Podcast appearances and mentions of doug trumbull

My fellow pro-growth/progress/abundance Up Wingers,In 1976, America celebrated 200 years of independence, democracy, and progress. Part of that celebration was the release of To Fly!, a short but powerful docudrama on the history of American flight. With To Fly!, Greg MacGillivray and his co-director Jim Freeman created one of the earliest IMAX films, bringing cinematography to new heights.After a decade of war and great social unrest, To Fly! celebrated the American identity and freedom to innovate. Today on Faster, Please! — The Podcast, I talk with MacGillivray about filming To Fly! and its enduring message of optimism.MacGillivray has produced and directed films for over 60 years. In that time, his production company has earned two Academy Award nominations, produced five of the Top 10 highest-grossing IMAX films, and has reached over 150 million viewers.In This Episode* The thrill of watching To Fly! (1:38)* An innovative filming process (8:25)* A “you can do it” movie (19:07)* Competing views of technology (25:50)Below is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation. The thrill of watching To Fly! (1:38)What Jim and I tried to do is put as many of the involving, experiential tricks into that film as we possibly could. We wrote the film based on all of these moments that we call “IMAX moments.”Pethokoukis: The film To Fly! premiered at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, at the IMAX Theater, July 1976. Do you happen know if it was it the 4th of July or. . . ?MacGillivray: No, you know, what they did is they had the opening on the 2nd of July so that it wouldn't conflict with the gigantic bicentennial on the 4th, but it was all part of the big celebration in Washington at that moment.I saw the film in the late '70s at what was then called the Great America Amusement Park in Gurnee, Illinois. I have a very clear memory of this, of going in there, sitting down, wondering why I was sitting and going to watch a movie as opposed to being on a roller coaster or some other ride — I've recently, a couple of times, re-watched the film — and I remember the opening segment with the balloonist, which was shot in a very familiar way. I have a very clear memory because when that screen opened up and that balloon took off, my stomach dropped.It was a film as a thrill ride, and upon rewatching it — I didn't think this as a 10-year-old or 11-year-old — but what it reminded me upon rewatching was of Henry V, Lawrence Olivier, 1944, where the film begins in the Globe Theater and as the film goes on, it opens up and expands into this huge technicolor extravaganza as the English versus the French. It reminds me of that. What was your reaction the first time you saw that movie, that film of yours you made with Jim Freeman, on the big screen where you could really get the full immersive effect?It gave me goosebumps. IMAX, at that time, was kind of unknown. The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was the fourth IMAX theater built, and very few people had seen that system unless you visited world's fairs around the world. So we knew we had something that people were going to grasp a hold of and love because, like you said, it's a combination of film, and storytelling, and a roller coaster ride. You basically give yourself away to the screen and just go with it.What Jim and I tried to do is put as many of the involving, experiential tricks into that film as we possibly could. We wrote the film based on all of these moments that we call “IMAX moments.” We tried to put as many in there as we could, including the train coming straight at you and bashing right into the camera where the audience thinks it's going to get run over. Those kinds of moments on that gigantic screen with that wonderful 10 times, 35-millimeter clarity really moved the audience and I guess that's why they used it at Great America where you saw it.You mentioned the train and I remember a story from the era of silent film and the first time people saw a train on silent film, they jumped, people jumped because they thought the train was coming at them. Then, of course, we all kind of got used to it, and this just occurred to me, that film may have been the first time in 75 years that an audience had that reaction again, like they did with first with silent film where they thought the train was going to come out of the screen to To Fly! where, once again, your previous experience looking at a visual medium was not going to help you. This was something completely different and your sense perception was totally surprised by it.Yeah, it's true. Obviously we were copying that early train shot that started the cinema way back in probably 1896 or 1898. You ended up with To Fly! . . . we knew we had an opportunity because the Air and Space Museum, we felt, was going to be a huge smash hit. Everyone was interested in space right at that moment. Everyone was interested in flying right at that moment. Basically, as soon as it opened its doors, the Air and Space Museum became the number one museum in America, and I think it even passed the Louvre that year in attendance.Our film had over a million and a half people in its first year, which was astounding! And after that year of run, every museum in the world wanted an IMAX theater. Everyone heard about it. They started out charging 50 cents admission for the 27-minute IMAX film, and halfway through the season, they got embarrassed because they were making so much money. They reduced the admission price to 25 cents and everyone was happy. The film was so fun to watch and gave you information in a poetic way through the narration. The storytelling was simple and chronological. You could follow it even if you were a 10-year-old or an 85-year-old, and people just adored the movie. They wrote letters to the editor. The Washington Post called it the best film in the last 10 years, or something like that. Anyway, it was really a heady of time for IMAX.An innovative filming process (8:25)It was one of those things where our knowledge of technology and shooting all kinds of various films prior to that that used technology, we just basically poured everything into this one movie to try to prove the system, to try to show people what IMAX could do . . .I may have just read the Washington Post review that you mentioned. It was a Washington Post review from just three or four years later, so not that long after, and in the conclusion to that piece, it said, “You come away from the film remembering the flying, the freedom of it, the glee, the exaltation. No Wonder ‘To Fly' is a national monument.” So already calling it a national monument, but it took some innovation to create that monument. This isn't just a piece of great filmmaking and great storytelling, it's a piece of technological innovation. I wonder if you could tell me about that.We've worked with the IMAX corporation, particularly Graeme Ferguson, who is gone now, but he was a filmmaker and helped us immensely. Not only guiding, because he'd made a couple of IMAX films previously that just showed at individual theaters, but was a great filmmaker and we wanted three more cameras built—there was only one camera when we began, and we needed three, actually, so we could double shoot and triple shoot different scenes that were dangerous. They did that for us in record time. Then we had to build all these kind of imaginative camera mounts. A guy named Nelson Tyler, Tyler Camera Systems in Hollywood, helped us enormously. He was a close friend and basically built an IMAX camera mount for a helicopter that we called the “monster mount.” It was so huge.The IMAX camera was big and huge on its own, so it needed this huge mount, and it carried the IMAX camera flawlessly and smoothly through the air in a helicopter so that there weren't any bumps or jarring moments so the audience would not get disturbed but they would feel like they were a bird flying. You needed that smoothness because when you're sitting up close against that beautifully detailed screen, you don't want any jerk or you're going to want to close your eyes. It's going to be too nauseating to actually watch. So we knew we had to have flawlessly smooth and beautiful aerials shot in the best light of the day, right at dawn or right at sunset. The tricks that we used, the special camera mounts, we had two different camera mounts for helicopters, one for a Learjet, one for a biplane. We even had a balloon mount that went in the helium balloon that we set up at the beginning of the film.It was one of those things where our knowledge of technology and shooting all kinds of various films prior to that that used technology, we just basically poured everything into this one movie to try to prove the system, to try to show people what IMAX could do . . . There are quiet moments in the film that are very powerful, but there's also these basic thrill moments where the camera goes off over the edge of a cliff and your stomach kind of turns upside down a little bit. Some people had to close their eyes as they were watching so they wouldn't get nauseated, but that's really what we wanted. We wanted people to experience that bigness and that beauty. Basically the theme of the movie was taking off into the air was like the opening of a new eye.Essentially, you re-understood what the world was when aviation began, when the first balloonists took off or when the first airplane, the Wright Brothers, took off, or when we went into space, the change of perspective. And obviously IMAX is the ultimate change of perspectiveWhen I watched the entire film — I've watched it a few times since on YouTube, which I think somebody ripped from a laser disc or something — maybe six months ago, I had forgotten the space sequence. This movie came out a year before Star Wars, and I was looking at that space sequence and I thought, that's pretty good. I thought that really held up excellent. As a documentary, what prepared you to do that kind of sequence? Or was that something completely different that you really had to innovate to do?I had loved 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Kubrick film, and one of the special effects supervisors was Doug Trumbull. So we called Doug and said, “Look, I want to make the sequence. It's going to be short, but it's going to pay homage to space travel and what could happen in the future.” And he guided us a little bit, showed us how to make kind of the explosions of space that he'd done in 2001 using microscopic paint, so we had to develop a camera lens that fit on the IMAX camera that could shoot just a very small area, like half an inch across, where paint in a soluble mixture could then explode. We shot it in slow motion, and then we built a Starship, kind of like a Star Wars-looking — though, as you mentioned, Star Wars had not come out yet — kind of a spaceship that we then superimposed against planets that we photographed, Jupiter and Saturn. We tried to give the feeling and the perspective that that could give us with our poetic narrator, and it worked. It kind of worked, even though it was done on a very small budget. We had $690,000 to make that movie. So we only had one SAG actor who actually got paid the regular wage, that was Peter Walker.Was that the balloonist?Yeah, he was the balloonist. And he was a stage actor, so he was perfect, because I wanted something to obviously be a little bit overblown, make your gestures kind of comically big, and he was perfect for it. But we only had enough money to pay him for one day, so we went to Vermont and put him in the balloon basket, and we shot everything in one day. We never actually shot him flying. We shot him hanging in the balloon basket and the balloon basket was hanging from a crane that was out of the picture, and so we could lift him and make him swing past us and all that stuff, and he was terrific.Then we shot