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Douglas Trumbull Quotes

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About Douglas Trumbull

Douglas Trumbull (born October 6, 1942) is an American visual effects supervisor, director, and inventor, renowned for his pioneering work in the field of special effects and filmmaking. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Trumbull developed a fascination with space exploration and film at an early age. He pursued this interest at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he studied physics and mathematics before switching to art and design. In 1968, Trumbull joined Stanley Kubrick's team as a visual effects artist for the groundbreaking film "2001: A Space Odyssey." His work on the iconic 'Star Gate' sequence marked the beginning of his career in visual effects. This experience led him to establish his own visual effects company, Douglas Trumbull Productions (DTP), in 1970. DTP would go on to create stunning effects for films such as "Silent Running" (1972) and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), for which Trumbull was also a co-writer. Trumbull's work during this period helped revolutionize the use of optical compositing in film, leading to the development of Showscan, a 70mm widescreen motion picture process that doubled the standard frame rate. In 1983, Trumbull directed "Brainstorm," a science fiction thriller starring Natalie Wood and Christopher Walken, which showcased his innovative visual effects techniques. Throughout his career, Douglas Trumbull has been recognized for his contributions to film and special effects, receiving multiple Academy Award nominations and honors from organizations such as the Visual Effects Society. His work continues to inspire a new generation of filmmakers and visual effects artists, as he pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the world of cinema.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The future isn't a place we're going to, it's a place we're creating."

This quote emphasizes the active role humans play in shaping their future. It suggests that the future is not a predetermined destination but rather an ongoing creation - something we build through our actions, decisions, innovations, and collective efforts. In essence, it encourages us to take responsibility for designing the world we want to live in tomorrow.

"The role of visual effects is not to impress but to tell the story and make the audience believe in the world that's being created for them."

This quote by Douglas Trumbull emphasizes the primary purpose of visual effects (VFX) in filmmaking: they are not merely to amaze or entertain, but to serve the story and create an immersive environment that allows viewers to suspend their disbelief and fully engage with the world portrayed on screen. By focusing on storytelling rather than technical spectacle, VFX can enhance the emotional impact of a film and deepen audience engagement.

"I think one of the most important aspects of special effects is to create a sense of wonder and awe, to take us to places we've never been before."

Douglas Trumbull's quote emphasizes the crucial role of special effects in storytelling by creating an immersive experience that evokes feelings of wonder and awe. This is achieved by transporting audiences to unfamiliar, fantastical realms or presenting them with extraordinary visuals that transcend the limitations of reality. In essence, Trumbull's words underscore the power of special effects in expanding our collective imagination and fostering a sense of curiosity and exploration.

"The future will be an interesting place if it's anything like the movies."

This quote suggests that our future could be as imaginative, captivating, and technologically advanced as the worlds portrayed in films. It implies that just as movies transport us to other dimensions, real life in the future might also be characterized by innovation, progress, and an exploration of what is possible beyond our current understanding.

"When you watch a movie, you should lose yourself in the world on screen, not notice the wires or the effects."

This quote by Douglas Trumbull emphasizes the ideal immersion that a film should provide its audience. It suggests that when watching a movie, one shouldn't be distracted by technical aspects like visible wires or special effects, but instead become fully engrossed in the fictional world on screen. The goal of filmmaking, according to this quote, is to create such an immersive experience that the audience forgets they are watching a movie and becomes part of the story.

IBM was the original contractor for much of the computer interface design on the film.

- Douglas Trumbull

Computer, IBM, Contractor, Interface

Working on '2001' was my film school. Stanley Kubrick was my mentor.

- Douglas Trumbull

School, Mentor, Film School, None

I visited a scientist who had a helmet with magnetic fields controlled by computer sequences that could profoundly affect your mood and your perceptions.

- Douglas Trumbull

Mood, Scientist, Profoundly, Perceptions

I'd rather have fewer spectacular theaters than tons of cheap little multiplexes.

- Douglas Trumbull

Rather, Theaters, Tons

If you want people to come to theaters, you better do something different.

- Douglas Trumbull

Better, Want, Come, Theaters

The diversity of content is now offered from streaming and downloading, so young people are really not going to theaters because they don't see any particular benefit.

- Douglas Trumbull

Young, Going, Particular, Theaters

There's been a bit of confusion about Showscan. The basic problem was, it was film and it was 70 mm and it was a lot of it, so the negative cost was very high, the print costs were very high, and it also required conversion of the projectors and theaters and a lot of costs. I just couldn't get any traction in the theatrical movie industry to do it.

- Douglas Trumbull

Been, Very, Theatrical, Theaters

Movies used to be called the 'flicks' because they flickered badly: because 16 or 18 frames a second - which was those hand cranked movies on a single-bladed shutter - was really badly flickering.

