Douglas Trumbull

"2001: A Space Odyssey" Trumbull was in his early 20s when he worked as one of four special effects supervisors on Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterwork. "Silent Running" Not only did Trumbull supply the effects for this cult 1972 environmental sci-fi classic, he also made his feature directorial debut on the film. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" Trumbull and his staff had only five months to create all of the elaborate effects shots for the 1979 feature film — the first based on the 1966-69 sci-fi TV series.

"2001: A Space Odyssey" Trumbull was in his early 20s when he worked as one of four special effects supervisors on Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterwork. "Silent Running" Not only did Trumbull supply the effects for this cult 1972 environmental sci-fi classic, he also made his feature directorial debut on the film. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" Trumbull and his staff had only five months to create all of the elaborate effects shots for the 1979 feature film — the first based on the 1966-69 sci-fi TV series.

When filmmaker Douglas Trumbull helped design the innovative special effects for such movies as "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," he had a sense that the filmmaking process was on the move. But it soon became evident that while Trumbull was headed in the direction of bigger screens and greater effects, the film exhibition business was downsizing movie theaters and screens. The message to Trumbull was: Leave Hollywood and find a new canvas.

Visual effects visionary, director and producer Douglas Trumbull has a "broad" philosophy of film. He believes that everything in a movie is, in essence, a special effect. "Movies are all about illusions, whether it is makeup or wardrobe or some location or being in a period of time or being on an alien planet," says Trumbull, 69. Trumbull has created some of the screen's greatest illusions in such seminal sci-fi films as Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterwork "2001: A Space Odyssey," his own 1972 cult classic "Silent Running" and Steven Spielberg's 1977 "Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Visual effects visionary, director and producer Douglas Trumbull has a "broad" philosophy of film. He believes that everything in a movie is, in essence, a special effect. "Movies are all about illusions, whether it is makeup or wardrobe or some location or being in a period of time or being on an alien planet," says Trumbull, 69. Trumbull has created some of the screen's greatest illusions in such seminal sci-fi films as Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterwork "2001: A Space Odyssey," his own 1972 cult classic "Silent Running" and Steven Spielberg's 1977 "Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

"The Tree of Life" introduces a character pondering the meaning of existence as he searches for the answers to the universe's most perplexing questions. Undeniably impressive, it's a film that will have viewers posing questions as well, just not the ones its director may have intended. For what Terrence Malick's complex, extraordinarily ambitious and years-in-the-making new feature unintentionally does is makes people ask what they want out of cinema. Are you looking for serious philosophizing, fluid filmmaking and stunning images?

Cliff Robertson , who starred as John F. Kennedy in a 1963 World War II drama and later won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a mentally disabled bakery janitor in the movie "Charly," died Saturday, one day after his 88th birthday. Robertson, who also played a real-life role as the whistle-blower in the check-forging scandal of then-Columbia Pictures President David Begelman that rocked Hollywood in the late 1970s, died at Stony Brook University Medical Center on New York's Long Island, according to Evelyn Christel, his longtime personal secretary.

IMAX and Douglas Trumbull Firm to Merge: The Massachusetts company headed by Trumbull, who worked on special effects for films such as "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" will be combined with IMAX using a new holding company, WGIM Acquisitions Corp. IMAX, based in Canada, is best known for developing a large-screen format for showing films.

When filmmaker Douglas Trumbull helped design the innovative special effects for such movies as "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," he had a sense that the filmmaking process was on the move. But it soon became evident that while Trumbull was headed in the direction of bigger screens and greater effects, the film exhibition business was downsizing movie theaters and screens. The message to Trumbull was: Leave Hollywood and find a new canvas.

Steven Spielberg's magical, mystical 1977 adventure involving a UFO stars Richard Dreyfuss as a power company worker who sets out to discover what has blacked out half his state. Melinda Dillon plays a mother in search of her young son, who's run off to become caught up in something special. A strongly evoked Midwestern America sets off wondrous and dazzling special effects conceived by Spielberg and Douglas Trumbull (USA Sunday, 3 p.m., and Saturday, 1 p.m.).

Joseph A. Ippolito, 39, award-winning sound editor on such films as "Top Gun" and "Fried Green Tomatoes." Ippolito's career began in 1976 when he worked with Douglas Trumbull on sound for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." In 1987, Ippolito won the Golden Reel Award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors for his work on "Top Gun."