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First Friday: Celestial Cinema
February 2, 2024 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Friday, February 2
6:00 PM-10:00 PM
$15 Adults, $10 Kids/Seniors, $5 Members
All ages, family-friendly.
Join Chabot in a galaxy far, far away to get a behind-the-scenes look at how space films are made and put the science in science fiction with experts in the field of filmmaking. Create your own flipbook sci-fi adventure, attend hands-on workshops and guest lectures, and take a trip to a distant galaxy in our Planetarium. First Friday: Celestial Cinema is a sci-fi fantasy adventure the whole family can enjoy!
The Art of Special Makeup Effects
Classroom 1
6:15pm, 7:15pm, 8:15pm
Learn how to create a little movie magic of your own as Margaret demonstrates the use of makeup paints, 3D materials, and prosthetics to simulate action and fight makeups. Free materials will be provided to play and learn with.
Meet filmmaker and artist Margaret Caragan, who’s transformed the likes of Steph Curry and Martin Landau. When she’s not directing the makeup for zombie hordes or applying pregnancy bellies, she enjoys making demons, dragons, and aliens…Oh My!
Colored Shadows
Rotunda
6:00pm-9:00pm
Flipbook Craft
Mezzanine
6:00pm – 9:00pm
The Science & Fiction of Space Movies
Theatre
6:30pm – 7:30pm
Some space movies take their science very seriously, some are pure entertainment, and some do both really well! Astrophysicist Dr. Jeffrey Silverman will talk about sound in space, how gravity works, planets around other stars, and space travel, and discuss which movies got the science right and which not so much. From Star Trek to Star Wars, Alien and Armageddon to The Martian and Wall-E, and more, he’ll separate the science from the fiction and even go behind the scenes to show how some of the most scientifically accurate space-based special effects were done.
Dr. Jeffrey Silverman is a Senior Staff Data Scientist at Mozilla and has been working with Big Data in the Tech Industry for the past 7 years. Before that Jeffrey was a National Science Foundation Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin and earned his PhD in Astrophysics at UC Berkeley working on observations of exploding stars and dark energy with Prof. Alex Filippenko. Jeffrey is also involved in various science communication and public outreach programs including volunteering at Chabot (inside the Museum and on the Observatory Deck), organizing Astronomy on Tap events around the world, and co-hosting Big Screen Science (formerly at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in San Francisco).
Passport to the Universe
Planetarium
6:30pm – 6:50pm
Fly beneath the rings of Saturn, float through the heart of the Orion Nebula, and plunge into a black hole during this captivating introduction to cosmology.
Passport to the Universe explores humanity’s place in the cosmos, bringing audiences on an unforgettable journey from Earth all the way to the edge of the observable universe. Narrated by Tom Hanks.
Star Stories
Observation Deck
7:00pm – 7:30pm
In addition to the Greek and Roman Classical Myths, you’ll hear Native American stories, as well as lore from India, Ancient Egypt, Viking Scandinavia, Ghana, Pacific Islands such as Hawaii, Kenya, and who knows where else?
The Sky Tonight: Live Zeiss Show with East Bay Astronomical Society
Planetarium
7:30pm – 8:00pm
Explore the cosmos as a Chabot Astronomer leads you through the galaxy using a Zeiss Universarium Mark VIII Star Projector.
OUT OF THIS WORLD: Creating a Cinematic Sci-Fi Story (Ages 13+)
Lab 1
8:00pm – 9:15pm
$15 per person. Register at the front desk! Space is limited.
This intensive workshop led by Oakland-based filmmaker Celia C. Peters will introduce basic screenplay structure and explore what each component of a script needs to do. We’ll also discuss the key plot points in a script and why they matter. We’ll talk about what makes a story science fiction and the unique story elements that science fiction films require. As the workshop progresses, participants will use the information shared to build a solid premise for their own science fiction script, which they can take with them and continue to develop. (No previous experience necessary. Take-home handouts will be provided.)
Celia C. Peters is a filmmaker, visual artist and futurist creating daring stories about intriguing, authentic characters. She’s also a curator, producer and educator who is based in the Bay Area and working globally. Peters is currently developing her feature film GODSPEED, a sci-fi Afrofuturist thriller that was selected for the Warner Media 150 Artist Studio.
Phasers on Stun
Theater
8:30pm – 9:15pm
Phasers on Stun’s shows feature improvised “Star Trek”-style adventures with the U.S.S. Golden Gate crew. Expect humor, unique aliens, space battles, and audience interaction, all in a fast-paced, engaging format that delights both “Star Trek” enthusiasts and new fans alike.
Phasers on Stun is an improvisational theatre troupe, currently in its tenth season, known for performing improvised episodes in the style of the original “Star Trek” series. Learn more at phasersonstun.com.
Asteroid Mission Extreme
Planetarium
9:00pm – 9:25pm
Asteroid: Mission Extreme takes audiences on a journey 65 million years in the making to discover how asteroids are both a danger and an opportunity for those of us on planet Earth. The danger of course lies in the possibility of a cataclysmic collision; the opportunity is the crazy idea that asteroids could be stepping stones to other worlds — veritable way stations in space — allowing us to penetrate the deepest realms of the universe. The challenges are enormous, but the idea could ultimately save humankind. Explore with us the possibilities in Asteroid: Mission Extreme. Narrated by Sigourney Weaver.
