14 DAY TRIAL // European Organization for Astronomical Research's Very Large Telescope is located on a 2,600-meter high mountain in the Atacama Desert in Chile, Cerro Paranal. The same location will be used to film some scenes of the next James Bond movie, 'Quantum of Solace'. The eerie environment with its red sand and lack of vegetation bears some resemblence to Mars, which is also why the ESO decided to build its VLT there.
The extreme dryness and high altitude provides with the ideal environment for optical astronomical observations with the four 8.2-meter telescopes composing the VLT array. Andreas Kaufer, director of ESO's Paranal says that: "We needed a unique site for a set of telescopes, and we found it at Paranal. We are very excited that the Bond production team have also chose this location."
Almost nothing grows on Cerro Paranal mountain because of humidity which drops as low as 10 percent, intense ultraviolet radiation and high altitude. The combination of lack of vegetation, red sand and extreme atmospheric conditions make the site look like an alien planet. Just to make life bearable for the VLT employees, the ESO had to build a hotel in the base camp for people to relax and escape from the harsh conditions. The Residencia, as the hotel is named, has a domed roof which gives the feeling of open space and even an enclosed tropical garden and pool.
"The Residencia of Paranal Observatory caught the attention of our director, Marc Foster and production designer, Dennis Gassner, both for its exceptional design and its remote location in the Atacama desert. It is a true oasis and the perfect hide-out for Dominic Greene, our villain, whom 007 is tracking in our new James Bond film," said movie producer Michael G. Wilson. Other scenes will be filmed on the Paranal landing strip.
As soon as shooting is over at the Paranal site, the filming crew is expected to go in locations near Antofagasta, in Italy and Austria. Previously, 'Quantum of Solace' scenes have been shot at Panama and other locations throughout Chile. 'Quantum of Solace' is expected to be released on October31st, 2008 in the UK, and on November 7th throughout the world.