the real balloon, which was a helium balloon. We got the helium from the Navy — which would've been very costly, but they donated the helium — and went to West Virginia where the forest was basically uncut and had no power lines going through it so we could duplicate 1780 or whatever the year was with our aerial shooting. And we had a guy named Kurt Snelling, who was probably the best balloonist at that particular moment, and he dressed like Peter in the same costume and piloted the balloon across. And balloons, you can't tell where they're going, they just follow the wind, and so it was a little dangerous, but we got it all done. It was about a week and a half because we had to wait for weather. So we had a lot of weather days and bad rain in West Virginia when we shot that, but we got it all done, and it looks beautiful, and it matches in with Peter pretty well.Just what you've described there, it sounds like a lot: You're going to Maine, you're in West Virginia, you're getting helium from — it sounds like there were a lot of moving parts! Was this the most ambitious thing you had done up until that point?Well, we'd worked on some feature films before, like The Towering Inferno and Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and things like that, which were involved and very complicated. But yeah, it was very much the biggest production that we put together on our own, and it required us to learn how to produce in a big fashion. It was a thrill for us. Essentially, we had about 10 people working on the film in Laguna Beach, and none of them, except for maybe Jim and I, who we'd worked on feature films and complicated shoots with actors and all that, but a lot of our team hadn't. And so it was an adventure. Every day was a thrill.A “you can do it” movie (19:07). . . we were celebrating 200 years of democracy, of individual freedom, of individual inspiration, getting past obstacles, because you can do it — you have that belief that you can do it.There's a version of this podcast where we spend a half hour talking about The Towering Inferno. I just want you to know that it's very hard for me not to derail the conversation into talking about The Towering Inferno. I will not do that, but let me ask you this, the movie is about flight, it's about westward expansion, but that movie, it came out for the bicentennial, we'd gone through a tumultuous, let's say past 10 years: You had Vietnam, there's social unrest, you had Watergate. And the movie really must have just seemed like a breath of fresh air for people.As you put the movie together, and wrote it, and filmed it, did you feel like you were telling a message other than just about our connection with flight? It really seemed to me to be more than that, a movie about aspiration, and curiosity, and so forth.It was, and pretty much all of our films have been that positive spirit, “You can do it” kind of movie. Even our surfing films that we started with 20 years, maybe 10 years before To Fly!, you end up with that spirit of the human's ability to go beyond. And obviously celebrating the bicentennial and the beginning of democracy here in this country and the fact that we were celebrating 200 years of democracy, of individual freedom, of individual inspiration, getting past obstacles, because you can do it — you have that belief that you can do it.Of course, this was right there when everyone had felt, okay, we went to the moon, we did all kinds of great things. We were inventive and a lot of that spirit of invention, and curiosity, and accomplishment came from the fact that we were free as individuals to do it, to take risks. So I think To Fly! had a lot of that as part of it.But the interesting thing, I thought, was I had one meeting with Michael Collins, who was the director of the Air and Space Museum and the astronaut who circled the moon as Neil and Buzz Aldrin were on the moon walking around, and here he is, hoping that these two guys will come back to him so that the three of them can come back to Earth — but they'd never tested the blast-off from the moon's surface, and they didn't know 100 percent that it was going to work, and that was the weirdest feeling.But what Collins told me in my single meeting that I had with him, he said, “Look, I've got a half an hour for you, I'm building a museum, I've got two years to do it.” And I said, “Look, one thing I want to know is how much facts and figures do you want in this movie? We've got a little over a half an hour to do this film. The audience sits down in your theater, what do you want me to do?” And he said, “Give me fun. Give me the IMAX experience. I don't want any facts and figures. I don't want any dates. I don't want any names. I've got plenty of those everywhere else in the museum. People are going to be sick of dates and names. Give me fun, give me adventure.” And I said, “Oh gosh, we know how to do that because we started out making surfing films.” and he goes, “Do that. Make me a surfing film about aviation.” It was probably the best advice, because he said, “And I don't want to see you again for two years. Bring me back a film. I trust you. I've seen your films. Just go out and do it.” And that was probably the best management advice that I've ever received.So you weren't getting notes. I always hear about studios giving filmmakers notes. You did not get notes.The note I got was, “We love it. Put it on the screen now.” What they did do is they gave me 26 subjects. They said, “Here's the things that we think would be really cool in the movie. We know you can't use 26 things because that's like a minute per sequence, so you pick which of those 26 to stick in.” And I said, “What I'm going to do then is make it chronological so people will somewhat understand it, otherwise it's going to be confusing as heck.” And he said, “Great, you pick.” So I picked things that I knew I could do, and Jim, of course, was right there with me all the time.Then we had a wonderful advisor in Francis Thompson who at that time was an older filmmaker from New York who had done a lot of world's fair films, hadn't ever done IMAX, but he'd done triple-screen films and won an Academy Award with a film called To Be Alive! and he advised us. Graeme Ferguson, as I mentioned, advised us, but we selected the different sequences, probably ended up with 12 sequences, each of which we felt that we could handle on our meager budget.It was delightful that Conoco put up the money for the film as a public service. They wanted to be recognized in the bicentennial year, and they expected that the film was going to run for a year, and then of course today it's still running and it's going into its 50th year now. And so it's one of those things that was one of those feel-good moments of my life and feel-good moments for the Air and Space Museum, Michael Collins, for everyone involved.Competing views of technology (25:50)Our film was the feel-good, be proud to be an American and be proud to be a human being, and we're not messing up everything. There's a lot that's going right.When rewatching it, I was reminded of the 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi by Godfrey Reggio, which also had a very famous scene of a 747 looming at the camera. While yours was a joyous scene, I think we're supposed to take away an ominous message about technology in that film. That movie was not a celebration of flight or of technology. Have you wondered why just six years after To Fly!, this other film came out and conveyed a very different message about technology and society.I love Koyaanisqatsi, and in fact, we helped work on that. We did a lot of the aerial shooting for that.I did not know that.And Godfrey Reggio is an acquaintance, a friend. We tried to actually do a movie together for the new millennium, and that would've been pretty wild.Certainly a hypnotic film, no doubt. Fantastic.Yeah. But their thesis was, yeah, technology's gotten beyond us. It's kind of controlled us in some fashions. And with the time-lapse sequences and the basic frenetic aspects of life and war and things like that. And with no narration. That film lets the audience tell the story to themselves, guided by the visuals and the technique. Our film was absolutely a 100 percent positive that the 747 that we had was the number one 747 ever built. Boeing owned it. I don't think they'd started selling them, or they were just starting to use them. Everyone was amazed by the size of this airplane, and we got to bolt our IMAX camera on the bottom of it, and then it was such a thrill to take that big 747.The guy took off from Seattle and the pilot said, “Okay, now where do you want to go?” I said, “Well, I want to find clouds. And he goes, “Well, there's some clouds over next to Illinois. We could go there,” so we go two hours towards Illinois. And I'm in a 737 that they loaned us with the IMAX camera in a brand new window that we stuck in the side of the 737, just absolutely clear as the sheet of glass, just a single pane, and the camera's right up against that piece of plexiglass and with the 40-millimeter lens, which is a 90-degree lens.So I said, “We've got to fly the 737 really close to the 747 and through clouds so that the clouds are wisping through, and so the 747 is disappearing and then appearing and then disappearing and then appear, and we have to do this right at sunset in puffy clouds, these big cumulus clouds.” And so they said, “We can do that, let's go find it!” The two guys who were piloting were both military pilots, so they were used to flying in formation and it was a delight. We shot roll, after roll, after roll and got some of those moments where that 747 comes out into light after being in the white of the cloud are just stunning. So we made the 747 look almost like a miniature plane, except for the shot from underneath where you see the big wheels coming up. So it was a really cool, and I don't know what it cost Boeing to do that, but hundreds of thousands, maybe.Another public service.But they got it back. Obviously it was a heroic moment in the film, and their beautiful plane, which went on to sell many, many copies and was their hero airplane for so many years.Yeah, sure.It was a fun deal. So in comparison to Koyaanisqatsi, our film was the exact opposite. Our film was the feel-good, be proud to be an American and be proud to be a human being, and we're not messing up everything. There's a lot that's going right.I feel like there's a gap in what we get out of Hollywood, what we get out of the media. You don't want just feel-good films. You don't want just celebrations. You want the full range of our lives and of human experience, but I feel like, Koyaanisqatsi is about being out of balance, I think we've gotten out of balance. I just don't see much out there that has the kind of aspirational message with To Fly! I'm not sure what you think. I feel like we could use more of that.Yeah, I'm hopeful that I'm going to be able to make a movie called A Beautiful Life, which is all about the same thing that I was talking about, the freedom that the individual has here in America. I was hopeful to do it for the 250th anniversary, but I'm not going to get it done by that time next year. But I want to do that movie kind of as a musical celebration of almost a “family of man” sort of movie located around the world with various cultures and positive spirit. I'm an optimist, I'm a positive person. That's the joy I get out of life. I suppose that's why Jim and I were perfect to make To Fly! We infused beauty into everything that we tried to do.On sale everywhere The Conservative Futurist: How To Create the Sci-Fi World We Were PromisedMicro ReadsPlease check out the website or Substack app for the latest Up Wing economic, business, and tech news contained in this new edition of the newsletter. Lots of great stuff! Faster, Please! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fasterplease.substack.com/subscribe

