring people along in real time and also
its biggest pluses. Yes, it is possible to configure a normal 8- or 11-inch texted or air dropped images to my guest observers right after observ-
amateur telescope to do this type of “go-to” finding and imaging and ing sessions.
even get higher resolution images, but not as easily and quickly as with
the eVscope. Possible for dome casting?
Instead of hauling 40-70 pounds of gear into the backyard, align- I foresee that this kind of scope could be easy to stream into a dome
ing it, and setting up my computer to process the images, I carry a cast. Imagine one of these devices backpacked into Tierra del Fuego to
20-pound scope and tripod in my backpack. I level it and I’m ready to image a far-southern comet for sharing around the world via the Inter-
go. Additionally, because of the way it tracks and records images, this net. For international astronomical educational efforts, these seem
scope, unlike others, would be just as well-suited for rooftop concrete tailor-made.
platforms or decks and doesn’t require a separate pier. Astronomically, the eVscope was primarily designed for and works
best at sighting deep sky objects, like galaxies, clusters or nebulae—
It operates from an app objects that would work well at about 100 magnification. When an
I operate the telescope from an app on my smart phone. The eVscope image is in enhance mode, it’s like looking directly through a 1-meter
does autonomous star field detection within a minute and then it’s reflector.
ready to start hunting deep sky objects. It’s easy to choose the objects The eVscope was also designed for recording astronomical events
from an intelligent menu or enter coordinates yourself. like exoplanet transits or asteroid occultations because it can record
Once you’ve slewed to your nebula, the image enhancement and hour-long sequences of images.
stacking begin with the press of an icon on the phone screen. There The SETI Institute will be coordinating the global network of
eVscopes in Citizen Science projects. The Citizen Science data and
offline image analysis offer intriguing oppor-
5a tunities for educational programming for
5b high school and college students, as well as in
Astronomy 101 classes on most campuses—
with or without formal observatories or plan-
etariums.
The eVscope, however, is not designed
for small, high surface brightness observing
of details on the moon or planets, primarily
because it does not have the focal length for
higher magnification. For solar system observ-
ing, I use a small, 4-inch Maksutov, which is
portable and performs well in urban skies too.
But consider a moment those solar system
targets for public programming: If you are
restricted to doing public programs when the
planets are convenient or the moon is around
first quarter, you have a limited number of
6 days and times per year, all of which are weath-
er-dependent, when you can conduct observ-
ing sessions.
Gazing beyond the solar system
The eVscope, on the other hand, reaches
numerous targets on any clear night. And,
instead of being limited to just 10 astronomical
units, you can easily gaze out over 80 million
light years. As an experiment, I went even
further and captured light from a quasar 2.5
billion light years away.
The deep sky subjects, however, bring with
them their own challenge—that of explaining
them to the average viewer. It’s fairly easy to
help people understand what they’re look at
Above: Image 5a, M81 a few minutes into imaging process as seem from phone, and (Image 5b) the
when they view the moon, Saturn, or even a
same image tweaked a bit later in Lightroom. Photos by author. Image 6, M16 from a dark site. Courte-
sy of J.M. Laugier. (Continues on page 37)
Vol 49 No 2 June 2020 Planetarian 11Guest Editorial
Fulldome storytelling:
Embracing the dome’s uniqueness
By Michael Daut
Board Member
IMERSA
msdaut@gmail.com
As a continuation of last year’s article1 about audience impact in In addition, the concept of “story” includes all aspects of a cinematic
Planetarian, I am continuing our focus on principles of storytelling and production: visuals, acting, narrative, music, sound effects, and some-
world-building that are unique to digital fulldome theaters (with some times even silence.
parallels to virtual reality experiences). The immersive dome has native characteristics that battle against
The immersive dome’s cinematic language is different from tradi- tried-and-true narrative story conventions. Stories conceived tradi-
tional “flat” cinema and the audience
experience is certainly different. Here, 1
we explore some of the intangible qual-
ities that make the dome what it is and
imagine how to harness these special attri-
butes to unlock the medium’s true poten-
tial through immersive storytelling.
Incidentally, I take a much deeper dive
into this topic in the recently-published
textbook The Global Impacts and Roles
of Immersive Media, edited by Jacqueline
Morie and Kate McCallum2. I also want to
acknowledge contributions to my thinking
in this article by two of my fellow immer-
sive storytellers, Carolyn Collins Petersen
and Ryan J. Wyatt. They have long written
for immersive spaces and taught about
storytelling under the dome, and their
insights are invaluable.
