How to make the film "Interstellar"
In 2014 there was a film that took toppositions in the ratings. Interstellar is not an invention, but a science fiction based on the laws of physics and ideas about the universe, the cosmos, black holes. Kip Thorn, scientist, painting consultant and author of the book "Interstellar: The Science Behind the Scenes", tells about filming in Hollywood and about the amazing union of science and cinema.
Many of those who watched the film noted thatit is very deep and even sometimes difficult - you want to revise it several times to get into the intricacies of the plot and once again enjoy the amazing special effects. "Interstellar" is the first Hollywood film that authentically shows our Universe: absolutely everything, including the appearance of the black hole of Gargantua, the journey through the wormhole and even the calculations of the researchers of other planets, which flash for a few seconds in the frame, is based on pure physics. Kip Thorne is a theoretical physicist who has been engaged in science all his life. It was he who spent sleepless nights following the mathematical equations that helped make the film credible. And if there were some liberties, nevertheless the art of cinema gives the director the imagination's will, then they did not contradict modern knowledge in any way.
The birth of science fiction and Steven Spielberg
It is impossible to make science fiction interesting, if notallow imagination and imagination to contribute to the common cause. That is why a large part of the scientific content of the film is on the border of human knowledge, and sometimes even completely behind it. And yet, in the fabric of Interstellar's narrative, scientific truths are closely intertwined.
It all began rather prosaically: Kipu Thorn was called by his long-time friend Linda Obst, asking him to help with one idea. In October 2005, at dinner, Linda said she had conceived a science fiction film and needed the help of a man who knows physics like his own five fingers. I must say that Kip Thorn is more than half a century in science, so he came up as best as possible. In about four months, Kip and Linda sketched the plot of the film, where there were black holes, wormholes, gravity, the fifth dimension of the universe and contacts with beings from other dimensions. The draft was sent to Steven Spielberg via his agent. What was their surprise when the master became interested in the idea!
Rotating with a huge speed, a black hole (on the left) and a star field, against which it moves (on the right). Illustration from the book "Interstellar: Science behind the scenes"
A month later at a meeting with Spielberg, Kip Thorne and suggested to adhere to two rules - thanks to this the film turned out as it is:
No detail should contradict the generally accepted laws of physics and reliable knowledge of the universe.
Conjectures about the structure of black holes and galaxies,space travel, gravity anomalies and any physical phenomena, of which very little is known, should be based on ideas that are accepted by even a few respected scientists.
However, it so happened that Steven Spielberg did not complete the project to the end, and the fate of this wonderful painting hung for a long time in the balance.
How to create special effects
Kip Thorn conducted mathematical calculations thathelped to understand how the black hole and other cosmic objects actually shown in Interstellar should look like. I must say, it was not easy even for such a venerable scholar as Thorne. For several months without a break, he fought over the equations describing the space next to the wormholes and black holes. Then he uploaded them to Mathematica's computer system and sent it to the main programmer, who turned the resulting programs into complex IMAX graphics programs (IMAX visual effects are of extremely high quality). And what turned out in these programs, helped the special effects artists to complete the work - to create real beauty.
The black hole Gargantua, which is observed from its spacecraft astronauts before descending to the planet Miller. Illustration from the book "Interstellar: Science behind the scenes"
Appearance of a black hole
Surprisingly, knowing the mass and speed of rotationblack holes, physicists can calculate anything: its size, the forces of gravitational attraction, how far its horizon stretches ... This has no analogues in ordinary life: we can not, knowing the weight of a person and the speed of his walking, find out what his the color of eyes and hair, the length of the nose and the coefficient of intelligence. Such an amazing thing in science is possible due to the fact that Albert Einstein has developed a genuinely brilliant theory - the theory of relativity. Now let's move on to how the real, vsamdelishnaya black can look like. hole. Let's start with this: a black hole bends the space next to you. Imagine a hammock or a children's trampoline on which lies a heavy toy - in this form there is a curved space. The rays of light from the nearby stars are also curved and move around the hole (along with the space) - something like a lens or a curved mirror. That's why you get such a beautiful light pattern.
Scheme of the formation of a star pattern around a black hole. Illustration from the book "Interstellar: Science behind the scenes"
Model of the explosion in orbit
There is a scene in the film when Dr. Mann (scientist,lonely who lived on another planet and studied it from the point of view of fitness for colonization), trying to escape from his space captivity, involuntarily makes an explosion on the spacecraft "Endurance". The ship had to withstand serious gravity and freelance situations - so the director planned. That's why it was decided to design it in the form of a ring of several modules. And, I must say, this decision was not wrong. The explosion does not destroy the spaceship, but only damages the two modules and causes the ring to open and rotate at a tremendous speed. However, the engineers also envisaged this, so that the ship remains in working order.
On the left: an explosion on the "Endurance", above - the landing module, below - the planet Mann. Right: the explosion damaged by "Endurance". Illustration from the book "Interstellar: Science behind the scenes"
The principle of reliability was adhered to in everything,which could not be reflected in the explosion. By the way, he was not modeled on a computer, but was done on a real film set. Only filmmakers know how much it cost: the thing is that in space, firstly, the explosions are soundless-there is no oxygen, so there is nowhere to propagate sound waves, and secondly, for the same reason, the flame should quickly go out, practically instantly. As it was possible to realize here, on our Earth, where it is full of oxygen, is a mystery.
Interstellar is such a multifaceted film,which invested an incredible amount of labor, that it wants to understand to the last detail. If your inquisitive mind wants to get to the bottom of truth and learn more about the Universe and its secrets, you will like the book "Interstellar: Science-behind-the-scenes".