A love of computing, music, and cinema has propelled Jeff Kleiser's career from the earliest days of VFX on movies including Tron, Flight of the Navigator, Stargate, Judge Dredd, Surrogates, and many more. Along the way, he's helped the late, great Doug Trumbull create eye-popping film-based projects for Luxor hotels and Radio City's 3D Christmas movie. Jeff talks through his career, and how he's seen the industry evolve from optical printers and really slow computers to today's AI and CG tech, which are making it easier to create low-budget movies that look like blockbusters. He also talks about his fascinating upcoming movie with his brother, Grease director Randal Kleiser, which tells a remarkable true tale of heroic teenage girls in wartorn Amsterdam.

Over a 40-year career, Joel Hynek has helped bring some incredible VFX to life, beginning with optical effects for Xanadu, then making the Predator a terrifying opponent for Arnie, and moving onto a range of movies, including xXx, Judge Dredd, Stealth, plus blockbusters from India and China. He picked up a sci-tech Oscar for the design and development of an optical printer, and a VFX Oscar for his quietly revolutionary work on What Dreams May Come. Joel shares incredible stories from the world of VFX, including how he developed the Predator's invisibility cloak and night vision, the scrapes and near-misses he got into while filming Stealth, and reveals some interesting trivia about The Matrix and The Bourne Identity. He also talks about working with industry luminaries including Doug Trumbull, Rob Cohen, Doug Liman, and reveals his impressive lineage.

In 1983, a film released to limited reception. It stars Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher and Cliff Roberson to name a few. Directed by Doug Trumbull, the legendary effects god from 2001: A Space Odyssey, this film portrays a...

As Chris is tied up with a really cool Chaos project, we're revisiting some of the older episodes of the CG Garage podcast. And we're starting big with true luminaries of Hollywood revealing how they got their projects off the ground. First up is Doug Trumbull, the 2001: A Space Odyssey VFX genius who went on to direct Silent Running and continually innovated Hollywood motion picture technology. Recorded shortly before his death in 2022, Doug talks about getting Brainstorm made and gives a prescient perspective on home theater. We follow with a seminal live show that celebrated the podcast's 100th episode with a pair of VFX experts turned blockbuster directors: Joe Kosinski and Tim Miller. Recorded at Gnomon School, Joe talks about how he leveled up Tron: Legacy and brought Oblivion's stunning visuals to life, while Tim talks Deadpool and reveals some of the interesting choices that led to the beloved but very R-rated superhero movie.

