A new video from the ATLAS experiment at CERN condenses six years of detector installation into less than six minutes. The video, which uses footage from eight Webcams and photography of the installation process in the detector’s underground cavern, can be found on ATLAS’ multimedia site and YouTube in one, three, and five minute versions.
The construction and installation process of the ATLAS detector took about twelve years and involved 169 ATLAS institutions worldwide. Over the course of the installation, nearly 50,000 webcam still photographs were taken. CERN’s Josiane Uwantege was responsible for connecting and editing these images to create the video. Uwantege’s past experience working with video editing had not entirely prepared her for the rigorous batch editing required for the Webcam footage. However, she was able to achieve the harmony between stills that she desired and by creating emphasis with specific photos, created a coherent and vibrant narrative of the detector’s installation.
“When you start, you don’t know what at the end you really have,” reflects Uwantege of the editing process. She is pleased with the results and happy to have participated in the video project, “It is a good project because everyone has heard about the ATLAS detector but they don’t have any idea how it was constructed.” This video provides a little insight into that process.
The video was the idea of ATLAS outreach and technical coordinators Michael Barnett and Marzio Nessi, as a media aid for news and lecture purposes. The project’s coordinator Claudia Marcelloni observes that it is a unique use of the Webcam footage, which is the most popular feature of ATLAS’ website.
by Daisy Yuhas
