LIFE: A Cosmic Story
Production Coordinator
California Academy of Sciences
Visualization Studio
Fulldome Film 2010
Narrated by Jodie Foster
How did life on Earth begin? Starting with the Big Bang and ending with the biodiversity on Earth today, Life takes you on an incredible tour of our ancient cosmic origins.
Life: A Cosmic Story begins in a computer-generated redwood forest, modeled after Muir Woods. | California Academy of Sciences
Audiences plunge inside the chloroplast of a redwood leaf cell. The fl at, stacked structures are called thylakoids, where the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis occur. | California Academy of Sciences
An astrophysical simulation of a Giant Molecular Cloud, a region of cool, dense gas and dust in which stars and planets form. | California Academy of Sciences / NCSA
An astrophysical simulation of a protoplanetary disk, like the one in which the Sun and planets formed. | California Academy of Sciences / NCSA
A volcanic island is one of two sites that the show explores for the origins of life on Earth. | California Academy of Sciences
Production Case Study: Life (2010) — Bridging Cinematic Pipelines with Matrixed Museum Operations
Production Role: Production Coordinator / Inter-Departmental Liaison
Academic & Scientific Research Partners: University of California High-Performance AstroComputing Center (UC-HiPACC), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Stanford University)
Dataset Visualizations Tracked: Bolshoi Cosmological Simulation Data Matrix / Hipparcos Stellar Catalogs
Core Pipeline Functions: Mid-Project Pipeline Stabilization, High-Volume Asset Clearance & Image Sourcing, Nine-Division Communication Matrix Management, Fiscal Tracking & Data Entry
Software Ecosystem Managed: ShotGrid, Microsoft Excel, Custom Media Encoding Pipelines
Supercomputer Visualization Tracking & High-Density Visual Forensics
To chart the 13.7-billion-year history of living matter, the film required the visual translation of elite, ultra-high-density data frameworks—including the world-renowned Bolshoi Cosmological Simulation via UC Santa Cruz, the Hipparcos database, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Stanford University. I focused on meticulously tracking shot statuses and rendering cadences for these complex, data-heavy astrophysical simulations. Additionally, I spearheaded a massive visual sourcing and digital asset clearance initiative for the film's complex climax sequences, which required me to compile, catalog, and license hundreds of high-resolution photographic samples spanning the entire spectrum of earthly biodiversity.
Institutional Matrix Coordination & Studio Operations
Operating as a specialized, fast-paced creative studio nestled inside a legacy multi-tiered museum institution, this project demanded an agile communicator to prevent organizational silos. I served as the central informational bridge, synchronizing daily operations, project calendars, and financial tracking parameters between accounting, physical exhibits, research scientists, marketing, creative design, education, and public programming. By establishing transparent asset review metrics and organizing precise daily review sessions, I successfully unified the film’s high-end digital VFX pipeline with the broader educational, promotional, and experiential goals of the master museum installation.