Deciphering dome storytelling
The topic of story is a fascinating place
to start our conversation, since the impor- Image 1. The fabled Cinerama Dome on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood,
tance of story is often elevated to a nearly once home to the extreme wide-screen Cinerama film format. All photos by Michael
Daut.
mythic status as the rare quest that must be
sought out conquered first, before taking
any successive steps. (I do this as well) These “perfect stories” are as rare tionally do not always work in fulldome. When they do, they are
as magical unicorns and all-powerful genies and are just as unlikely to usually just okay, but they often fail to lean into all the unique bene-
be captured. The overused trope that “story is everything” has proba- fits that the digital dome medium uniquely can afford. Conversely,
bly done more to paralyze would-be-creatives in their starting blocks ignoring certain key storytelling tools from traditional cinema can
than to inspire authentic next-level storytelling. To be honest, stories also hamstring the experience you are designing for your audiences,
typically develop much more organically. They often define them- who are hoping to be immersed in the dome. Seems like an impossible
selves only after hacking through lots of bad ideas to get to a few good conundrum. It, thankfully, is solvable.
ones that need care, craft, sweat, perseverance, and polish to emerge. Here are a few principles I’ve learned as I work to decipher the dome’s
story language. On a most essential level, fulldome is not cinema. It is
not theater. It is not a themed entertainment experience. It is also not
1 “Guest Editorial: Planetariums need to build and engage audiences to survive,”
Vol. 48 No. 1, March 2019. a blend between the three. It is something greater than the sum of its
2 The Global Impacts and Roles of Immersive Media, Handbook of Research On series; parts.
IGI Global, 2019. See igi-global.com/book/handbook-research-global-impacts-
roles.
12
12 Planetarian
Planetarian Vol 49 No 2 June 2020Fulldome is its own creature of disbelief” enabled by all aspects of
On a most essential level, fulldome the medium (script, visuals, narrative,
borrows DNA from cinema, theater,
2 soundtrack) that they feel the story
and themed entertainment to create actually is happening to them.
something new that has its own set of In fulldome, there is no natural
strengths and weaknesses. aesthetic distance between the audi-
With this in mind, here are some ence and the content. If cinema allows
things that the dome does naturally: the audience to peer anonymously
•• places the audience inside a through a window, fulldome places the
“virtual” space; audience in the room with the charac-
•• reveals a lot of (potentially distract- ters with no “safe” or “hidden” perspec-
ing) context surrounding the main tive. Therefore, fulldome thrusts
focus of a scene; the audience right into story spaces
•• offers a sense of kinetic motion as whether the audience realizes this—
if the audience is moving through or whether they want to be there or
the scenes (rather than the camera 3 not. Savvy directors must learn how
or the scenes themselves moving); to use this reality to their advantage
•• adapts to the scale and shape of the and warm the audience to the idea of
scene, with the skill of a mystical story immersion without letting the
shapeshifter, changing the dome’s audience members know that they are
apparent shape and size to suit the immersed from the moment the visuals
content projected on it; appear on the dome.
•• provides a specific vantage point
to the audience inside each scene Theater vs fulldome
as either a first-person participant Again, to oversimplify, theater is a
or as a third-party observer with communal experience in which live
a level of closeness determined by performers draw energy and insight
the director; 4 from an audience that is also inside a
•• creates an alternate world of both specific physical space with them. That
sight and sound (using purposeful- experience affords an organic dynamic
ly directed music and narration) for of push and pull between the players
the audience to inhabit. and the observers. Theater heightens
•• Here
Here arearethings
thingsthat
thatthe
the dome
dome does the experience due to the unpredict-
not donotnaturally
do naturally
(or may(ornot
maydo not
well do
or ability of a live performer who could
evenwell
at all):
or even at all): do essentially anything inside that
•• quick shifts in audience perspec- space. Audiences cannot move from
tive (a.k.a. traditional fast-cut film seat to seat in a theatrical setting, but
editing); performers can exit the physically
•• restricted views; defined stage space and move through-
•• sudden changes in scale of people out the audience.
or objects on screen; The stage itself can transform
•• very short shots; through a variety of methods from sets,
•• certain transitions like dissolves or lights, curtains, and other tradition-
superimpositions; Image 2. A scene from James Hood’s Mesmerica in a digital full- al stagecraft to more elaborate video
dome theater.
•• provide an aesthetic distance projection mapping or even LED video
between the audience and the Image 3. A full-scale Millennium Falcon delights guests at Star panels used as standing set pieces. With
content; Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, Southern California. all of these available tools, the space
•• create passive connection with the within the theater does not typically
Image 4. Immersed in the story world of Star Wars, guests at expand or contract physically and the
audience.
