Brilliant visual effects master Douglas Trumbull got his start at a young age working on Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Although he was only in his early 20s during production of 2001, his contribution of figuring out a way to film the now-famous “Stargate Sequence” changed the special effects industry drastically and made films like Star Wars possible (Trumbull himself was asked to work on Star Wars but turned it down due to other projects at the time).
After 2001 wrapped, Trumbull went on to direct his own films, including Silent Running (1972) and Brainstrom (1983), as well as working on the visual effects for The Andromeda Strain (1971), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and Blade Runner (1982). He also designed the Back to the Future Ride at Universal Studios during the 80s, and has been a leader in creating special effects technology.
With the TIFF Bell Lightbox about to begin screening an original 70mm print of 2001: A Space Odyssey between December 9 and January 5, and with Trumbull coming to speak at the Lightbox on December 8, Criticize This! got to chat with him about working with Kubrick, his amazing career, and his feelings on the current state of the special effects industry . Listen to our audio interview below or download the MP3 of it here.
For more information on Trumbull’s speaking engagement in Toronto, and for showtimes of 2001: A Space Odyssey at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, visit tiff.net/tiffbelllightbox.
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