Founder of SG360 Studio, Sébastien Gauthier is a filmmaker, 360° cinematographer, and dome specialist. He is well recognized in the international planetarium community for his immersive visuals, award-winning films, and technical expertise placed at the service of storytelling.
He grows up in Matagami, a small town in northern Canada, under vast blue skies, cold dark nights, the crack of spruce trees in winter, and the dance of the aurora borealis. As a child, he finds inspiration in Jacques Cousteau and Carl Sagan, and, like them, he dreams of sharing the wonders of the world and the cosmos with as many people as possible.
In 1996, at just 23, he begins his career in science communication at the ASTROLab of Mont-Mégantic, a major center for astronomy outreach and research in Québec—today recognized as the world’s first International Dark Sky Reserve. He is responsible for education and public programs, discovering the impact of connecting people with the Universe.
Connecting people with the Universe remains a constant thread in his work. Beyond his films, he continues to share knowledge as a science communicator—whether through contributions to specialized conferences or through public appearances that bring astronomy and science to a wider audience.
Mount Mégantic ASTROLab
From 2009 onward, he contributes to more than twenty fulldome productions. Over the years, he develops his own immersive visual language, blending striking imagery, simple yet powerful storytelling, and a keen sense of sound. His camera takes him from deserts to high mountains, underwater and miles below the Earth’s surface, in extreme cold and faint light—always in search of images that speak of life, the Universe, and our shared humanity.
Alongside his talents as a filmmaker and storyteller, Sébastien is comfortable with electronics, optics, programming, and mechanics—skills that act as catalysts for the naturally transdisciplinary world of immersive cinema.
From 2013 to 2019, he leads programming at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium in Montréal. Starting from scratch, he establishes a fulldome production unit, recruits and trains a team, designs a dedicated workflow, and builds a specialized render farm. The productions quickly gain international success, positioning the planetarium among the most innovative in the world.
His aim in life is clear: to contribute to scientific culture within general culture, to cultivate both critical thinking and a sense of wonder. He values works found in museums, planetariums, giant screens, and natural history museums—experiences that inspire awe, broaden horizons, and shape cultural identity. His approach is sensitive and humanist, creating spaces for astonishment, adventure, and contemplation.
With a background in physics, he enjoys weaving together art and science. He travels the world to capture the beauty of nature and the cosmos, always with a human dimension at the heart of his work. For him, science becomes extraordinary only when it is lived and shared. As he likes to put it:
“A solar eclipse is always happening behind the Moon in space, but it only becomes wondrous when its shadow touches someone”
— Sébastien Gauthier
Place d'Armes, Montréal
He surrounds himself with passionate and talented people, with a rare ability to recognize and bring them together. For more than thirty years, he collaborates with museums and planetariums, launching projects that share wonder and expand collective imagination.
In 2020, he founds Sébastien Gauthier 360 Studio to focus fully on 360° cinema and refine the immersive language he has been shaping for decades. For him, the giant domes of planetariums, combined with enveloping sound and vision, are the ultimate medium to share the human adventure and the quest for knowledge.
