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"Cosmos" behind the scenes

04.14.2014

One Man's Hero

Millions of viewers around the world have been watching and learning about our place in the universe. Each week, "Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey" illuminates more of reality to us. But, in order to shed light for us, the producers of "Cosmos" have had to rely upon some time-tested tricks of movie-making magic.

Cosmos - Benediktbeuern abbey

Proudly made in the world-class facilities of Santa Fe Studios, "Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey" employed greenscreen technology to transport host Neil deGrasse Tyson to Egypt in a recent episode, without actually having to transport the entire crew there from the comforts of beautiful Santa Fe.

Cosmos pyramids

Here is a good explanation from Space.com:

 

Occasionally, the production crew had to get creative with their shooting locations while filming "Cosmos." An area in New Mexico also doubled for Egypt during a recent episode featuring the science of Ibn al-Haytham, one of the first people to understand how the human eye works.

Instead of traveling to the pyramids, visual-effects artists superimposed the ancient structures behind Tyson after he delivered his dialogue from the sands just outside the "Cosmos" set within the world-class Santa Fe Studios. The fake set morphed into what they needed for the show.

 

 

Bringing the Ship of the Imagination to life at Santa Fe Studios:

Cosmos - SOTI SFS Stage 2

 

Cosmos - SFS stage 2

 

Cosmos - SFS stage 2 Neil

Unfortunately, neither production budgets nor contemporary technology allow for interstellar space travel! Instead, bringing the Ship of the Imagination to life means that host Neil deGrasse Tyson is filmed on a soundstage at Santa Fe Studios by Bill Pope, Brannon Braga and their talented camera teams. The galaxies outside the SOTI windows are later filled in with visual effects.

 

 

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