“Our goal is to educate and inspire a new generation of scientists.”
Those are the words of the company behind an Indiegogo campaign to produce a documentary about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to be shown at museums and science centers across the U.S. and other countries.
‘Secrets of the Universe’ will follow the world’s most brilliant scientists to the LHC in Geneva, Switzerland where they are working to find answers to some of life’s most enduring secrets in order to expand our limited understanding of the universe. For the very first time, film audiences will get an inside glimpse of the colossal LHC on the giant IMAX screen.
Projects at the LHC bring experimental physicists, theorists, and engineers together to test theories and examine how particles interact, how new elements are made, and to find answers to many unsolved and unexplained phenomena in our universe. The totality of what is possible is limitless, and this amazing tool is providing information into space and time that would otherwise might go undiscovered.
With 50 hours left for the ‘Secrets of the Universe’ Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, the production company, K2 Communications, has raised $89,377 of its $100,000 goal from 470 donors. There are a number of donor levels offering great rewards. Unlike Kickstarter campaigns, all funds raised during Indiegogo end up going to the project no matter if the campaign raises the full amount or not.
K2 has stated via their campaign page that they need the $100,00 to help bridge the gap between a National Science Foundation grant and the necessary funding to provide more than 900 IMAX and other theaters with a version of the film that fits its requirements in terms of format (film, digital, 3D, etc.) and language.
“Every dollar contributed adds value by allowing us to improve the quality of this first-of-its-kind giant-screen experience and increase the reach to a global audience of millions,” says K2 on the campaign page. “Additionally, the global community of support establishes public demand that will go a long way for the field of science in society. Your help is essential, and we’re counting on your support.”
How did it all begin? Where is our world and universe heading? Why do we see less than 10% of the universe? Are their extra dimensions? ‘Secrets of the Universe’ will tackle these questions, and more, in a way that is fresh, engaging and accessible to the average viewer. Consider it an adventure to uncover some of the greatest mysteries in the cosmos. An adventure that will narrated by Big Bang Theory actor, Simon Helberg, who recently signed on to narrate the film.
“When K2 approached me to narrate the film, I was thrilled at the opportunity to engage audiences and hopefully educate children on such an important area of science,” said Helberg. “I can only imagine how tall I’d look on a giant IMAX screen in 3D, but just hearing my booming, masculine voice will have to suffice.”
Reigniting interest in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields is of paramount importance as science literary among Americans has been on the decline for far too long.
“We have turned away from the value and fulfillment of understanding the universe in which we live,” states the campaign page. “We need your help to make the misunderstood world of particle physics more approachable through ‘Secrets of the Universe’.
‘Our team is dedicated to bringing ‘Secrets of the Universe’ to a global audience through an educational outreach program that will span the globe. With this, it is our hope to re-energize the public and its “collective conscious” to understand that the future of science and discovery is in our hands and it is as important as ever.”
The film will be executive produced and distributed by K2 Communications, a leading independent documentary film studio and distributor of films for IMAX and other giant screen theaters. The film is slated to premiere in early 2017and will be shown in science centers and museums on a staggered basis to markets across the U.S. and around the world. Along with theatrical distribution, the film will be released on TV, home video and all other formats.
Find out more by following Secrets of the Universe on Twitter and liking them on Facebook.
