Dear Fellow Communicators,
This month we are very excited to bring you the premiere of the 3D production Hidden Universe — for the first time you can experience the Universe as seen through ESO’s telescopes in 3D, in IMAX® theatres and giant-screen cinemas.
We will let you discover more about the movie itself in the press release to the right of this editorial. Instead we would like to focus on sharing some of the lessons that we have learned from our collaboration with the production and distribution companies that have made this movie possible.
Agreements
-
An agreement before kicking off the collaboration is a must-have for a big project. Having a set of action items in writing from each partner makes it easier for everyone to focus on their deliverables and makes sure that nothing is left out!
-
Carefully describe how you want your brand to be presented in the movie: logo presence and key messages are especially important.
-
Always ask to have a look at the script for fact-checking. But be flexible. A movie has to have a certain degree of artistic license. Correct only critical facts. Big projects take years to complete and can change scope many times on the way.
-
Ask to see the rough cut if possible. Even written words can be interpreted differently.
Filming on site
-
Film crews are typically rather demanding on site. Be prepared for hard work and improvisation! Changing an IMAX roll of film halfway up a mountain while a 100-tonne ALMA transporter is rolling towards the camera makes for an exciting experience for everyone ...
-
It is important to plan the shooting as much as possible in advance, both to satisfy the production’s requirement and to minimise the impact/interference on the observatory’s regular operations.
Promotion & distribution
-
Get in touch with the distribution company well in advance and plan a common promotional campaign — they are the experts in the field.
-
Support their campaign with your own outreach merchandise if available — for instance trade meetings — and co-promote the project via your own communication channels, for instance social media.
Changing topic somewhat, this month we bring a special ESO shop offer, available exclusively to our Outreach newsletter subscribers! Buy a Postcards from the Edge of the Universe book before 15 July at 50% discount — for only 3.50 EUR + shipping. To benefit from the discount use this code when ordering the book: ESO_NEWSLETTER.
Last, but not least, we would like to inform you that our friends from the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development have launched the Call for Proposals for projects to be implemented in the 2014 calendar year and they are inviting you to submit your ideas for funding!
Let’s reach new heights in astronomy together,
Lars Lindberg Christensen (lars@eso.org)
Head, ESO education and Public Outreach Department (ePOD)
|
5 July 2013: The latest edition of ESO's quarterly journal, The Messenger, is now available online. Find out the latest news from ESO on topics ranging from new instruments to the latest science ...
|
| Read more |
|
27 June 2013: On 27 June 2013, one of ESA’s astronauts, Pedro Duque, visited ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany. He was received on his arrival by ESO’s Director General, Tim de ...
|
| Read more |
|
10 June 2013: The ESO Annual Report 2012 is now available. It presents the many activities of the European Southern Observatory during the year, including: Research highlights from ESO facilities, with the latest ...
|
| Read more |
