By Linda Copman
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Photo: Filmmaker Susan Friedman (left)
directing Nainoa Thompson (right), with crew member Doug
Dunderdale (center).
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“I think healthy cultures explore . . . As far back
as 2,000 years ago the Polynesians started to explore and
colonize the central Pacific. The key piece to their navigational
system was knowledge of the stars. They understood the
heavens extremely well, and they understood their patterns
and their movements well. They were able to figure out
a way to tell where they were on their ocean planet.” — Nainoa
Thompson, Executive Director of the Polynesian
Voyaging Society
“What’s Up in the Universe?” addresses two themes:
first, mankind’s persistent drive to explore and second, our
search to discover extraterrestrial life. Both themes resonate
universally, among scientists and non-scientists alike.
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| Photo: On location with the film crew.
(Left to right) John Mikalenka, Robin
Canup (planetary astronomer and ballerina), John
Chater, Susan Friedman, and Ray Day. |
In “What’s Up?” filmmaker Susan Friedman compares
scientific exploration with artistic inspiration. At their
core, both pursuits are motivated by a desire to better understand
the natural forces at play in our environment. Friedman utilizes
connections from unexpected sources to drive her point home:
a scene from a ballet provides insight into the interplay of
complex physical forces at work between the Earth and the Moon.
When the dancer’s arms are extended, her spin is slowed, similar
to the effect that our Moon exerts on the angular momentum
of Earth’s rotation on its axis. Thus, we come to understand
how the Moon acts to slow Earth’s spin to a habitable speed.
Friedman’s goal is to make the universe more accessible to
viewers, by relaying scientific concepts through art.
“If we didn’t have a moon we might not be here.” — Susan
Friedman, Producer/Director of “What’s Up in the Universe?”
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| Photo: Brent Tully, science advisor and
executive producer for “What’s Up?” |
Friedman first met Brent Tully in 1998, when he attended a
screening of her award-winning film about slack key guitar, “Ki
Ho` Alu”, as part of the Hawai`i International Film Festival.
Tully, an astronomer, recalls, “I had been interested in the
possibilities offered by film as a way of communicating visually
stunning, but complex and unfamiliar structures in the universe.
Both film making and science research involve creativity. We
talked about the possibility of obtaining support from the
NSF (National Science Foundation) for a film venture. The rest
is history.”
Tully agreed to act as science advisor and executive producer
for the film project. “He wouldn’t allow me to talk about little
green men!” chuckles Friedman.
Tully acknowledges a significant linkage between the art of
Polynesian wayfinding and the modern exploration of the cosmos
occurring at the summits of Mauna Kea and Haleakala Volcanoes. ”There
are Golden Ages in societies when the participants are on a
roll. We are at such a time in astronomy. The period of the
great voyages in Polynesia involved another extraordinary expansion
of awareness. Events are pushed by a few outstanding leaders
when the moment is favorable, driven by curiosity about what's
around them,” says Tully.
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| Photo: John Chater on camera, Susan Friedman,
and Doug Dunderdale filming at Keck Observatory at the
summit of Mauna Kea. |
“What’s Up?” took seven years to make, and the project is still
not complete. Future plans include the development of a related
educational curriculum for middle and high school students.
Friedman now has pilots for two of the educational segments.
So why should ordinary folks care about discoveries at the
far reaches of the universe? Friedman shares her take on this
question:
“The Universe is so mysterious for me. There
is intrigue and we are on a grand tour - it’s much better
than the best mystery novel. This is a most exciting time
in astronomy, with so many recent discoveries. Scientists
are tripping over each other to discover more extra-solar
planets, and new technologies allow us to see farther and
better than ever before. The reason I made Keck Observatory
the main character in the film, with Geoff Marcy and Paul
Butler and company, is that Keck has the most amazing telescopes
on Earth. We want to solve the mysteries of the universe
and learn more about our origins. This pursuit inspires
our kids and explorers everywhere, and it inspires us to
dream.”
Visit www.whatsupintheuniverse.org to
learn more. 
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