"Now playing: Rutgers' 'Volcanoes of the Deep Sea" First giant-screen film to be co-produced by a university Archived article from Oct 20, 2003 By Bill Haduch   Fins that resemble an elephant's ears prompted the nickname "Dumbo" for this deep sea octopus seen during the dives. It took a decade of planning and 22 perilous dives to some of the strangest, deepest sites in the world’s oceans. Now an estimated 20 to 30 million people will experience what scientists at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (IMCS) have been bubbling about all these years — “Volcanoes of the Deep Sea.” The giant-screen film recently began a scheduled nine-month run on the nation’s largest IMAX® Dome screen at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. It is also playing at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, and will soon open at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The first giant-screen film ever co-produced by a university, “Volcanoes of the Deep Sea” takes viewers 2.5 miles down to a hissing, gushing world of sulfurous, watery “smoke,” brutal temperature extremes, crushing pressures and strange, never-before-seen animals. It is based on decades of deep-sea research by IMCS professors Richard A. Lutz, a biologist, and Peter A. Rona, a geologist, both of whom appear in the film. Richard Lutz (left) and Peter Rona (right) flank Dolf Sielacher, professor of paleontology at Yale, as they prepare for a dive. Called “required viewing for any ocean science or geology class,” by the entertainment trade magazine Variety, and subject of an extensive feature article in The New York Times, the 45-minute film is narrated by movie veteran Ed Harris. James Cameron, who directed the blockbuster movie “Titanic,” is executive producer, and giant-screen film veteran, Stephen Low, the director. Rutgers’ role as co-producer, along with the Stephen Low Co., is highlighted in the opening credits. One of the first visuals the viewer sees as the film opens is a large, red Rutgers logo alone on the screen for seven seconds. “It makes quite an impression,” said Lutz, the film’s science director. “Rutgers is definitely in prestigious company.” The film grew out of years of expeditions to deep sea volcanoes that have already led to new products like industrial detergents that work at high temperatures, new ways to get minerals out of soils and even new concepts about DNA and pharmaceuticals — subjects near and dear to New Jersey’s scientific and industrial heart. To make the film, the scientists and moviemakers used 4,400 watts of movie lights — the most ever taken to a depth of 2.5 miles — along with a super-high-resolution movie camera that uses film twice the size of conventional equipment. “Every time scientists have looked at the footage, they’ve discovered something new,” said Lutz. “Now the public gets its chance.” The goals of motivating viewers to learn more about undersea volcanoes and hydrothermal vents while teaching them about geology, chemistry, microbiology, astrobiology and undersea technology are the overriding reasons Michael E. Breton, associate vice president for research and sponsored programs, opted to arrange a $1.5 million Rutgers investment toward the total $8 million film budget. “Production of the film is in perfect alignment with Rutgers’ primary missions — research and teaching, and the dissemination of research results to the public,” Breton said. The National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also provided major funding. IMCS is conducting a companion education outreach program for educators from schools, museums, science centers and National Science Foundation Centers for Oceanographic Science Education Excellence (COSEE). The program will help educators instill a sense of excitement for scientific exploration and discovery in student audiences. “The deep sea is an important frontier for science, a critical component of earth’s biodiversity and a crucial vehicle for developing new understandings of life,” Lutz said. “The study of these volcanoes is inspiring new directions in materials development, medical research and even space exploration.” Rona, the film’s associate science director, agrees. “The film illuminates for the first time, with brilliant lighting and the detail of IMAX, the most remote and inaccessible, yet dynamic and spectacular region of our planet. At Rutgers, we are training the next generation of scientists who will work to recover new resources and conserve the biodiversity of this hidden world.” A guide to IMAX showings “Volcanoes of the Deep Sea” is now playing four times a day, Tuesdays through Sundays at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. For schedule and pricing information, call (201) 200-1000 or visit www.lsc.org. On Nov. 8, it will also open at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. For information, call (212) 769-5200 or visit www.amnh.org

For questions or comments about this site, contact Greg Trevor Last Updated: May 30, 2006 © 2008 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.