In 2004, twin refrigerator-sized rovers landed on Mars to carry out exploratory missions in search of past signs of life. Neither rover was supposed to last more than 90 days, but both kept going until way past their expiration dates. Spirit rolled its wheels until May 25, 2011, while Opportunity, lived on until June 2018.
“Lived” is perhaps the key word here, since the engineers and scientists who plotted their every move and developed emotional bonds with the rovers is the story behind the documentary “Good Night Oppy.” Director Ryan White embraced the task of bringing Mars to life in a realistic way with visual effects that had never been done before.
White was asked to direct “Good Night Oppy” by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin The “Good Night Oppy” team accessed NASA photo and sound archives. Entertainment on March 12, 2020, and it was a date he remembers well.
“They pitched this idea to me, and I...
“Lived” is perhaps the key word here, since the engineers and scientists who plotted their every move and developed emotional bonds with the rovers is the story behind the documentary “Good Night Oppy.” Director Ryan White embraced the task of bringing Mars to life in a realistic way with visual effects that had never been done before.
White was asked to direct “Good Night Oppy” by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin The “Good Night Oppy” team accessed NASA photo and sound archives. Entertainment on March 12, 2020, and it was a date he remembers well.
“They pitched this idea to me, and I...
- 12/14/2022
- by Scott Mantz
- Variety Film + TV
Steven Spielberg has been known to explore science fiction in many of his films, like Minority Report, E.T. The Extraterrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But his company Amblin rockets into science fact with Good Night Oppy, a documentary about NASA’s 2003 mission to send rovers to Mars to look for signs that water once flowed on the Red Planet.
Amblin approached Ryan White to direct the film, a wise choice given not only his skill as a director but his affection for the subject matter.
“I’m a space geek,” White tells Deadline. “So, I had followed these missions myself.”
NASA engineers at work designing the Mars rovers in the early 2000s
NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory launched two rovers to Mars within weeks of each other — first Spirit and then Opportunity (the “Oppy” of the title). White documents the maniacally tight deadline faced by engineers...
Amblin approached Ryan White to direct the film, a wise choice given not only his skill as a director but his affection for the subject matter.
“I’m a space geek,” White tells Deadline. “So, I had followed these missions myself.”
NASA engineers at work designing the Mars rovers in the early 2000s
NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory launched two rovers to Mars within weeks of each other — first Spirit and then Opportunity (the “Oppy” of the title). White documents the maniacally tight deadline faced by engineers...
- 11/11/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
While directing the documentary “Good Night Oppy,” which recalls the 15-year journey of the Mars rover Opportunity, Ryan White interviewed NASA scientists, dug through exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, and worked with Industrial Light & Magic to recreate the robot’s journey. But highlight of the whole experience were the notes he got from one of the film’s producers.
His name was Steven Spielberg.
“It was crazy,” White said in a recent interview with IndieWire over Zoom. “Not to take anything away from other producers, but Spielberg’s notes were one of a kind. They were so incisive.” The veteran filmmaker’s involvement with the project came through his company Amblin, which set up the project with production company Film 45 and secured NASA’s commitment prior to White’s signing on. “Spielberg’s name played a huge role in getting NASA onboard,” White said. “They’re pretty protective.”
It’s easy...
His name was Steven Spielberg.
“It was crazy,” White said in a recent interview with IndieWire over Zoom. “Not to take anything away from other producers, but Spielberg’s notes were one of a kind. They were so incisive.” The veteran filmmaker’s involvement with the project came through his company Amblin, which set up the project with production company Film 45 and secured NASA’s commitment prior to White’s signing on. “Spielberg’s name played a huge role in getting NASA onboard,” White said. “They’re pretty protective.”
It’s easy...
- 9/1/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
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