1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,000 ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert… 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,000 An ocean of calm and scientific investigation… 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:10,000 But not today. 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:19,000 Film crews and actors have descended on the site, recording the latest James Bond blockbuster – 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,000 and the Paranal Observatory has a starring role! 6 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,000 This is the ESOcast! 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:35,000 Cutting-edge science and life behind the scenes of ESO, the European Southern Observatory. 8 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:41,000 Exploring the Universe’s ultimate frontier with our host Dr J, a.k.a. Dr Joe Liske. 9 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Hello and welcome to this very first episode of the ESOcast. 10 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:53,000 This brand new vodcast is dedicated to bringing you the hottest science and the latest news 11 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:57,000 from the European Southern Observatory, home to the world’s most advanced telescopes. 12 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:02,000 For this first episode we actually have some rather unusual news to report on. 13 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:06,000 One of ESO's sites in Chile, the Paranal Observatory, 14 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:11,000 featured prominently as an exotic location in the filming of the movie Quantum of Solace, 15 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:16,000 the latest adventure of that most famous of secret agents, James Bond. 16 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,000 Paranal Observatory is home to ESO’s Very Large Telescope. 17 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Boasting an array of four giant 8-metre eyes, it is without a doubt the most advanced telescope in the world. 18 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:35,000 Paranal is located on a mountain 2600 metres above sea level in the Atacama Desert, 19 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,000 thought to be the driest place on Earth. 20 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:43,000 The high altitude and extreme dryness make it perfect for astronomical observations. 21 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,000 But the conditions at Paranal come with a price. 22 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,000 In this forbidding desert environment, virtually nothing can grow outside. 23 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:59,000 The humidity drops below 10%, there are intense ultraviolet rays from the Sun, and the high altitude leaves people short of breath. 24 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:04,000 Living in this extremely isolated place feels like visiting another planet. 25 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,000 So it’s no wonder the site was chosen to film Quantum of Solace. 26 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:16,000 The movie continues the story of secret agent James Bond, played again by Englishman Daniel Craig. 27 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:22,000 This time, he is determined to take revenge on the organisation that caused the death of the woman he loved. 28 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,000 And it’s this quest that brings him to the desert. 29 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,000 I think the landscapes and what the landscape gives us, 30 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,000 and what it gives to Bond and the character, is really, really good 31 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:38,000 because in a sense you know we are shooting in a desert and that is sort of a reflection of Bond’s character and self, 32 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:43,000 because, the desert always brings in, brings along a certain loneliness, a certain solitude, 33 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:47,000 and that solitude and loneliness sort of reflects who Bond is at this point. 34 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:55,000 We’re about two hours East of Antofagasta which is on the Chilean, North Chilean Coast, in the middle of nowhere. 35 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,000 How many feet up? About 10000 feet up are we here? 36 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:03,000 We were lucky enough to be accepted up there really, because it’s a research centre, 37 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:12,000 so we were very privileged to be filming up at the observatory and using it for one of our key locations in the movie. 38 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,000 It’s a stunning place. 39 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:21,000 To make it possible for people to live and work at Paranal, a hotel or "Residencia" was built in the base camp, 40 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,000 providing a refuge from the arid environment outside. 41 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,000 Here, returning from long shifts at installations on the mountain, 42 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:33,000 the crew can breathe moist air and relax, sheltered from the harsh conditions. 43 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:41,000 The Residencia's award-winning design, including an enclosed tropical garden and pool under a futuristic domed roof 44 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:45,000 gives its interior a feeling of open space within the protective walls. 45 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,000 It is a true haven in the desert. 46 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,000 This unique building serves as a backdrop in the Bond film. 47 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:58,000 The Residencia is, in fact, the hideout of maverick Dominic Greene, played by Mathieu Amalric. 48 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,000 It’s his façade. It’s his nice side. 49 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:09,000 This is to save the planet. It’s an eco-park, great idea. 50 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:23,000 Using natural resources not to pollute the planet, try to plant trees, and kill the desert. Great stuff. 51 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:30,000 The Paranal Residencia is elegant, built with robust and inexpensive materials. 52 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,000 Taking advantage of an existing depression in the ground, 53 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:40,000 architects created a unique subterranean construction with a single façade opening towards the Pacific Ocean 54 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,000 far below at a distance of about 12 kilometres. 55 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:48,000 It has the same colour as the desert and blends perfectly into the surroundings. 56 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:53,000 Natural daylight is brought into the building through a 35 metre wide glass-covered dome, 57 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,000 a rectangular courtyard roof and skylight hatches. 58 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:05,000 The originality of this design made it possible to create an interior with a feeling of open space, despite the underground location. 59 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:12,000 The film crew of about 300 people shot some of the most critical scenes in the movie at Paranal. 60 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:17,000 The ESO director general, Tim de Zeeuw, happened to be on site during the filming. 61 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:25,000 We are all delighted that they are here and it is extremely good to see how careful the crew is with the surroundings 62 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,000 and how mindful they are of the fact that they are in an operating, working observatory. 63 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,000 So clearly the crew couldn’t do all of the filming at the Observatory itself, 64 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:42,000 so they created a mock-up of the Paranal Residencia at the world famous 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios. 65 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:48,000 In reality of course, the Paranal Residencia is home to all the technicians, engineers, and astronomers 66 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:56,000 that make the Very Large Telescope or VLT one of the most successful and efficient science machines ever built. 67 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:01,000 Who knows, maybe one day the VLT itself will feature in a James Bond movie. 68 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:20,000 4 main 8.2-m unit telescopes 69 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,000 4 movable 1.8-m auxilary telescopes 70 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:10,000 VLT Interferometer: Combining the light of the telescopes 71 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,000 Laser Guide Star 72 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,000 The world's most advanced optical telescope 73 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:35,000 This is Dr J signing off for the ESOcast. 74 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,000 The sky is no longer the limit. 75 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,000 ESOcast is produced by ESO, the European Southern Observatory. www.eso.org 76 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,000 ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in astronomy 77 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,000 designing, constructing and operating the world's most advanced ground-based telescopes. 78 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,000 Thanks to Sony Pictures and EON Productions Ltd. 79 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,000 Transcription by ESO ; translation by — 80 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,000 Cut!