In this episode, we welcome Emmy-nominated Composer, Score Producer and Musician Chris Ruggiero. Chris has worked on films such as Emily the Criminal, Swallow, The Martha Mitchell Effect, Minding the Gap, Hooligan Sparrow, “Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music,” One Child Nation, Plan C, Camp Courage, episodes of “American Masters" and “American Experience” — and Resynator, which is premiering at SXSW this month. In our chat, we hear Chris' backstory, his path from working at MTV, to creating jingles for brands, on through scoring many of today's top independent films and documentaries. The Making Of is presented by AJA Video Systems.Versatile color management and conversion with AJA ColorBox From film to live production, color is an art. Achieving the right look requires a combination of talent and access to tools like AJA ColorBox. The color management and conversion box has quickly become a favorite among DITs with camera log, HDR, and WCG support, 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 connectivity, and unparalleled color processing. Find out why.ZEISS Conversations with Meena SinghJoin the ZEISS Conversations webinar featuring renowned Director of Photography Meena Singh on Thursday, March 28th at 12pm PST / 3pm EST. Hear her insights about using ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance lenses to create the look for the notable romantic comedy film, "Wedding Season." They will also discuss how she created the visual language for Sundance 2024 selected short film “Guts” and several documentary projects. Sign up for free hereMovie Book of the Month: Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a MasterpieceThis is the definitive story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey, acclaimed today as one of the greatest films ever made, including the inside account of how director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke created this cinematic masterpiece. Author Michael Benson explains how 2001 was made, telling the story primarily through the two people most responsible for the film, Kubrick and science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke. Benson interviewed Clarke many times, and has also spoken at length with Kubrick's widow, Christiane; with visual effects supervisor Doug Trumbull; with Dan Richter, who played 2001's leading man-ape; and many others.A colorful nonfiction narrative packed with memorable characters and remarkable incidents, Space Odyssey provides a 360-degree view of this extraordinary work, tracking the film from Kubrick and Clarke's first meeting in New York in 1964 through its UK production from 1965-1968, during which some of the most complex sets ever made were merged with visual effects so innovative that they scarcely seem dated today. A concluding chapter examines the film's legacy as it grew into it current justifiably exalted status. Available hereFrom our Friends at Broadfield…The Atomos Ninja bundled with Atomos Connect combines the newest 5" monitor/recorder & playback device with the latest Atomos Cloud features enabled by Atomos Connect. The free 6-month subscription to Atomos Cloud Studio enables camera-to-cloud, remote collaboration and review, cloud editing, live production and streaming. This complete solution will even include an accessory kit with rechargeable batteries, fast-charger, screen protector, travel case and more!Browse hereResource of the Month: The Daily Drop“The Daily Drop” is all about the tech, craft and business of producing content. The ongoing daily series (Mon-Fri) from Jem Schofield of theC47 focuses on video production and filmmaking with a core focus on education.Here's a recent episode that give's Jem's initial thoughts on OpenAI's Sora and how it might impact our industry…More episodes available here Upcoming L.A. Event:Cinelease Open HouseCinelease, known for providing the industry's most extensive array of grip, electrical and lighting equipment and full-service studios, opens its doors for a day of talks, tech, live music, games, food truck favorites, drafts & sodas, and out of this world presentations. The festivities run from noon to 8pm on March 16, 2024 at Cinelease headquarters in Los Angeles.Cinelease has lined up something for everyone at their let-your-hair-down Open House: Cutting-edge tech from AC Lighting, ACT (AC Power), Aputure, ARRI, Camera Car, Creamsource, Elation, Illumination Dynamics, INDU, InnerCircle, Jagoteq, JL Fisher, K5600, Kino Flo, KOTO, LA North Studios, LiteGear, Leitz, Lightscape, LRX, Maccam, Matthews Studio Equipment, NBCUniversal / Cineo, Nanlux, Osram, Power Gems, Roe Visuals, Rosco, RST Visions in Color, Sony, Sumolight, TRP, RT Pro, TMB and more. Learn more hereFeatured NYC Event: Cine Gear NY | March 14-16, 2024Mark your calendars for March and head on out to the thriving Industry City complex along the Brooklyn Upper Bay waterside. Cine Gear's studio-style event is gathering steam as state-of–the-art technology brands are preparing to reveal their latest & greatest gear in the historic Paper Factory Hall. New this year is Photo Focus, a one-day educational event dedicated to the art and craft of Still Photography.Get your Free Passes herePodcast Rewind:Feb. 2024 - Ep. 26…The Making Of is published by Michael Valinsky.If you'd like to promote your company to over 11,500 leading film & TV pros reading this newsletter, please email us at: mvalinsky@me.com Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe

Prepare to be inspired as Virtual Production industry powerhouses discuss the transformative impact of virtual production on the filmmaking landscape. Gain valuable insights into the creative possibilities, technological advancements, and the future of virtual production as they share their firsthand experiences and expertise. Joan Bevan Webb, formerly a Strategic Brand Marketing Consultant (Media Webb) and VP of Entertainment Marketing & Business Development (Mav12), brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. Her illustrious client list boasts renowned names like James Cameron, Oliver Stone, Doug Trumbull, Tim Burton, and the Coen Brothers. With collaborations with industry giants such as IMAX, Pixar, Sony, DreamWorks, MGM, and Disney, Joan Bevan Webb has been at the forefront of cutting-edge virtual production techniques. Joining Joan Bevan Webb is Vitalii Boiko, Founder and CEO at PixelaLabs, a leading virtual production company. Known for their groundbreaking UE4/5 cluster rendering technology called nDisplay, Vitalii Boiko has been revolutionizing the virtual production landscape. With previous experience as a Lead Engineer at IndustrialVR and Software Engineer at EON Reality, DirecTV, Softline, and Frogwares, Vitalii Boiko brings a unique perspective and technical prowess to the roundtable. Completing the panel is Dani Bellar Pilukas, the Director of Physical Production at Lux Machina Consulting. With an impressive background as an Imagineer, Show Programmer, and Principal at Walt Disney Imagineering, Dani Bellar Pilukas has played a pivotal role in the development and engineering of cutting-edge technical video solutions for film and TV, broadcast, live events, and permanent installations. Her notable projects, including Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Thea Award 2020), Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Thea Award 2019), and Pandora: World of Avatar (Thea Award 2018), have showcased his innovative approach to physical production. Follow us on Social Media: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3TEgbn4 Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/devoted-studios  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/devotedstudios/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devotedstudios  Twitter: https://twitter.com/devotedstudios_   Visit our website: https://devotedstudios.com/ 

Bit of a lost treasure from the recently departed Doug Trumbull.Please dig us on Facebook and Twitter, and support this and our other podcasts at our Patreon home of Podcastio Podcastius:https://www.patreon.com/podcastiopodcastiusLuke also talks to you about monsters big and small at Luke Loves Pokemon, and the Monster Hunter loving Monster Mash.  Get into those here:https://lukelovespkmn.transistor.fm/https://monstermash.transistor.fm/Meanwhile, Matt spends his non-podcast time trying to create mind-bending music:https://rovingsagemedia.bandcamp.comAnd other podcast time ranting about the Twilight Zone:https://timeenoughpodcast.transistor.fm/Coming soon to the Sanctuary:December 7 - The AbyssDecember 14 - AvatarDecember 21 - Gremlins

Sadly, a true pioneer in the visual effects industry passed away this week. Doug Trumbull was a real innovator, and someone passionate about the cinema experience. In this never-released audio, he chats with Ian Failes from befores & afters about the future of cinema.

