In Memory of Douglas Trumbull (1942-2022)

Douglas Trumbull (1942-2022)

Douglas Trumbull, the pioneer behind the VFX for "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and "Blade Runner," passed away on February 7th, 2022. He was 79 years old. Trumbull was the son of a mechanical engineer and effects artist, Don Trumbull, who worked on films like "The Wizard of Oz." His dad also worked with his son on "Silent Running," "Close Encounters," and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." He received two Scientific and Technical Achievement Oscars before passing away in 2004 at age 95.

Trumbull was an airbrush artist and illustrator at Graphic Films in Los Angeles, where he worked on a 1964 New York World's Fair documentary, "To the Moon and Beyond." The film is shot in Cinerama and projected onto the Moon Dome from above. This impressed director Stanley Kubrick, who then hired Trumbull (along with Graphic Films director Con Pederson) to work on the initial designs for "2001" after Pederson gave him Kubrick's number and he cold-called him. Trumbull began with a relatively minor task: creating the animated displays shown on the computer screens throughout the ship in the film. However, as production continued, his responsibilities increased, and he became one of the film's four visual effects supervisors. He had the task of creating what would become his signature creation, the out-of-this-world passage-of-light finale, known as the Star Gate sequence.

After "2001," Trumbull made his directorial debut with an eco-sci-fi film he conceived, entitled "Silent Running," which achieved cult status despite being made on a $1 million budget. By the 1970s, Trumbull had other commitments and declined an offer to provide the visual effects for George Lucas' "Star Wars." At the same time, Steven Spielberg, about 29, began principal photography on his sci-fi movie "Close Encounters." He rewatched Kubrick's "2001" in preparation and found the masterpiece intimidated him more than it inspired him. Spielberg hired Trumbull, then under contract to Paramount Pictures on a loan-out, to contribute the visual effects for "Close Encounters." The film earned Trumbull and his team an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects, which they lost to "Star Wars." Trumbull also worked with director Robert Wise in films such as "The Andromeda Strain" and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (the latter earned Trumbull his second Academy Award nomination). He also received his third Oscar nomination for his groundbreaking visual effects work in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner."

Douglas's second directorial feature was "Brainstorm," starring Natalie Wood in her final role. The movie was the first to showcase his Showscan process (70mm film photographed at 60 frames per second) in the virtual-reality sequences, but due to the cost, MGM withdrew the idea. In November 1981, during a production break, Wood drowned under unknown circumstances while on a boat trip to Catalina Island. This setback prompted MGM to file an insurance claim, and the film remained unfinished for two years. These experiences led Trumbull to withdraw from the film industry and delve into his passion for developing new technology for cinema and filmmakers. He even created the "Back to the Future" ride at Universal Studios.

Trumbull was brought out of retirement to work under Dan Glass as a visual effects consultant on Terence Malick's "The Tree of Life." He received many accolades and honours in his lifetime, including a Scientific and Engineering Award in 1993 from the Academy for his Showscan Camera System and the Gordon E. Sawyer statuette in 2012 for his career contributions. In my opinion, I believe Trumbull and his team deserved the Oscar for the effects work in "2001," not Stanley Kubrick, who took the award for himself.

Here are the clips showcasing the outstanding visual effects work he provided throughout his career.

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