‘Good Night Oppy’s’ mission to Mars demands ultra-realism for its look to be unique

As a documentary filmmaker, Ryan White has tackled subjects as varied as the fight for gay marriage in the Supreme Court, the life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the impact of tennis legend Serena Williams and the trial of two women convicted of assassinating the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. What he’s always wanted to do, however, was make a film about space, a subject he’s been fascinated with since his childhood as a “space geek.” That chance finally came his way when Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Peter Berg’s Film 45 pitched him an idea: What about a movie that chronicled the incredible journey of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars? The space agency had hundreds of thousands of photographs from Mars for ILM to reference and White wanted to make sure the result was something that looked photo real and not akin to an animated film such as “WALL-E.” Ryan White wanted ultra-realism in taking viewers to Mars with “Good Night Oppy.” “They said, ‘We’ve never done that before. “We were very lucky that while we were making the film, Perseverance, the current rover that’s on Mars, was the first rover that had audio microphones on her,” White says. White recalls that when Hargrave and senior associate producer Grace Oathout started pre-interviews and research for the project, they discovered an “embarrassment of riches of human beings” to help tell the rovers’ remarkable story.