Production Areas

Many of the planetarium’s programs are produced at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. The process begins with the development of a written script. Images are selected from an extensive collection. New artwork is prepared or ordered as the program visual elements are determined.

A small sound booth and control room make up an audio studio. The narration is digitally recorded, then digitized music and sound effects are added. The planetarium has a licensed library of music clips and sound effects to use in producing shows. There are occasional opportunities for volunteers to offer their vocal talents to show production.

More and more, planetarium programs will incorporate computer generated graphics into their content. The computer images will be created from computer artwork produced in Illustrator and Photoshop, digitized video segments edited in Premiere, and 3D computer graphic models generated with 3DS Max. There will be many opportunities for student interns and volunteers to develop their skills while offering their artistic talents to show production.

Planetarium Coordinator Eric Schreur at the Digistar 4 Producer station