Countdown to the Atom Smashers

[beamjockey]

Only four days (for Chicagoans) till The Atom Smashers airs on TV.

I've seen part of it, but not all. It is a very good documentary on life at Fermilab, the quest for the Higgs, the fate of the Tevatron, and the people who do particle physics. The filmmakers spent a lot of time here, returning on many occasions. There are some interesting candid interviews, and views of places and equipment you don't see in other documentaries.

A short cut of the film will air on PBS's series Independent Lens this Tuesday night, 25 November, on WTTW in Chicago, but maybe some other night in other U.S. cities.

If you like this sort of thing, watch it, or tell your household robots to watch it for you.

I've been told that there's a shot of me somewhere in the part of the film I haven't seen. Who knows whether it has survived into the TV cut...

137 Films is a Chicago production company dedicated to science-oriented films. They're planning to bring out a DVD of The Atom Smashers soon.

Comments

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

Please let us know when you hear of the DVD being ready.
We haven't been able to spot the upcoming show on AETN's broadcast schedule.
It may be running on one of their online services; this will be a good motive to explore those and find their program-listing.

DVD

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for the post - we hope you enjoyed the shorter version! DVDs are now shipping and can be ordered from:

https://co.clickandpledge.com/advanced/default.aspx?wid=24269


All the best,
Andrew Suprenant - Producer, The Atom Smashers

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

I saw it! It was pretty good. I liked the shots where it was clearly a place where people WORK, not just a big science thing out there in the 'burbs. The film gave a sort of context to Fermilab, too, which was a good thing.

Didn't see anyone I know, unless Todd works the control room -- or that could've just been a fannish/techie doppelganger.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Yes, Todd works in the Main Control Room. And there are a lot of shots of him in the film, though he doesn't get a speaking part.

I agree that the film conveyed working life at Fermilab better than any other I've seen... people putting on their paper booties and nitrile gloves to access the tunnel, chaos in the MCR when everyone needs keys to begin an access, long rows of offices in the experimenters' trailers, schmoozing in the cafeteria.

For years, Clayton Brown has written a blog about making this movie, and I am just now finding out about it. It's good. And I am interested in how documentaries get onto my TV tube.