Tuesday, December 02, 2003

What's on at the Science Museum, London, UK: December 2003 and January 2004

The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition
To 11 January 04

To celebrate the UK premiere of The Return of the King, the Science Museum is offering half price entry to The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition to anyone who dresses up as character from the trilogy. The special offer will apply on Thursday 11 December, the day the film's real stars gather in London for the premiere at the Odeon in Leicester Square.

To qualify for half price entry, visitors must convince staff that
they resemble a character from the famous films. Visitors in fancy dress can also take a free photo of themselves shrunk to the size of a hobbit on Gandalf's famous cart.

Hundreds of props from the movies including models, armoury and
costumes are on display alongside interactive computer demonstrations of the cutting-edge technology used to bring the story to life.

The family exhibition has opened before the final instalment of the
film trilogy and the Science Museum will be its only European venue.

Visitors also have a chance to see the first two films of the trilogy at the Science Museum's cinema.

The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition has
already sold more advance tickets than any previous exhibition at the Science Museum. We have extended the weekend opening hours of the exhibition and, although some Tickets will be available at the door, advanced booking is the only way to guarantee entry.

The fascinating exhibition includes:

* Demonstrations of special effects, including the combining of 'real' and 'digital' action and CGI (computer-generated-image technology).
* A scaling interactive explaining one way that the films managed to make characters seem different heights, and which allows visitors to become Hobbit sized in a scene from The Fellowship of the Ring - and then buy a print of themselves.
* A display on the prosthetics which transformed actors, including Hobbit hands and feet.
* Weapons belonging to Arwen, Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn.
* Outfits including Arwen's riding costume, Galadriel's stunning dress and Gandalf's robes.

The exhibition culminates with a face-to-face encounter with the central icon from the films - The One Ring.

Tickets can be pre-booked on 0870 906 3890 24 hours (booking fee applies) or at www.sciencemuseum.org.uk


Films showing at the Science Museum IMAX Cinema

Santa vs. the Snowman (U) until 16 January 2004.
He's a busy man but Santa has made an entry in his diary to make a special return visit to the Science Museum IMAX cinema this Christmas. That's right, Santa is back in glorious 3D with his old arch enemy the Snowman and his snow minions to battle for the rights to Christmas. If you didn't see Santa vs. the Snowman last Christmas you must get yourself down to the Science Museum this year for the festivities. Santa vs. the Snowman is a perfect family film with humour for all ages and 3D digital technology that brings Christmas to life. So get yourself to the Science Museum and you could be ducking snowballs, jet-propelled reindeer and hot
chocolate squirt-guns all without leaving your seat!

Bugs! 3D (U)
Join Heirodula and Papilio, a praying mantis and a caterpillar, for a
rainforest adventure like no other and discover the ups and downs of being an insect. Delve into their miniature life enlarged on the giant IMAX screen and see the world through their eyes where grass towers like skyscrapers and raindrops are the size of cannon balls. You may find that creepy crawlies are not as creepy as you think!

Ghosts of the Abyss (U)
Join Hollywood actor Bill Paxton and a crew of diving experts as they embark on a journey to one of the most famous shipwrecks of all time - the Titanic.
Directed by James Cameron, Ghosts of the Abyss captures the awe and wonder of the crew as they see the Titanic for the first time and follows their story as they attempt to get closer to the wreck using the latest technology. With a digital surround sound system and 3D imagery, you will feel that you are actually accompanying them in their underwater voyage.

Everest (U)
Everest is the true story of a team of climbers who found hope in the wake of tragedy. Their successful ascent of Mount Everest just days after fellow mountaineers died there, is a compelling story about the human spirit and a mountain they love, respect and sometimes fear.

Everest takes audiences across creaking icefalls, gaping chasms and up towering cliffs, through a harrowing rescue, and into the danger zone of oxygen-thin altitude.

Find out more at www.everestfilm.com

Space Station 3D (U)
Prepare for the launch of the first ever 3D IMAX movie to be filmed in Space and experience life onboard the new International Space Station. Float alongside the first men and women to inhabit the new station and see how the astronauts shower, shave and keep fit without gravity to help them. Film sponsored by Lockheed Martin and filmed in association with NASA.

T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous (U)
Join Ally, the daughter of a museum curator, as she attempts to carry out her own research into dinosaurs with a science experiment that goes disastrously wrong. When Ally finds herself transported into the Cretaceous period she discovers what dinosaurs were really like and learns more than her father could ever imagine. With state-of-the-art 3D technology you can
be there too experiencing the roar of a T-Rex and the tremors of its footsteps. If you missed this amazing 3D adventure last time, don't make the same mistake again!

SOS Planet 3D (U)
From the ocean floor to the heart of the rainforest, experience the plight of our fragile planet and its changing environments in this 3D animated extravaganza. Join polar bears, pandas, turtles and monkeys in this thought-provoking journey that highlights the most pressing environmental issues of our time!

Imax Booking Line 0870 870 4771
More info: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/imax
Prices: £7.10 adults and £5.95 children/concessions

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Events

Science Museum visitors can discover the secrets of camera trickery and filmmaking at a special series of adult and children's events linked to The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition

Christmas Holidays 27 December - 4 January

27 - 29 December, 2 - 4 January
Inventing the Image (demonstration)
Enter a giant camera obscura, handle objects from the museum's collections and join in with this action packed investigation of how the movies come to life.
11.30 - 12.15
13.30 - 14.15
15.15 - 16.00

28 - 31 December, 3 - 4 January
Top of the props! (workshop)
There are only two days left until filming begins and the Props
Department have forgotten to make helmets for the actors. Pass your young prop makers exam, and you can make your own helmet then use a simple special effect to add a touch of magic.
11.00 - 11.30
13.00 - 13.30
14.30 - 15.00

30-31 December, 2-4 January
Lights, Camera, Action (drama)
Do you know how a film is put together? Spectrum Film Productions
don't! Their latest film is going badly wrong. Join them as they attempt to fix it and watch the end results.
12.30 - 13.00
14.30 - 15.00
15.45 - 16.15

NB: Events cannot be pre-booked and entry is on a first come first
served basis. Admission to the Science Museum is free for all visitors. A charge applies to the Science Museum IMAX® Cinema, simulator rides and The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition.

Tickets can be pre-booked on 0870 906 3890 24 hours (booking fee applies) or at www.sciencemuseum.org.uk