Planetarium offers unique alternative

By Doug Cummings

Arizona Daily Wildcat

The post-summer season is not usually the time for Hollywood to release its better films, and this year is no exception. While the summer blockbusters are phasing out and the fall productions are mounting up for critical acclaim, it is a good time to avoid the filler movies in the theaters and to look for alternative forms of visual entertainment.

Here at the UA, there is an exhibitor of unique films that is occasionally overlooked- The Flandrau Science Center (University and Cherry). Its planetarium, a large domed building that projects images on the ceiling above the audience, offers an eclectic array of presentations, and two of its current features can provide intriguing forms of entertainment.

Illusions written, produced and scored by Josh Peters.

"Illusions" is a film that was produced here at the UA for the Science Center by various production personnel. It's a multimedia documentary that focuses on visual perception and the physiological reasons for the visual trickery that occurs when our brains interpret visual stimuli in "incorrect" ways.

Using a combination of slide projections, animations, laser lights, music and narration, the film introduces the audience to basic principles of visual perception and encourages them to wave their hands and engage in interactive learning experiences. There is a running gag that involves the presence of aliens trying to learn more about human biology that is inserted occasionally to keep things entertaining.

One of the more interesting parts of the show is a look at the works of M.C. Escher (1898-1972), the famous artist who experimented with 3D impossibilities. The film shows how Escher's visual experiments with space (numerous objects receding into infinity) predated fractal computer imagery and how his depiction of objects slowly transforming from one shape to another predated the popular computer "morphing" effect.

Another interesting facet of the program is its delving into illusions of an aural nature. Illusions like the Doppler effect and the brain's creation of a third tone in a two-part harmony are effectively presented.

There are several laser show interludes that take advantage of the planetarium's laser equipment. The beams of neon light create moving line art that resembles animated spyrograph "drawings" splayed across the ceiling.

"Illusions" is an intriguing documentary that uses the planetarium's stock equipment to good effect. It's gimmicky, but creative and fun, especially when the audience gets to writhe their fingers in stroboscopic glee.

To Fly produced as opening film for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, 1976

While the Flandrau planetarium certainly isn't an IMAX theater, it provides the closest thing to it here in Tucson. "To Fly" is a documentary that was produced for IMAX, the largest film format in the world, and it shows the progression of man's airborne technological developments from the hot air balloons in colonial times to the space rockets of contemporary times.

The movie begins with a square frame the size of a home projection screen and recreates one of the first times a hot air balloon was taken to the air. Once the balloon lifts off, the screen suddenly expands to encompass a large percentage of the domed ceiling as it takes the viewer along for breathtaking aerial shots of American landscape. The film then jumps forward in time and depicts various forms of aerial transportation, like biplanes, hang gliders and jet fighters, using all of their soaring glory to exploit the expansive frame.*

The scenery is magnificent, but the film is slightly aged and the resolution seems somewhat less acute than current IMAX productions. This is a minor complaint, however, as the sweeping visuals maintain enough majesty and beauty to hold the audience enthralled.

"To Fly" is an entertaining documentary that is less educational than it is a grandiose visual experience. The movie claims to be concerned with depicting the history of flight technology, but the documentary aspect is only an excuse for the sweeping visuals. The IMAX format may have been a gimmick that began in amusement parks, but it has since proved itself as a viable medium for film presentation.

* A word of warning: if you plan to see this film, be sure to arrive at the theater early and sit as close to the control booth as possible. The film is projected in such a way that viewing it from any other angle would make it very difficult to watch.

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