- Douglas Trumbull

Frames, Badly, Which, Flickering

Peter Jackson is a real big hero of mine because he had the nerve to make 'The Hobbit' at 48 frames per second.

- Douglas Trumbull

Big, Frames, Mine, None

There was every reason to honestly say that 3D was a gimmick. And it's largely true. And it's largely pretty bad. When you put a filter in front of the projector, and you put on your glasses and cut the light in half again, the movies are dim as hell, and they give you headaches and eye strain, and it's terrible.

- Douglas Trumbull

Reason, Cut, Half, Filter

I wouldn't apply high frame rates to a love story or a thriller or a film noir or a mystery.

- Douglas Trumbull

Love, Apply, Rates, Noir

'2001' used a lot of what's called 'front projection.' You project an image onto this giant reflective screen, and the image bounces back and comes back to the lens and seems to be in the background behind the actors. The whole 'dawn of man' sequence in '2001' was projected eight-by-ten photographs of the African savannah.

- Douglas Trumbull

Project, Behind, Screen, Savannah

Clearly, if we'd had the kind of computer graphics capability then that we have now, the Star Gate sequence would be much more complex than flat planes of light and color.

- Douglas Trumbull

Color, Star, Kind, Gate

It was the point where things became much more abstract and less literal than in the bulk of the film, which was hardcore rockets and space and planets - all a fairly straightforward evolution from what I had been doing before.

- Douglas Trumbull

Straightforward, Became, Literal

When I was a young man in school, I used to read science fiction and really liked it. And as I became a young artist, I was filling up my portfolio with alien planets and spacecraft and things like that.

- Douglas Trumbull

Young, Fiction, Became, Science Fiction

The technology of the time dictated the way things looked.

- Douglas Trumbull

Technology, Things, Looked, Dictated

I think 'Avatar' is much more appropriate to high frame rates because it's like a ride, and it's futuristic, and vividness and sharp edges and clarity would be an asset.

- Douglas Trumbull

Think, I Think, Appropriate, Frame

My personal feeling is that ultra-high frame rates and ultra-vivid giant screen movies can be like a window onto reality. And if you recognize it as such, you can write your screenplay, direct your movie, edit it, and present it as a live experience - not like a movie.

- Douglas Trumbull

Movie, Screen, Direct, Frame

I'd formed a research and development company under the banner of Paramount Pictures back in about 1975, and its mandate was to explore advanced forms of entertainment, not just movies.

- Douglas Trumbull

Development, Mandate, Formed

I have the deepest respect for Terrence Malick and greatly enjoyed helping him on 'Tree of Life.' I consider him to be a good personal friend and professional contemporary.

- Douglas Trumbull

Tree, Personal, Helping, Greatly

I like the unknown. That's what Terry Malick has always really liked. He's always looking for the unexpected.

- Douglas Trumbull

Unexpected, Always, Like, Terry

My first job on 2001 was to make all of the HAL readouts: the 16 screens that surround HAL's eyes.

- Douglas Trumbull

Job, Eyes, Hal, Screens

There were IBM logos designed for the film, and there were IBM design consultants working with Kubrick on the layout of the controls and computer screens.

- Douglas Trumbull

Controls, Film, Kubrick, Screens

I got hooked on immersive cinema when I worked on '2001,' which was initially shown on these Cinerama screens, which were all 90 feet wide and deeply curved.

- Douglas Trumbull

Feet, Which, Wide, Screens

But as far as the concept of HAL, who HAL was, his character - I had no role in creating him.

- Douglas Trumbull

Character, Role, His, Hal

When I worked on 2001 - which was my first feature film - I was deeply and permanently affected by the notion that a movie could be like a first-person experience.

- Douglas Trumbull

Movie, Which, Feature Film, First-Person

I'm developing some high-frame-rate 3-D processes that are going to be, I hope, indistiguishable from reality. This will be quite an unusual cinematic event - you don't just tell an ordinary story, it's more of a first-person experience where the melodrama doesn't get in the way. Being inside the movie rather than looking at the movie.

- Douglas Trumbull

Some, Movie, Rather, First-Person

I'm fearless when it comes to engineering and motors and gears and pulleys and glass and artwork.

- Douglas Trumbull

Fearless, Engineering, Glass, Gears

Every movie presents unusual challenges, and I like solving the problems with a combination of artwork and engineering.

- Douglas Trumbull

Challenges, Movie, Solving, Unusual

There's a consistency in my work that pops up independent of the limitations of the technology.

- Douglas Trumbull

Work, Independent, Pops, Limitations

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