Volcanoes of the Deep Sea
Encyclopedia
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea is a 2003
documentary film directed by Stephen Low
in the IMAX
format about undersea volcano
es.
and co-produced by Rutgers University
.
expeditions of Lutz and his colleagues.
Scientists use the deep-water submersible DSV Alvin
to search for an animal that produces a honeycomb patterned fossil called a Paleodictyon
, near volcanic vents that lie 3500 meters (12,000 feet) underwater in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
.
Association for Biomedical Research for his contributions to the film.
The film was not shown in some US
theatres because it was feared that the film's mention of evolution
would provoke a negative reaction from creationist patrons. In particular, the film discussed the similarities in bacterial and human DNA
. The film's distributor reported that the only U.S. states with theaters which chose not to show the film were Texas
, Georgia
, North Carolina
, and South Carolina
:
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
documentary film directed by Stephen Low
Stephen Low
Stephen Low is a Canadian film director and screenwriter who works extensively in the IMAX film format. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Low has directed numerous film documentaries including Titanica , Beavers , The Last Buffalo ,Across the Sea of Time, Super Speedway, Volcanoes of the Deep Sea and...
in the IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
format about undersea volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
es.
Production
Richard Lutz served as Principal Investigator and Lutz and Peter Rona served as Science Directors of the film, which was funded by the National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and co-produced by Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.
Content
The film included footage, research, and stories from the deep-sea AlvinDSV Alvin
Alvin is a manned deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The vehicle was built by General Mills' Electronics Group in the same factory used to manufacture breakfast cereal-producing...
expeditions of Lutz and his colleagues.
Scientists use the deep-water submersible DSV Alvin
DSV Alvin
Alvin is a manned deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The vehicle was built by General Mills' Electronics Group in the same factory used to manufacture breakfast cereal-producing...
to search for an animal that produces a honeycomb patterned fossil called a Paleodictyon
Paleodictyon
Paleodictyon is a pattern, usually interpreted to be a burrow, which appears in the geologic record beginning in the Cambrian and in modern ocean environments. Both irregular and regular nets are known throughout the stratigraphic range of Paleodictyon, but it is the striking regular honeycomb...
, near volcanic vents that lie 3500 meters (12,000 feet) underwater in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. It separates the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South...
.
Reception
The film received the award for "best IMAX film of the Year" at the Paris Film Festival, and in 2005 Richard Lutz received the Scientific Literacy Achievement Award from the New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Association for Biomedical Research for his contributions to the film.
The film was not shown in some US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theatres because it was feared that the film's mention of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
would provoke a negative reaction from creationist patrons. In particular, the film discussed the similarities in bacterial and human DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
. The film's distributor reported that the only U.S. states with theaters which chose not to show the film were Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
:
"We've got to pick a film that's going to sell in our area. If it's not going to sell, we're not going to take it," said the director of an IMAX theater in Charleston that is not showing the movie. "Many people here believe in creationism, not evolution."