National Geographic Channel, Imagine Entertainment and RadicalMedia

USPA NEWS - Of all the planets in our solar system, none has captured our collective imagination like Mars. The quest to send humans to Mars has engaged the top minds in science in a modern-day space race, and it has infiltrated pop culture through blockbusters like Andy Weir´s 'The Martian'...

Of all the planets in our solar system, none has captured our collective imagination like Mars. The quest to send humans to Mars has engaged the top minds in science in a modern-day space race, and it has infiltrated pop culture through blockbusters like Andy Weir´s 'The Martian' and through out-of-this-world tweets from astronaut Scott Kelly. Now, National Geographic Channel (NGC), Academy Award- and Emmy-winning producers Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Michael Rosenberg of Imagine Entertainment; and Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer Justin Wilkes and Dave O´Connor of RadicalMedia have joined forces to launch viewers farther into outer space than ever before with the global event series MARS.

Premiering on the National Geographic Channel in 171 countries and 45 languages this November, MARS “” which is set both in the future and in the present day “” will redefine television storytelling by combining feature-film-quality scripted drama and visual effects with best-in-class documentary sequences to drive forward a cohesive, edge-of-your seat story of mankind´s thrilling quest to colonize Mars. This epic six-part global event series tells the inspiring story from the vantage point of a fictitious crewed mission in 2033.

The starting point for this unique storytelling method is the year 2033, and we have embarked on the first crewed mission to MARS. As dramatic scripted elements and feature film-caliber visual effects bring this future world to life, the modern-day quest to reach the red planet is told through documentary vérité and interviews with the present-day scientists and innovators who are leading the research and development of space technology that will make the 2033 mission possible. Executive producers Howard and Grazer hand-selected visionary Mexican filmmaker Everardo Gout ('Days of Grace') to direct the scripted portions of the series, filmed earlier this year in Budapest and Morocco.

MARS Premieres Globally November 2016.

The production team took painstaking efforts to base the scripted narrative in real-world science. The series writing team worked with an extensive group of experts, both in the public and private sectors, to understand how the science could serve the story. Dr. Robert Braun, an aerospace engineer and professor of space technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, provided expert consultation on all scientific aspects of the fictional storyline. Dr. Mae Jemison, a former NASA astronaut who holds the distinction of being the first woman of color in space, acted as a space advisor on the series, working closely with the cast to help them hone their portrayals.

In terms of the visual look of the series, production designer Sophie Becher turned to NASA and SpaceX to help inform her designs of the Daedalus spaceship and Olympus Town, the first human colony on Mars as portrayed by the series. Costume designer Daniela Ciancio extensively researched the types of fabrics being created today to make spacesuits lighter, stronger, more flexible and radiation resistant to protect the astronauts of tomorrow. And Framestore, the Academy Award-winning visual effects team behind 'Gravity,' will layer in the final external visuals to complete the look of the series.

MARS also showcases an unprecedented collection of interviews with the top scientific minds currently working to overcome the many obstacles that stand in the way of an eventual maiden launch. National Geographic received exclusive access to film Elon Musk (founder of Tesla and SpaceX) and his team at SpaceX mission control as they successfully landed their Falcon 9 reusable rocket on a drone ship off the East Coast of the U.S. this past April.

National Geographic will extend MARS storytelling in an unprecedented cross-platform effort, including a six-part digital companion prequel series. There will also be the MARS Experience installation in NY City this October. Further, MARS will be the November cover story of National Geographic magazine & will be featured in a standalone book, 'MARS: Our Future on the Red Planet,' on sale October 25. The NG Kids Book, 'MARS: The Red Planet' will go on sale September 27. There will be media & educational materials for kids; a touring NG Live speakers series; & ongoing MARS coverage on nationalgeographic.com.

Source : National Geographic Channels

R. BIRD
http://www.portfolio.uspa24.com/
Y. BEDDOU
http://www.yasmina-beddou.uspa24.com/