Secrets from a Forest – FAQs

How was the ant hill filmed? 

• They first did a test inside a real anthill, then they built an anthill in the studio to mimic those shots, and populated it with ants!
• It took a dozen people and four weeks to film. 

How did they film the shot inside of the violin? 

• They scanned the inside of a taken-apart violin to create a 3D CGI model that they could move a virtual camera through. 

How was the tree fall filmed?

• The camera was put directly in the path of the falling tree. When the tree fell on it, it pushed it into the snow and they had to dig it out. Fortunately they could recover the footage because you can’t recreate that!

How was the end filmed?

• The performers were filmed against a green screen, and they, along with the soloist, stage, and forest/sky were built in CGI. 

Where were the scenes filmed?

• Panveggio Forest, Trentino Italy (far north)
• The luthier shop was in Cremona, Italy. It’s one of many there. 
• The soloist was filmed at Teatro Giuseppe Verdi in Busseto Italy, a theater with dimensions that matched the dimensions of the dome.
• The MN orchestra performers were filmed individually in front of a green screen in The Crane Theater in Minneapolis. Their audio was recorded at Orchestra Hall.

How long did it take to make the film?

• Conversations began in 2019, filming began with test shots in 2021, most shooting and development was in 2022-2023, premiered November 2023.

Why are the trees cut down during the full Moon?

• Violin makers have found that drier wood produces better sounding instruments. They believe that trees cut during the full Moon are drier. The science behind that is a little iffy, but cutting them in the winter does provide trees with less sap. A luthier who saw the show said they actually cut down the tree in a new moon since that’s when the sap falls rather than a full moon when the sap rises. So it’s based more in tradition than in science. 

What species were the owl and wolf? Were they from that forest? How did they film them?

• Eurasian eagle owl and Canis lupus, both native to that forest in Italy

What kind of tree is it?

• Red Spruce

Are there red spruce trees in Minnesota?

• No

How long does it take to make the violins?

• It depends on the luthier’s methods, but hand-made violins can take 100-200 hours once they have the wood. From start to finish, it can take months or years because the wood has to be dried, or seasoned.

Additional resources

Wood selection for violins  Choosing tonewood 

Who are the performers?

• Thomas Gould, violin soloist, leader of the Britten Sinfonia in the UK. Thomas plays on a violin made by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in 1782
• Members of the Minnesota Orchestra
  • Michelle Miller Burns, president and CEO
  • Rui Du, leader and violin
  • David Brubaker, violin
  • Rebecca Corruccini, violin
  • Cecilia Belcher, violin
  • Aaron Janse, violin
  • Hanna Landrum, violin
  • Lydia Grimes, viola
  • Megan Tam, viola
  • Anthony Ross, cello
  • Silver Ainomäe, cello
  • Kathryn Nettleman, bass
  • Maureen Conroy, librarian

What piece did they play?

• Winter from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons

Is this playing anywhere else?

• It is an original Bell Museum production and as of now is exclusive to the Bell. We plan to show it for a limited time every winter. It will be licensed to other planetariums later in 2025.

What was the inspiration behind this film?

• Jim Brandenburg was inspired to make this film by his experience as an audience member in the Bell’s planetarium. He shared his vision with the Bell staff – who thought it was an extraordinary opportunity! He assembled a team of talented filmmakers with experience making nature documentaries and recording music on stage.

What was the innovative technology used?

• The production team worked with Nikon to develop a new system for filming that allowed them to do live-action filming in a way that really immerses the audience, and is not distorted. 
• In the field they reviewed footage in real time with a custom VR headset and software, simulating how you would see it in the Bell’s planetarium.

• Janus Award for Best Fulldome Feature, 2024 Jena FullDome Festival
  • The Jena FullDome Festival selection jury, in making the award to Secrets from a Forest, remarked: “Exceptional live action footage and resonant audio blend the voices of nature and human artistry together, reminding us of our inextricable reliance on the living beings of the forest and how our hearts and souls can sing together.”
• Best Narrative, Fulldome UK 2024
• Sound Award Winner, Wildscreen 2024