From pitching Tron to opening the Stargate, Frank Vitz discusses his career in visual effects in the new episode of Ed Kramer's CGI Fridays. Vitz is best known for his work at animation studio Kleiser-Walczak Construction Co, where – alongside CGI Fridays host Ed Kramer and previous guest Jeff Kleiser – he contributed to the visual effects of the late Doug Trumbull's multimedia Luxor Las Vegas attraction, and its spiritual successor, Roland Emmerich's ancient astronaut action movie and accidental franchise-starter, Stargate (1994). His association with Kleiser goes back further than the company when by eerie coincidence, Vitz – then working for Robert Abel and Associates – found himself at ground zero for the birth of modern CGI: 1982's Tron.Frank Vitz's full IMDB profile reads:How to Boil a Frog (Documentary) (cgi supervisor)X-Men 2 (visual effects supervisor: Kleiser-Walczak)Evolution (TV Mini Series documentary) (animator - 7 episodes, 2002) (visual effects supervisor - 7 episodes, 2002)Corkscrew Hill (Short) (technical supervisor)X-Men (visual effects supervisor: Kleiser Walczak)The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (Video short) (visual effects)The Rage: Carrie 2 (visual effects coordinator)Judge Dredd (head of software: Kleiser-Walczak)Stargate (software development: Kleiser-Walczak)In Search of the Obelisk (Short) (head of software: Klesier Walczak)TRON (systems programmer: Robert Abel and Associates)

With the recent passing of Special Effects Supervisor Douglass Trumbull, it seemed only fitting to have a discussion about this movie legend. Trumbull was responsible for the impressive special effects seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. What many don't know, though, is that he joined the prohect after the first special effects house had been fired for producing absolutley nothing that was usable on screen. Trumbull and his team had just 6 months to create every special effects shot seen in the film: a ridiculously small amount of time! Yet Trumbull was able to get the shots dine and delivered on time. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto share a past episode of the podcast 70s Trek to pay tribute to Doug Trumbull. *** In The Unofficial Trek Podcast, hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto give their "Unofficial" take on the Star Trek universe.  From 2019 through 2019, Bob and Kelly hosted the show 70s Trek. It was a look at the events that brought a cancelled, 1960s TV show back from the dead to become a blockbuster movie in 1979. It was a decade that created a multi-million dollar franchise. Now Bob and Kelly will look at the minutia, the concepts, the people and the news pertaining to the Star Trek Universe. It's a fascinating time for Star Trek, with a flood of content about it on the internet. Bob and Kelly will give their "Unofficial" take. Why unofficial? Because their views are just that, they are theirs and are, therefore, "unofficial." It's a fresh look at Star Trek from two lifelong fans who have been talking Trek for over 35 years! We hope you'll join Bob and Kelly for their next venture, The Unofficial Trek Podcast. Visit us at these sites: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek TuneIn:  https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/ Stitcher:  https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IrNzaWSzKyf1T7b4ngZX2 Website: https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/

Sadly, a true pioneer in the visual effects industry passed away this week. Doug Trumbull was a real innovator, and someone passionate about the cinema experience. In this never-released audio, he chats with Ian Failes from befores & afters about the future of cinema.

Berkshire-based film director and technical effects genius Doug Trumbull died on February 7 at the age of 79. Sarah LaDuke spoke with him in 2011 when The Berkshire International Film Festival chose him as their honoree.

On a special BONUS EPISODE of INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS, the Treksperts pay tribute to the legendary filmmaking genius DOUG TRUMBULL and talk about his groundbreaking work in the movie business on such films as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Blade Runner, Silent Running, Brainstorm and, of course, Star Trek: The Motion Picture. And after our tribute to an incredible career, we present a SPECIAL ENCORE PRESENTATION of DAREN DOCHTERMAN's insightful interview with Trumbull from Inglorious Treksperts in 2019. Learn all that is learnable about Star Trek in Mark A. Altman & Edward Gross' THE FIFTY-YEAR MISSION, available in hardcover, paperback, digital and audio from St. Maritn's Press. And if you're a James Bond fan, don't miss NOBODY DOES IT BETTER, in hardcover, paperback, digital and audio from Forge Books. And don't miss SECRETS OF THE FORCE, the definitive unauthorized, uncensored oral history of STAR WARS, now available in hardcover, digital and audio!! And don't miss this summer, THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE KILLED HIS DOG, the complete oral history of John Wick, gun-fu and the new age of action in hardcover, digital and audio. Follow Inglorious Treksperts at @inglorioustrek on Twitter, Facebook and at @inglorioustreksperts on Instagram. And now follow the Treksperts Briefing Room at @trekspertsBR, an entirely separate Twitter & Instagram feed. #StarTrek #TOS #TAS #TNG #DS9 #VOY #ENT #DISCO #PICARD #LLAP #comics #IDW #Marvel #DC #GoldKey #Discovery #DeepSpaceNine #STTMP #StarWars #CaptainPike #StrangeNewWorlds #55YearTour #casting #ST55 #StarTrek55 #TheCage #StrangeNewWorlds #SNW #Voyager #Janeway #Enterprise #DougTrumbull During the pandemic, we are still recording remotely and not in the studio. As a result, the quality of the audio may not be up to our usual high standards. We trust you will nursemaid us through these difficulties. Please stay healthy and safe... and keep on Trekkin' - ingloriously, of course!

Richard Edlund is a four-time Academy Award visual effects winner for Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. He is VFX Supervisor, Producer and Cinematographer. Richard was also nominated for Poltergeist, 2010, Ghostbusters, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, Die Hard and Alien 3. He's won three Academy Technical Awards, the British Academy Award for Poltergeist and Return of the Jedi. He earned an Emmy for creating the visual effects for the original television miniseries Battlestar Galactica and another nomination for Mike Nichols' Angels in America. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with their John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation in recognition of his contributions to the Academy. And the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) presented him with their esteemed Presidents Award in 2008. He has also received top accolades from the Visual Effects Society, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, and numerous other organizations. In 1975, Richard was one of the first visual effects artists to join fellow VFX enthusiast, John Dykstra for a startup he called Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). This team of filmmakers began their work on a movie called Star Wars. When the new technology and Star Wars franchise clicked, Richard moved to Marin County to supervise visual effects for the next two episodes of Star Wars, as well as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Poltergeist.  In 1984, he took over the equipment amassed by Doug Trumbull's Entertainment Effects Group and retooled the 65mm visual effects company, renaming it Boss Film Studios. Boss Films became a star in the visual effects world, when company simultaneously produced the comedic visual effects for Ghostbusters, created a hybrid technology integrating NASA's digital images of Jupiter into a key sequence in 2010. Boss's pioneering VFX technology went on to create stunning imagery for over 40 features, including Die Hard, Ghost, Poltergeist 2, Alien3, Species, Multiplicity, Air Force One. Masters of the Universe, Cliffhanger, Batman Returns, The Last Action Hero, Waterworld, Heat, Starship Troopers and a slew of other high profile projects, including pioneering Bud Light Superbowl spots. The company achieved ten Academy Award nominations over a fourteen-year period. Richard is a twenty-two year Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, founding member of the AMPAS visual effects branch and is chair of the Branch Executive Committee, also chairman of the Academy's Science and Technology Council. He also serves as a board member of the VES and on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Cinematographers.  Richard is a frequent lecturer at industry organizations and universities across the world including USC and Chapman film schools. His 1977 Oscar for Star Wars is currently on display at the newly opened Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. In this Episode, legendary Oscar-winning VFX Supervisor, Producer and Cinematographer Richard Edlund talks about his work on some of the most influential films and their groundbreaking VFX sequences: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters and Die Hard. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/335/.