Disneyland are invited to wait inside the Millennium Falcon
These lists are by no means compre- in various spaces like this for their turn to pilot the starship
audience area also remains consistent-
hensive, and I certainly don’t pretend through a smuggler’s run across the galaxy. ly defined.
to understand all there is to know about In fulldome, such dynamic experi-
this incredible medium. However, they ences can happen with the incorpora-
do establish some fundamental differences and similarities between tion of a single “live” performer or multiple performers to leverage the
the dome’s spiritual ancestors: cinema, theater, and themed entertain- organic push and pull between the actors and audience. Also, since a
ment. dome provides such a powerful sense of place for an audience, it can
serve as an immersive backdrop and soundstage for a theatrical perfor-
Cinema vs fulldome mance. Since the performers and the dome exist on different physical
In an overly simplistic way, cinema is a voyeuristic experience in levels—the actor in front and the dome above—directors must care-
which the viewer is invited to look through a “window” into a story fully choreograph action between the two. The audience needs to
they can enjoy from a safe distance. Surround sound adds to the sensa- be able to shift focus from the performer to the dome and back again
tion of immersion, but visually, audiences do not find themselves without creating confusion, which means the dome and the perform-
surrounded by story imagery. It is not until the audience willing- ers shouldn’t be doing too much at the same time.
The dome can also (Continues on next page)
ly engages in the story emotionally through the “willing suspension
Vol 49 No 2 June 2020
2020 Planetarian
Planetarian 135
5
Image 5. The iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle, designed by Walt Disney and his team of
Imagineers, welcomes guests into richly immersive worlds of fantasy and imagination.
Image
6. Inside Hollywood’s historic Pantages theater awaiting a performance of Disney’s
Frozen: The Musical.
6 gies.
of Those adventuresthe
reasons—including typically
fact that last from
they five
almost
6 to 15 minutes
always feature afor a number
story that takes of place
reasons—includ-
in real time
ing the
over the fact that
actual they almost
running time of always
the ride,feature
with noa
storyin
gaps that
timetakes place in real time over the actual
continuity.
running time of
In fulldome, thethe ride,ofwith
sense no gaps
presence in time
is virtual at
continuity.
best, and actual kinetic motion is only illusory.
In fulldome,
Story the sense
time can jump of presence
forward from scene is virtual at
to scene,
best, skillful
and and actual kinetic
editing can motion
allow the is only illusory.
audience to
Story time
move fromcanonejump
sceneforward fromwithout
to another scene toascene,
sense
anddisruption.
of skillful editing can allow
The addition the audience
of physical to
sets and
move
live from can
actors one help
sceneapproximate
to another withouta theme a sense
park
of disruption.
experience even more closely, blurring the lines
The addition
between of physical
actual experience and sets and experience.
virtual live actors
can help approximate a theme park experience
even more closely,
Fulldome blurring the lines between
is unique
actual
Fromexperience and virtualabove,
the comparisons experience.
it should be
take audiences to much more photorealistic locations, covering evident that the fulldome medium has consider-
The dome can also take audiences to much more photorealistic loca-
distances that would be nearly impossible in a traditional theater. Also, Fulldome
able aestheticispower
unique
that has so often been left underutilized, or worse,
tions, covering distances that would be nearly impossible in a tradi-
in these virtual spaces, the live performers can serve as “docents” to From by
misused thefulldome
comparisons above,
creatives. It’sittime
should
to upbeour
evident
game that
and the full-
leverage
tional theater. Also, in these virtual spaces, the live performers can serve
guide the audience through the spaces and provide insight for them, dome medium
the natural has considerable
abilities of the domeaesthetic
to its fullpower thatto
potential has sostories
tell often been
that
as “docents” to guide the audience through the spaces and provide
much as an experienced guide on a city tour or in a museum exhibit. left underutilized,
can only exist in theor fulldome
worse, misused
medium. by fulldome creatives. It’s time to
insight for them, much as an experienced guide on a city tour or in
Even with pre-rendered movies, a live actor can perform along with up our
What game and leverage
follows, the natural
in no particular abilities
order, of the
are some dome
ideas andtorandom
its full
a museum exhibit. Even with pre-rendered movies, a live actor can
appropriately designed content, as in Adler Planetarium’s Destination potential to tell stories that can only exist in the fulldome
musings to stimulate and encourage new approaches to fulldome story- medium.
perform along with appropriately designed content, as in Adler Plan-
Solar System show, which integrates a performer beautifully into the What follows, in no particular order, are some ideas and random
telling.
etarium’s Destination Solar System show, which integrates a performer
entire experience, providing a dynamic connection to the audience musings to stimulate and encourage new approaches to fulldome story-
beautifully into the entire experience, providing a dynamic connec-
telling.
Stories or story worlds?
tion to the audience.
