Angle Park’s Martin Baumgaertner has set out on one of the biggest and most ambitious projects of the many he’s produced for the Field Museum?14 different videos for the museum’s “Ancient Americas” exhibit to open in March, 2007.
Director/cameraman Baumgaertner and producer Elizabeth Sung will spend the next two months following Museum archeologists and scientists as they unearth artifacts dating back thousands of years.
“From our perspective, it’s yet another landmark expedition, certainly the most evolved we’ve ever worked on with the Museum,” said Baumgaertner, who has produced at least videos for the Museum.
“The scientists in the field are seeking information as to what life was life on the continent and what they find could revise the early dates of civilization, he noted.
The two-person team, which spent a week at a dig in Oaxaca, Mexico in May, will leave July 11 for two weeks of taping in Peru, trekking to Lima, Barranca and a mountaintop location at Cerro Baul.
Their travels resume in September as they move from Puerto Rico, to the Southwest and Alaska.
Baumgaertner and Sung will travel light, with their newly-purchased HD Panasonic camera package from Zacuto Camera. Spanish-speaking production managers will be hired in each of the locations they visit.
“We plan to shoot nine of the videos documentary style, which will incorporate the scientists’ point-of-view,” said Baumgaertner. Angle Park also is developing program content and development and pre-interviews with the archeologists.
At least one video will be fully animated and others will be a mix of live action and animation.
“Working with Museums is different,” said Baumgaertner, “as so many things come into play, such as designs and captioning for a multi-lingual audience. The museum expects visitors from all over the hemisphere for this exhibit.”
Angle Park is located at 357 W. Chicago; phone 312/751-9494. See www.anglepark.com.