Richard Edlund is a four-time Academy Award visual effects winner for Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. He is VFX Supervisor, Producer and Cinematographer. Richard was also nominated for Poltergeist, 2010, Ghostbusters, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, Die Hard and Alien 3. He's won three Academy Technical Awards, the British Academy Award for Poltergeist and Return of the Jedi. He earned an Emmy for creating the visual effects for the original television miniseries Battlestar Galactica and another nomination for Mike Nichols' Angels in America. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with their John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation in recognition of his contributions to the Academy. And the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) presented him with their esteemed Presidents Award in 2008. He has also received top accolades from the Visual Effects Society, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, and numerous other organizations. In 1975, Richard was one of the first visual effects artists to join fellow VFX enthusiast, John Dykstra for a startup he called Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). This team of filmmakers began their work on a movie called Star Wars. When the new technology and Star Wars franchise clicked, Richard moved to Marin County to supervise visual effects for the next two episodes of Star Wars, as well as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Poltergeist.  In 1984, he took over the equipment amassed by Doug Trumbull's Entertainment Effects Group and retooled the 65mm visual effects company, renaming it Boss Film Studios. Boss Films became a star in the visual effects world, when company simultaneously produced the comedic visual effects for Ghostbusters, created a hybrid technology integrating NASA's digital images of Jupiter into a key sequence in 2010. Boss's pioneering VFX technology went on to create stunning imagery for over 40 features, including Die Hard, Ghost, Poltergeist 2, Alien3, Species, Multiplicity, Air Force One. Masters of the Universe, Cliffhanger, Batman Returns, The Last Action Hero, Waterworld, Heat, Starship Troopers and a slew of other high profile projects, including pioneering Bud Light Superbowl spots. The company achieved ten Academy Award nominations over a fourteen-year period. Richard is a twenty-two year Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, founding member of the AMPAS visual effects branch and is chair of the Branch Executive Committee, also chairman of the Academy's Science and Technology Council. He also serves as a board member of the VES and on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Cinematographers.  Richard is a frequent lecturer at industry organizations and universities across the world including USC and Chapman film schools. His 1977 Oscar for Star Wars is currently on display at the newly opened Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. In this Episode, legendary Oscar-winning VFX Supervisor, Producer and Cinematographer Richard Edlund talks about being one of the first artists to join ILM -- to work on the 1977 film Star Wars -- his work on Return of the Jedi and Ghostbusters, as well as gives some insight on being a pioneer in the visual effects industry. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/329/.

Episode 43 : 2001 A Space Odyssey and Beyond with Doug Trumbull Hey, everyone. Thanks for checking in with us once again at Kubrick’s Universe, where we continue our ongoing mission to explore the art and vision of the late, great Stanley Kubrick. If you’re listening to this, odds are you’ve seen 2OOI: A Space Odyssey. Well, have you ever seen Close Encounters Of The Third Kind? Star Trek: The Motion Picture? How about Blade Runner? Or even Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life? We ask because in this case there is one degree of separation that connects these masterful films. And that connection is Douglas Trumbull. Doug Trumbull is a true legend in the film industry, having gone from animator, to groundbreaking special effects genius, to visionary director, to pioneer in massive technical achievements like the development of IMAX and high frame rate film shooting and projection.  We had the chance to speak with Doug in spring, 2020. He graciously answered all our most nerdy questions, but also shared some of his personal reflections on, among other things, working with Kubrick. In this episode, you’ll hear Doug talk about things like how a cold call to Stanley Kubrick led to him getting a job on 2OOI at the ripe young age of 23, creating the dozens of rear-projection screens on the Discovery 1 that represented HAL-9000’s many computer readouts — long before CGI existed, as well as how he helped bring a bland model of the Moonbus to life, and having been one of the few American craftsmen on 2OOI who had carte blanche to work in a multi-disciplinary way on a unionized British set. And of course, we’ll hear insight on his process for developing the Slit-Scan camera, without which there would have been no Stargate sequence; or indeed, arguably the most mind-blowing third act in motion picture history.  You’ll even hear Doug Trumbull talk with us about his own unique connection to The Wizard Of Oz. But not quite. But at the same time, yeah. Quite. Anyway, it’s complicated. And to quote Dr. Clayton Stonewall Forrester “it would take a scientist to explain it… and I’m simply too mad”. So, let’s just get into it. Production Credits : Hosted by Jason Furlong / Researched and written by Stephen Rigg and Jason Furlong  / Theme written and performed by Jason Furlong / Produced and edited by Stephen Rigg / Contributions by Mark Lentz & James Marinaccio

That's right listeners, it's time to go where no one has gone before -to the big screen, for the first voyage of the Enterprise in theaters! Today the Planet 8 crew is talking Star Trek: The Motion Picture!The Motion Picture (or ST:TMP) has gained a bad reputation over the years, often derisively called 'The Motionless Picture,' but it actually was a hit at the box office, if not with the critics. Without ST:TMP, we wouldn't have gotten Wrath of Khan, or any of the films to follow, and perhaps no Next Generation and beyond. So whatever your opinion of the film -and we know opinions vary, because even within our Planet 8 crew, they do - one must acknowledge its role in keeping the franchise alive.We'll discuss the troubled history of the production, how it swung back and forth between plans to be a new Star Trek TV series (Star Trek Phase II), a movie, a TV show, and a film again. By the time the studio decided to go with a theatrical film, they went into production in a rush, without a firm script, and with a set release date (December 7, 1979) which put the pressure on, especially with the complicated special effects that were required. They were lucky to have an experienced director in Robert Wise at the helm. They also kicked out the original effects group and brought in master effects artists Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra, who managed to finish the special effects just in time for the release.Going to see Star Trek on the big screen was a real experience for all of us. There was, of course, huge anticipation. We hadn't seen our Enterprise crew in a new adventure in years! What would they look like? What would the story be like? Of course we had seen photos in magazines but to see them on the big screen would be a special thrill! For some though, the movie was not what they expected. After the excitement of Star Wars, ST:TMP might have seemed too slow, too talky. For others, it was too reminiscent of the Star Trek episode, The Changeling, where an ancient Earth space probe, modified by an alien probe, mistakes Kirk for its creator. But in some ways, ST:TMP is the Trek movie most like the original episodes. It may have been their attempt at Trek's '2001,' but it maintains Trek's hopeful concept for mankind's development as a species.Regardless of one's thoughts about the plot of the film, the special effects are still beautiful to behold (and if you haven't seen the director's edition, run out now and get it!), and Jerry Goldsmith's score is perhaps the best Star Trek score of all. His main theme went on to become the theme of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it originated here, with this film, and it's absolutely beautiful to hear in conjunction with the visual of the streamlined Enterprise.In any case, it's worth a revisit if you haven't seen it in a while. Check it out and let us know your thoughts!For our Sensor Sweep this episode, to go with our theme, Karen shares a book that goes into great depth on ST:TMP: Return to Tomorrow: The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Preston Neal Jones. In this hefty tome, Jones has put together an oral history of the film, which includes interviews with the cast and crew of The Motion Picture. Honestly, anything you would ever want to know about how the movie was made is included in this book. You can find it from sellers on Amazon, and at the time of this writing, they now have an ebook version too.We also want to give a plug to our first ever video-only episode on our YouTube channel! We decided to do a quick little video Sensor Sweep for you guys, sharing some of our collectibles, and a funny story about a near-miss the guys had with a collectible. So we hope you'll check it out at our YouTube channel. Let us know if you'd like to see more video episodes!All right, that's it for this time around. But if you want to contact us, hailing frequencies are open!Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastLive long and prosper!

