{"id":1756,"date":"2012-03-05T08:35:09","date_gmt":"2012-03-05T14:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=1756"},"modified":"2012-03-05T08:35:09","modified_gmt":"2012-03-05T14:35:09","slug":"trumbull-talks-filmmaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=1756","title":{"rendered":"Trumbull talks filmmaking"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The role of the \u201cspecial effects man\u201d has become a dominant and integral one in modern filmmaking. What used to be the hallmark of a B-movie has become the key for box-office success.<\/p>\n

Last Friday afternoon, special effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull gave the keynote address at the third annual Information & Communication Summit at the University of Massachusetts in the Student Union Ballroom. Trumbull addressed both his own work and his plans for the future of the film industry.<\/p>\n

The casual filmgoer may not know Trumbull\u2019s face, but they\u2019ve almost certainly seen his work. Beginning with Stanley Kubrick\u2019s \u201c2001: A Space Odyssey,\u201d Trumbull has created some of cinema\u2019s most memorable images and moments. Whether it\u2019s the arrival of the Mothership in \u201cClose Encounters of the Third Kind\u201d or any scene from \u201cBlade Runner,\u201d Trumbull has certainly made his mark on movie history. His work from the 1970s and \u201880s still holds up, and in many cases surpasses the digital effects of today\u2019s films.<\/p>\n

His address focused on the role of technology in filmmaking. Trumbull spoke about his belief that technology should help filmmakers. Apart from his work on classic science fiction films, Trumbull has also developed and patented groundbreaking film technologies. These innovations, such as Showcam, are designed to make film a more immersive experience.<\/p>\n

Trumbull was particularly proud about Showcam, an invention he has been working on and perfecting since the late 1980s. The Showcam\u2019s intention is to act as a window into another world. Despite being unable to adequately demonstrate the effect on the Student Union Ballroom\u2019s projector, Trumbull communicated how truly awe-inspiring a Showcam film could be. He entertained the audience with a story about how even Steven Spielberg was wowed by a Showcam demonstration.<\/p>\n

For all the genius and talent behind Trumbull\u2019s innovations, there is a surprising lack of recognition or appreciation for his work. In a short clip that Trumbull played during his presentation, the film critic Roger Ebert described Trumbull as \u201ca guy with an idea that would cause trouble for everybody in Hollywood.\u201d After a deadpanned \u201cright,\u201d Trumbull described his frustrating attempts to convince the film industry to embrace and adopt new technology.<\/p>\n

Trumbull also addressed the current 3D phenomenon, which doesn\u2019t seem to be going away any time soon. Though it can \u201clook cool,\u201d Trumbull said 3D is projected in such a way that it is too dim. Presently, cinemas rely on outdated traditions to deal with 3D. Trumbull would rather have a good image shot in 2D than a poor one shot on 3D.<\/p>\n

Another theme of Trumbull\u2019s address was the theme of storytelling. Trumbull referred to movies as \u201cmagical\u201d and moviemaking as an \u201cadventure.\u201d He criticized the reliance of Hollywood studios on big, mindless blockbusters like \u201cTransformers,\u201d and expressed his disappointment in the tendency to treat audiences as less intelligent than they actually are.<\/p>\n

Though his frustration with studios forced him to quit the film industry, Trumbull is working on a new sci-fi epic. He intends it to be the first film shot entirely on a virtual stage, another innovation of his. Trumbull has directed two other films, including \u201cSilent Running,\u201d which has become a cult classic. His current film is still in pre-production, but if the brief glimpse Trumbull revealed are any indication, it looks like a truly groundbreaking feature.