Theater vs themed entertainment A change in perspective regarding story might be a good place
Themed entertainment, at its finest, places audiences inside and Stories or story
to start. Instead worlds?
of placing the initial focus on creating a great story,
Theater vs themed entertainment A change in perspective regardingcompelling
story might beworlds
a goodforplace
moves them through a physical space while providing a tactile experi- perhaps we should consider creating story our
Themed entertainment, at its finest, places audiences inside and
ence that activates all the senses (except perhaps smell and taste). This to start.
dome Instead
shows of placing
to explore. the initial
Instead of leaning focus ontelling
into creating a great
stories andstory,
then
moves them through a physical space while providing a tactile experi-
is the closest entertainment comes to reality, and yes, I’m including perhaps
creating we should
places consider
for these creating
stories to take compelling
place, why story
notworlds for our
lean into the
ence that activates all the senses (except perhaps smell and taste). This
walk-through VR experiences like The Void and Dreamscape in the dome
dome’s ability to create rich visual and auditory environments forthen
shows to explore. Instead of leaning into telling stories and the
is the closest entertainment comes to reality, and yes, I’m including
category of themed entertainment. creating places
audience to explorefor these
wherestories
storiestocantaketakeplace,
place.why not lean into the
walk-through VR experiences like The Void and Dreamscape in the
Whether carried by a train car, a ride vehicle on a track, a boat, or dome’s ability
Yes, it’s subtle,to but
create
it isrich visual anddifference.
an important auditory environments
A story without forrich
the
category of themed entertainment.
more advanced trackless vehicles like in Star Wars: Rise of the Resis- audience to explore
places to explore canwhere stories
fall flat on thecandome.
take place.
Such a canvas craves rich-
Whether carried by a train car, a ride vehicle on a track, a boat, or
tance at Disney parks, or in a “flying” wardrobe mounted on a six- Yes,
ness toit’s
fillsubtle,
its vastbut it is Conversely,
space. an important difference.
rich A storywith
environments without rich
nothing
more advanced trackless vehicles like in Star Wars: Rise of the Resis-
degree-of-freedom robotic Kuka arm in Universal’s Harry Potter and places to explore
happening can make can fall
the flat on thefeel
audience dome. Suchin
trapped a canvas
detailedcraves
spacesrich-
for
tance at Disney parks, or in a “flying” wardrobe mounted on a six-
the Forbidden Journey, these attractions create a powerful sense of nessreason.
no to fill itsIt’svast space. Conversely,
a delicate balance, but rich environments
given the power with nothing
of the dome
degree-of-freedom robotic Kuka arm in Universal’s Harry Potter and
presence. They facilitate the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief happening
to transportcan anmake the audience
audience, buildingfeel trapped
story worlds in detailed
seems morespaces for
valu-
the Forbidden Journey, these attractions create a powerful sense of
by taking them on a physical journey through “real” places, with all no reason. It’s a delicate balance, but given the
able than simply building stories without first considering where the power of the dome
presence. They facilitate the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief
their sights and sounds. to transport
stories could take an audience,
place. Thisbuilding
is akin tostory worldsinseems
level design videomore
gamesvalu-
that
by taking them on a physical journey through “real” places, with all
Rather than virtual environments, themed entertainment worlds able thana simply
provide sandbox building stories
for players to without
explore with first considering where the
varied and sometimes
their sights and sounds.
are as real as they can be. Interestingly, these attractions rely on stage- stories
hiddencould taketo
locations place. Thisand
explore is akin to level design in video games that
uncover.
Rather than virtual environments, themed entertainment worlds
craft from theater, cinematic projection and/or projection mapping, provide a sandbox for players to explore with varied and sometimes
are as real as they can be. Interestingly, these attractions rely on stage-
and even, in some cases, fulldome technology. Disney’s Soarin’ Around hidden
Creating locations
a space to explore and uncover.
craft from theater, cinematic projection and/or projection mapping,
the World and Universal’s Transformers: The Ride 3D are good exam- After figuring out the amazing story worlds where the fulldome
and even, in some cases, fulldome technology. Disney’s Soarin’ Around
ples of creating synergy between different techniques and technologies. Creating a space
experience will unfold, it’s critical to map how the story will take
the World and Universal’s Transformers: The Ride 3D are good exam-
Those adventures typically last from five to 15 minutes for a number After figuring
advantage out
of these the amazing
locations storysurprises
and what worlds where
you canthebuild
fulldome
into
ples of creating synergy between different techniques and technolo-
experience
each space for the audience. The words and the story can andwill
will unfold, it’s critical to map how the story musttake
be
advantage of these
interdependent: the locations
locations and what surprises
are essential for the you
storycan
andbuild into
the story
Michael Daut is an independent producer and writer living in California. He
Michael Daut is an independent producer and writer living in California. He each space
must makefor the audience.
effective The words
use of them. and the story can
Even environments and of
devoid must be
audio
is a member of the IMERSA Board of Directors.
is a member of the IMERSA Board of Directors.
(Continues on page 16)
14
14 Planetarian
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