A half century later, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” is still shaping our future. With no help from CGI, the movie predicted private space travel, artificial intelligence and half of Apple’s product line. It showed the promise and perils of technology and explored life’s biggest mystery: Are we alone in the universe? In Part One, we look at the movie’s origins in 1960s New York and how it went from opening night bomb to counterculture icon. We’ll hear from effects wizard Doug Trumbull, actor Keir Dullea and superfan Tom Hanks, who has seen the movie more than 200 times. American Icons is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A half century later, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” is still shaping our future. With no help from CGI, the movie predicted private space travel, artificial intelligence and half of Apple’s product line. It showed the promise and perils of technology and explored life’s biggest mystery: Are we alone in the universe? In Part One, we look at the movie’s origins in 1960s New York and how it went from opening night bomb to counterculture icon. We’ll hear from effects wizard Doug Trumbull, actor Keir Dullea and superfan Tom Hanks, who has seen the movie more than 200 times. American Icons is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our 40th anniversary celebration of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE continues as Trekspert DAREN DOCHTERMAN sits down with legendary visual effects genius and director, DOUG TRUMBULL, as they discuss the notirously troubled production of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE as well as the making of 2001, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and more. Don't miss this very special episode of INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS. Follow us on social at @inglorioustrek on Twitter and @ingloiroustreksperts on Instagram. And don't miss the all-new CW sci-fi series, PANDORA, from writer/producer Mark A. Altman, every Tuesday at 8 or available on the CW app antyime.

Our 40th anniversary celebration of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE continues as Trekspert DAREN DOCHTERMAN sits down with legendary visual effects genius and director, DOUGLAS TRUMBULL, as they discuss the notirously troubled production of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE as well as the making of 2001, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and more. Don't miss this very special episode of INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS. There is no comparison. Follow us on social at @inglorioustrek on Twitter and @ingloiroustreksperts on Instagram. And don't miss the all-new CW sci-fi series, PANDORA, from writer/producer Mark A. Altman, every Tuesday at 8 or available on the CW app antyime. #StarTrek #TOS #DS9 #Voyager #STMP40 #pandoraCW

VINTAGE SEASON PASS PODCAST: EPISODE #46- Doug Trumbull from TSPP #297. Doug Trumbull on Directing the Universal Studios HIT, Back To The Future: The Ride. Brought to you by Super 78 Studio — www.super78.com  Panel: Doug Trumbull, Arthur Levine, Brent Young, Robert Coker, & Doug Barnes *Subscribe @ iTunes* Check Out The Season Pass Podcast Website at: www.seasonpasspodcast.com Follow Us On Twitter! - www.twitter.com/theseasonpass Like the TSPP Facebook page! - www.facebook.com/theseasonpass Check Out TSPP on Instagram! - www.instagram.com/theseasonpass  Contact us: doug@seasonpasspodcast.com brent@super78.com robert@robertcoker.com Thanks to each one of you for listening to the show.  Your support is extremely appreciated. © 2019 Season Pass Podcast

A half century later, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” is still shaping our future. With no help from CGI, the movie predicted private space travel, artificial intelligence and half of Apple’s product line. It showed the promise and perils of technology and explored life’s biggest mystery: Are we alone in the universe? In Part One, we look at the movie’s origins in 1960s New York and how it went from opening night bomb to counterculture icon. We’ll hear from effects wizard Doug Trumbull, actor Keir Dullea and superfan Tom Hanks, who has seen the movie more than 200 times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A half century later, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” is still shaping our future. With no help from CGI, the movie predicted private space travel, artificial intelligence and half of Apple’s product line. It showed the promise and perils of technology and explored life’s biggest mystery: Are we alone in the universe? In Part One, we look at the movie’s origins in 1960s New York and how it went from opening night bomb to counterculture icon. We’ll hear from effects wizard Doug Trumbull, actor Keir Dullea and superfan Tom Hanks, who has seen the movie more than 200 times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to special effects professionals from the 1970s, two names came to mind: Douglas Trumbull and John Dykstra. When Doug Trumbull was brought in to do the effects on Star Trek The Motion Picture, he was given carte blanche to get them produced on time. To do this, he recruited a team of some of the best visual effects people in the world. That included his friend, John Dykstra. He served as the supervisor of visual effects on projects like the original Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars. In 1979 he jumped in to help create over 500 visual effects for The Motion Picture. But the workload ahead of them was considerable: They needed to create more special effects than those in Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind...combined!   Of course for Dykstra to work on The Motion Picture, he had to have a pretty significant background. Silent Running Back in 1971, Trumbull was recruiting recent college grads to work with him on the film Silent Running.  This was to save money due to the film’s low budget.  Dykstra’s job was to film the movie's models. In 1975, George Lucas tried to get Doug Trumbull to work on his new film, Star Wars. ButTrumbull was already working on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. So he recommended Dykstra. While working on that film, Dykstra developed a new computer controlled camera system for the visual effects, the first of its kind, ever! However, Lucas saw Dykstra's development work as tinkering, and not focusing on the shots he needed produced for his movie. When Lucas finished principle photography, he dismissed Dykstra. Battlestar Galactica From there, Dykstra was hired to do the visual effects for the three-hour premiere for Battlestar Galactica.  While the effects are impressive and ground-breaking, 20th Century Fox filed suit against Universal, claiming that Battlestar was plagiarized from Star Wars.  They argued that the TV show had similar design style and visual effects. The suit was eventually settled out of court.

