The VLA visitor center film, Beyond the Visible: The Story of the Very Large Array, received an Interpretive Media Award from the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). The award was presented to the film’s Executive Producer, John Stoke, of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in a ceremony at NAI’s national workshop in Denver, CO, on Wednesday.
The NAI award is the third major award earned by the VLA film, which debuted in October of 2013.
The high-definition VLA movie is narrated by Jodie Foster, star of the 1997 Warner Brothers film, Contact, which was filmed in part at the VLA. Foster spent several days at the VLA in 1996 during the Contact filming.
Beyond the Visible tells the behind-the-scenes story of the operation and scientific achievements of the VLA, which has been at the forefront of astrophysical research since its dedication in 1980. With spectacular ground and aerial footage of the iconic radio telescope, the movie depicts many of the unsung heroes of the NRAO’s technical staff who keep the telescope working and scientists who use it to discover exciting new facts about the Universe.
Judges who awarded Beyond the Visible the second-place prize in the video category of the NAI competition praised the film’s visual imagery, script, and ability to explain the science and technology of the VLA in a way that excites the general public. The film “provides an intriguing story of discovery and insight into the transformative role of science through discovery into the invisible universe,” commented one judge.
The VLA film earlier received a Golden Eagle Award from the Council on International Nontheatrical Events (CINE). The Golden Eagle Award, instituted in 1962, has recognized many important filmmakers early in their careers. These include Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Ken Burns, and Robert Zemeckis.
Beyond the Visible also has received a Bronze Telly Award, which honors film and video productions, groundbreaking online video content, and outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs.
The VLA film was shot on location under the supervision of Director Nils Cowan of Hemlock Productions in Seattle, and edited by Joanne Ardinger. NRAO’s Assistant Director for Education and Public Outreach, John Stoke, served as Executive Producer.
“We wanted to produce a film that would convey to the public the excitement of the world’s most famous radio telescope, and the diversity of the technicians, engineers, and scientists who make it possible. We’re very pleased to receive the recognition of our efforts from an organization such as NAI, which specializes in explaining sometimes-complicated topics to the public,” Stoke said following the ceremony.
“This was an exciting project, and an opportunity to leverage the mystique of the VLA, a scientific icon, to bring both the wonders of the Universe and the down-to-Earth technical efforts of the NRAO staff to viewers,” Cowan said.
Beyond the Visible features the familiar voice of Academy Award winner Jodie Foster, as its narrator.
“In Contact, I played the role of an astronomer using the VLA. In narrating this film for the VLA Visitor Center, I have the privilege of introducing tomorrow’s scientists, technicians, and engineers to the amazing complexities of this great telescope, and to the wonders of the Universe that it reveals,” Foster said.
The VLA film is available daily to visitors at the VLA, 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. In addition, the film is online.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
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Contact:
Dave Finley, Public Information Officer
(575) 835-7302
dfinley@nrao.edu
