COSI presents astronomy-inspired, 360-degree film

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Every dancer in COSI’s upcoming film production now has the chance to be a star.

Literally.

On June 1, COSI presents the premiere of Song of the Stars.

The film, which airs in COSI’s Planetarium, is a recording of a live dance performance that was filmed at the Davidson Theatre last spring, a few weeks after it was performed live for an audience.

All the movement in the show, says COSI Chief Scientist Paul Sutter, was inspired by astronomical events. The first stars to appear in the universe billions of years ago, galaxies colliding, stars dying and becoming nebulas – “emotional and poignant stories playing out in the universe,” as Sutter says.

Sutter started with a list of galactic scenarios he thought would make for interesting subject matter, then passed them off – including photos and videos, as well as explanations of the nature of the events – to the choreographers and dancers to interpret and put to music.

Dance seemed like the most appropriate medium to express cosmic events, Sutter says, because both physics and dance are about transfers of momentum and flows of energy.

“Using that kind of kinetic language was an easy translation,” he says.

Much of the time work over the last year has focused on writing an original score and editing film, Sutter says.

“This is bleeding-edge technology,” he says. “Not a lot of people are making 360-degree films for planetariums of live stuff. Usually, it’s CGI.

The filming setup was a ring of a dozen GoPro cameras filming independently, with some drone photography as well. Because the show will be screened in the Planetarium, rather than Giant Screen Theater, it had to be filmed in 360 degrees, and the cameras had to deal with low light levels and movement both close and far.

Stitching the film together was an extremely complicated process, as great care had to be taken to ensure that, for example, dancers do not appear to teleport. But the end product is worth the trouble, Sutter says. Viewers will be surrounded by the dancers, rather than see them straight ahead on a screen – unlike either a standard film or a standard dance performance.

“That sort of immersive experience is a great way to tell a story and express movement that you can’t (express) in other ways,” says Sutter.

Song of the Stars is an example of efforts on the part of Sutter and COSI as a whole to integrate artists into the scientific community, and tell scientific stories in new ways. If the spring 2016 live performance is any indication, Sutter says, the show should bring in fans of dance and fans of science, and help each group learn to appreciate the other.

He’s also excited to see how the show is received by a larger audience, which he hopes will pick up the format and run with it.

“This is groundbreaking – not just for COSI, but for planetariums worldwide,” he says.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: JUNE 1 AT COSI

CityScene June Magazine Party: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

COSI After Dark – Art: 5:30-10 p.m.

Song of the Stars Premiere: 8:30 p.m. (visit www.cosi.org/planetarium for tickets)

Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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