Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Press Release

ATLANTA—Go inside the brains of elite cyclists as they navigate the narrow, twisting turns, high-speed descents and grueling hills of the world’s most famous cycling race, the Tour de France in the new large-format film Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France, showing in Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s IMAX® Theatre from April 14-August 3, 2007.

As hopeful anticipation builds for the Tour de Georgia, Atlanta cycling enthusiasts can be transported to the ultimate cycling event in Fernbank’s newest giant-screen feature. Wired to Win combines the thrill of cycling and the wonder of the human brain in this true story of two riders, Australian Baden Cooke and French teammate Jimmy Casper, as they compete in the grueling 2,112-mile, three-week-long Tour de France.

The film follows Cooke, Casper and other elite cyclists over the towering peaks of the Alps, through the villages of Provence and onto the cobblestone streets of Paris, as they try to avoid danger, deny crushing pain and fatigue, control their emotions, seize fleeting moments of opportunity and, ultimately, stay motivated to win the race. Through the race, the film shows how the mind allows the cyclist to integrate an enormous amount of information and execute a plan that will ultimately beat the competition.

Under the guidance of the Partners HealthCare Development office, headed by Allen Peckham, principal investigator and senior producer JoAnna Baldwin Mallory led a film team that included Academy Award-nominated director Bayley Silleck, line producer and editor Myles Connolly and first assistant director and co-writer Daniel Ferguson.

With unmatched access to the centennial Tour de France, spectacular computer-generated and medical imagery, and an extraordinary team of scientists, filmmakers and educators, Wired to Win explores the intensity of the Tour de France to present an engaging and striking new portrait of the human brain — how it works and the intimate connection between brain function and everyday life.

The filmmaking team relied heavily upon Partners scientists and external advisers, which included neuroscientists, psychiatrists and neuroanatomists, to clearly and accurately depict the role of the brain during the grueling competition. The scientists worked closely with the film team, explaining how the brain interacts with the body, which parts of the brain are involved in each of its functions, and how best to illustrate what brain activity looks like.

 “The whole process was an unusual collaboration among scientists, who understand the brain in the most nuanced of ways, and filmmakers, who want to accurately communicate that understanding in a way that is both entertaining and accessible to the public,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, M.D., M.B.A., president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and adviser on the film.

Although the Tour de France has been filmed before in smaller formats, the logistical complexity of following this fast-moving event made capturing it on 70 mm film exceedingly difficult. For years, other large-format filmmakers have attempted to film the world’s largest annual sporting event for giant-screen format, but none, until now, has been successful.

The Wired to Win team employed a crew of more than 50 people, used four cameras, and invested in elaborate research and development prior to the start of the race. Multiple vehicles and gyroscopic mounts were tested, including a redesigned BMW motorcycle equipped with a Libra Head to maintain the stability of the IMAX® camera. The camera itself was then operated remotely from a helicopter — something never before attempted. Other pivotal scenes were shot from 60-foot cranes positioned along the route.

“Making a giant-screen film during an event over which we had no control was beyond complex,” said Silleck. “But the diverse techniques, the nearly 26 days of shooting and the excitement of the crew resulted in some of the most spectacular images ever taken of the Tour de France, not to mention an incredible human story.”
Elaborate computer-animation sequences created through the innovative use of film with digital and medical imaging technology seamlessly integrate the Tour de France with the latest in neuroscience. Full-screen aerial shots easily transition into high-resolution computer graphics, transporting audiences from the excitement of the race into the inner recesses of the brain’s most complex structures. Images were created by nWave Digital, a Brussels-based worldwide leader in large-format, high-resolution computer graphics.

The film is produced by the nonprofit Partners HealthCare System, funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation, sponsored by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc., and distributed globally by National Geographic Giant Screen Film Distribution.

“The science had to flow naturally from the drama, from the human story,” said senior producer Baldwin Mallory. “We wanted to move seamlessly from live action to computer-generated imagery of the inner workings of the brain. The result, we hope, is a film that not only entertains audiences but also generates new enthusiasm for science and a greater understanding of the brain.”

“With all the excitement of the Tour de Georgia racing through Atlanta and other parts of the state, we want fans and observers to not only get an introduction and behind-the-scenes look at the sport, but also at how the science of the human body plays such a big part in propelling these cyclists through the most challenging of physical and mental situations,” said Christine Bean, Vice President of Education at Fernbank Museum of Natural History. “And what better way to learn than by packaging together science and entertainment!”

Wired to Win is sponsored locally by Fidelity Bank and Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan LLP, and shows daily at Fernbank Museum of Natural History from April 14-August 3, 2007. Tickets are $11 for adults, $10 for students/seniors, $9 for children under 12, and $6 for Fernbank members.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta. For tickets call 404.929.6400. More information is available at www.fernbankmuseum.org or by calling 404.929.6300.

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