Enlightening lightning! Producing and directing a multimedia planetarium show

by Fowler, Sarah Marie

Starting with a group of lightning researchers, planetarium staff, and

visualization specialists, an academically diverse group was formed through a

grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a planetarium show on

lightning. The show target audience is middle school aged children. The goal of

the show is to teach lightning safety and lightning facts in an immersive

environment. Through the use of video, an animated character, and a

meteorologist, the curriculum is presented to the audience. I fulfilled the roles of

producer and director through all aspects of production. My role also included

maintaining group organization and communication throughout show production.

This paper discusses my experiences in producing Enlightening

Lightning! by starting with outlining the curriculum and finishing with putting it all

together at the planetarium. The goal of this paper is to discuss the techniques

and organizational methods used to manage a diverse group and produce a

multimedia show.