BLAST! Film Explores Struggle, Religion Behind Scientific Efforts

Mark from Blast: They fly at about 35 kilometers (125,000 feet) but some go as high as about 47 kilometers (150,000 feet).
You put a telescope on them to get above the atmosphere, because it absorbs -- completely -- some wavelengths of light.
In fact, with the exception of the optical and radio, the atmosphere is pretty black.

Dave on Earth: I see. What kinds of wavelengths are soaked up and what can you see with them?

Mark from Blast: Well, most wavelengths are absorbed. UV, X-ray, infrared, sub-millimeter...
I work in the millimeter/sub-millimeter.
You can just about get some millimeter science done from the ground, but sub-millimeter is about 70 percent blocked from even the highest locations.

Dave on Earth: For Paul: While we're talking about big science here, did you find you had a big learning curve in trying to make this film?

Paul from Blast: Yes, I would say that through most of the making of the film I didn't really understand the science or the goals.
It's hard to know where the thickness came from -- my inability to understand or the scientist's inability to communicate to lay people?

Dave on Earth: Mark, did you ever feel like saying "hey, Paul... let's just sit down for a few days so I can get you up to speed..."

Mark from Blast: I think I *did* sit him down for a few days to get him up to speed.

Paul from Blast: Well, I remember we took a long bike ride in Colorado, and I would not let anything go.
I kept asking question after question until I finally got it.
Then once I got it, I had this "AHA!" moment -- "Oh that's what's it's all about..."
And now Mark uses some of the explanations I put together.

Dave on Earth: Speaking of explaining science, can you explain "sub-millimeter" to me?

Mark from Blast: Well, the "temperature" of light (aka its wavelength) is closely related to the temperature of the light source.
The cosmic microwave background is 3 degrees above absolute zero and we observe it in the "millimeter".
The Sun is about 5800 degrees above absolute zero, and we observe it in "visible" wavelengths (between about 400-700 nanometers).
Sub-millimeter is somewhere in between; the temperature is about 30 degrees above absolute zero.
So, we are looking at warm dust. Sounds boring...
BUT, that is really were all of the action is when it comes to *building* our galaxy and the rest of the universe.
To make stars, you need gas.

Dave on Earth: So seeing in sub-millimeter allows us to see when the first stars and galaxies were forming. Got it.
Science aside, I saw a lot of religious and personal struggle elements in the movie...
I'm sure that's miffed some science purists, but how did the "Joe Schmoes" that were screen-tested feel about it?

Mark from Blast: Paul goes off topic a lot.
He likes dark energy... So he wanted *everything* I do to be related to it. He would steer all of our conversations towards dark energy.
Pretty frustrating for me, because I do think that some of my words were taken out of context.
But... artistic license.

Paul from Blast: It's a movie -- there's so much out of context that the audience is never aware of.
But my feeling is that if it still serves the story and is not inaccurate, then you're ok.

Mark from Blast: OK... things are starting to build up on me here...
Any last questions?

Dave on Earth: Yes, and thanks for the warning.
I'm not the one to start quarrels, but it sounds like there's still a bit of disagreement about how the final product -- BLAST! The movie -- turned out.
Mark, what did you think of the film overall?

Mark from Blast: Well, there was some disagreement.
I did not like the movie poster. Paul's "focus groups" liked it better.
I did not like all the scenes with me smoking my pipe and cigar. I really very rarely smoke the pipe or cigar...
But, in the field I tend to do it more... He caught it a bunch on tape, and thankfully I got him to cut a few scenes out.
Finally, like many, I think the religion topic dominates the film. While it makes for a good story, it is the *only* thing that many take away from the film.
I think it's unfortunate. But, you have to keep in mind that it's not a movie about science only...it's about people.

Dave on Earth: Thanks Mark -- I now release you to do real work :)
What about your feelings Paul?

At 10:44 AM Mark from Blast left the room

Paul from Blast: I think the disagreements were minor compared to the overall artistic success of the film.
We both agree that the movie is an exciting adventure story, and that it makes the science accessible and surprisingly interesting to an audience that would've never been exposed to it otherwise.
But I'm afraid some scientists over-react to the religious discussion in the movie.
It actually takes up only about three or four minutes of screen time in a 79-minute movie.
The perception that this "dominates" the movie or -- in the words of one scientist, "half the movie is about religion" -- demonstrates how volatile this subject is, and how sensitive some people are to it, especially in the context of science.
In the end BLAST! is not really about science, it's about SCIENTISTS.
I've discovered that this is very rare -- no one has really tackled the lives of scientists in this way before. So when I discover that one of the lead scientists is a Christian, of course that has to be explored.
To shun that fact would be dishonest, unrepresentative. Most scientists have some sort of religious belief.

Dave on Earth: Thanks.
This last one is just for you Paul (obviously, since Mark is gone): How much film did you shoot, and how much of a struggle was it to edit?

Paul from Blast: Almost 200 hours of footage. So the editing process was a real challenge -- it took us almost a year to edit.
And in some ways we're not done. We have to make different versions for different markets.
During the editing process, you do fall in love with scenes that have to be cut. We uncouthly call it "killing babies."
No single scene is indispensable. If it's interrupting the flow of the story, then it's got to go. The last thing a filmmaker wants to hear is, "Just a little too long..."
But that's what DVDs are for. All of our "dead babies" will live again!

Article posted October 29, 2008.

Got something to say? E-mail your questions, comments or concerns to discoveryspace@discovery.com.

MORE INTERVIEWS