In 1979, visual effects supervisor Doug Trumbull walked into an impossible situation on The Motion Picture and completely turned it around. Douglas Trumbull It’s fair to say that when you think about visual effects from the 1970s, two names come to mind: John Dykstra and Doug Trumbull.  During the 1960s and 70s, Trumbull developed an impressive resume. When he finally came to Star Trek in 1979, he had worked on four of the biggest sci-fi movies in the previous 11 years. And it was that experience that helped him do the impossible on The Motion Picture.  Trumbull came to Star Trek late, and as a result had very little time to execute on a huge amount of work. The company that had previously been hired to produce the effects, Abel & Associates, had produced practically nothing that could be used. Trumbull joined the production after Abel had been fired. He only had 6 months left until the premiere date and had 525 special effects shots to produce.  This was a near impossible task. Added to this situation was the impending class action law suit that theater owners threatened to bring if The Motion Picture did not arrive by December 7, 1979, its opening date. So Trumbull needed to produce the needed shots or there would be, literally, hell to pay.  The pressure was immense. In this episode of 70s Trek, we’ll tell you about Doug Trumbull, who could easily be called, “The Man Who Saved Star Trek The Motion Picture.”

From the publisher: Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the film’s release, this is the definitive story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey, acclaimed today as one of the greatest films ever made, including the inside account of how director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke created this cinematic masterpiece. Regarded as a masterpiece today, 2001: A Space Odyssey received mixed reviews on its 1968 release. Despite the success of Dr. Strangelove, director Stanley Kubrick wasn’t yet recognized as a great filmmaker, and 2001 was radically innovative, with little dialogue and no strong central character. Although some leading critics slammed the film as incomprehensible and self-indulgent, the public lined up to see it. 2001’s resounding commercial success launched the genre of big-budget science fiction spectaculars. Such directors as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and James Cameron have acknowledged its profound influence. Author Michael Benson explains how 2001 was made, telling the story primarily through the two people most responsible for the film, Kubrick and science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke. Benson interviewed Clarke many times, and has also spoken at length with Kubrick’s widow, Christiane; with visual effects supervisor Doug Trumbull; with Dan Richter, who played 2001’s leading man-ape; and many others. Martin’s interview with Michael Benson was recorded on April 26 2018.

Episode 100: Brian, Jeremy, and Jared are discussing Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction masterpiece, 2001: a space odyssey. We cover the film, the book, the historical importance of the film, and get into an off-topic discussion on Eyes Wide Shut. Joins us as we take the ultimate trip! Articles referenced in the show: American Cinematographer interview with Doug Trumbull on the special effects of 2001. Follow and view Jared Callan's work at Inherent Media, and listen to his podcast at shutupandlistenpodcast.com or on iTunes. If you like our music intro, click here and listen to more awesome music from aquariusweapon. And follow him on SoundCloud! Watch Brian Elkins (editor) & Jeremy Benson's (director) new film, Girl in Woods on iTunes, or wherever you get your VOD content. Runtime: 01:52:10 Contact: themoviecrewe@gmail.com

Open Minds UFO Radio: Marc D’Antonio is the chief photo and video analyst for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). Marc has been involved with MUFON since 1971 and has a vast amount of experience investigating UFO cases. He is also the owner of FX Models where they work on CGI and physical models for the entertainment industry as well as defense contractors, among others. It was in this line of work that Marc began working with motion picture special effects guru Doug Trumbull, who it turns out also has an interest in UFOs. Marc has a degree in astronomy and is particularly interested in planetary and astrobiology science. In this episode, we talk to Marc about his thoughts on recent developments regarding the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including NASA's recent announcement regarding water on Saturn's moon, Enceladus, and "Tabby's Star," which some scientists have suggested may be the home of an alien civilization. For more information about Marc's work, visit: FXModels.com. For more about his work with Doug Trubull, visit: DouglasTrumbull.com.  

*Subscribe @ iTunes* Doug Trumbull is one of the ultimate innovators of media; not just in movie special effects and visuals, but in special venue attractions, like his works in Las Vegas and Universal Studios. Doug joins Doug Barnes (Owner of Season Pass Podcast), Brent Young (Creative Director at Super 78), Robert Coker (Owner of thrillride.com), and Arthur Levine (Theme Parks guide for about.com) to discusses the beginning of his career, creating visual effects for movies like 2001: Space Odyssey, Directing films like Silent Running, and creating immersive experiences like Back To The Future: The Ride.  The podcast also gets deep into Doug's new creation, simply known as MAGI…However, there's nothing simple about this new, breakthrough technology. The Future of Themed Entertainment is Within…Enjoy!   about.com's articles on Doug Trumbull: Who is Doug Trumbull? And Why Is He Important to Theme Parks? Magi High Frame Rate Films - Coming to Theme Parks   Links: Douglas Trumbull Website about.com's Theme Parks page Touring Plans Walt Disney Birthplace  MiceChat Pixie Vacations Season Pass Closing Song - Wheels by Enuff Z'nuff on iTunes   Check Out The Season Pass Podcast Website at: www.seasonpasspodcast.com   Follow Us On Twitter! - www.twitter.com/theseasonpass Like the TSPP Facebook page! - www.facebook.com/theseasonpass   Contact us: doug@seasonpasspodcast.com brent@super78.com robert@robertcoker.com   Call the Hotline with Park Trip Reports, Podcast Comments, or Anything else you would like to announce. –1-916-248-5524   Thanks to each one of you for listening to the show.  Your support is extremely appreciated.   © 2015 Season Pass Podcast

Doug Trumbull is listed on IMDb as a "Legendary filmmaker and visual effects pioneer." Among others, he was a special effects supervisor for 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek: The Movie, and Blade Runner. All some of the biggest classics in science fiction movie history. However, what is less known is that Doug is also a UFO hunter. He has labeled his UFO hunting efforts the UFOTOG project (a meshing of the words UFO and photography). This has included a Hummer decked out with photographic equipment, and a short film about a man searching for UFOs. We talk to Doug about UFOs and special effects, and his UFOTOG project. We are also joined by MUFON chief photo analyst, Marc Dantonio, who has been assisting Trumbull with the UFOTOG project. You can read more about Trumbull at his website, www.DouglasTrumbull.com.

Gene and Chris present Marc Dantonio, the chief photo and video analyst for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). Marc has been with MUFON since 1971 and has accumulated years of experience investigating UFO cases. He is also the owner of FX Models, a company that works with CGI and physical models for the entertainment industry as well as defense contractors and others. As a result of his FX work, Marc began collaborating with motion picture special effects guru Doug Trumbull ("2001: A Space Odyssey," Blade Runner," etc.) who has a keen interest in UFOs. Marc is working with Trumbull on UFOTOG building sensor arrays that scan the sky with a variety of gear in an attempt to properly document sighting events.

Marc D'Antonio is the chief photo and video analyst for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). Marc has been involved with MUFON since 1971 and has a vast amount of experience investigating UFO cases. He is also the owner of FX Models where they work on CGI and physical models for the entertainment industry as well as defense contractors among others. It was in this line of work that Marc began working with motion picture special effects guru Doug Trumbull, who it turns out also has an interest in UFOs. We get an update from Marc on a project he and Trumbull are working on called UFOTOG. This project intends to build units that scan the sky with cameras and other sensors to gather large amounts of data, beside just pictures or video, during UFO sightings. We also talked to Marc about his recent appearances on several UFO related television programs.

Stephen Bochco and Michael Cimino were among the writers of fx wizard Doug Trumbull's melancholy 1971 space odyssey, which has taken on belated luster in our globally steam-heated present. One of Bruce Dern's finest hours.