- Marvel Studios supported development of Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery, opening on 3 November, a new interactive gallery aimed at 11-16 year-olds
- In a world-first, visitors can step into Shuri’s Lab from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther to control the replica film set lighting, sound and visual effects
- Marvel Studios is donating £100,000 to the Science Museum to further build community outreach to inspire the next generation of technicians
Wednesday 02 November: Marvel Studios’ Black Panther features within Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery at the Science Museum – the world’s first gallery dedicated to technicians. Opening on 3 November 2022, the free, interactive gallery for 11–16-year-olds celebrates the vital but unseen role of technicians and seeks to change perceptions of technical careers and inspire tomorrow’s technicians.
The five areas of the gallery highlight the important role technicians play in a wide range of workplaces, including Energy Networks, Health Science, Advanced Manufacturing and Creative Industries. It is the Creative Industries area where, working in close collaboration with Marvel Studios, the gallery brings to life how technicians make the famous scenes from Marvel films possible.
In a world-first, visitors can step inside the reconstructed set of Shuri’s Lab from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, which forms a centrepiece of the gallery. There they can re-enact the role of a film-set lighting technician, tasked with adjusting the lighting brightness, colour and intensity to correctly light the set; work as a post-production sound technician to seamlessly match sound and dialogue to a real scene; or use the precision of a post-production visual effects technician to skilfully integrate virtual objects into the film footage. Visitors can also handle a replica of the shoulder mantle worn by Queen Ramonda in Black Panther, feeling its intricate 3D-printed detail which was crafted by technicians.
In celebration of the opening of the gallery, Disney is donating £100,000 to the Science Museum as part of its future Storytellers initiative to help more young people visit the museum and see the new gallery. Working with community partners and local schools, the Science Museum will use the funds over the next 12 months to enable more young people from under-represented communities to visit the Technicians gallery.
Lee Jury Senior Vice President, Studios Marketing, The Walt Disney Company EMEA, said: “Technicians play such a pivotal role in the filmmaking process; the end product of what we see on screen is only possible because of their technical expertise and vision. So we’re thrilled to be able to support the Science Museum in helping attract the next generation to these crucial roles. This collaboration is another great example of how Disney’s Future Storytellers initiative is working to increase access to careers in filmmaking for under-represented groups, opening up the possibility for more young people to work in the creative industries and helping build up their talent and skills in the process.”
Peter Devlin, a Marvel technician, commented: “As someone who has worked in many different areas of sound for many years and had the ultimate privilege of working as the Production Sound Mixer on the era-defining film Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, the idea that the Science Museum is offering young people the opportunity to experience the full effect of Shuri’s lab is incredibly gratifying. We worked hard as a team in every department to make this imaginary place feel as authentic as possible, and to be an aspirational place, so it is great to know that young people will be able to experience this in person and also develop technical skills and knowledge, something very dear to the heart of Shuri. To experience the design of Shuri’s lab and the contributions from the crafts behind the camera will truly be transformative. Technical knowledge leads to creative artistry in the world of Wakanda.”
More information can be found at Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery | Science Museum.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to Black Panther, launches in UK cinemas on November 11. Visitors to the Science Museum can watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in the museum’s IMAX cinema.