For the betterment of my colleagues in the VFX industry and other people interested in the history of this screwed up field of visual effects, I plan to write some snapshots of the industry at
various times in the past. The hope is that this will help document how the industry has wildly changed, why the issues facing us today are both new and old, and why some of those issues are nearly impossible for us to address by ourselves.
It will also be an excuse to discuss trivia from ancient visual effects films so that, as Herodotus says in his famous introduction, the great deeds of the past are not forgotten. (1)
It will also be an excuse to discuss trivia from ancient visual effects films so that, as Herodotus says in his famous introduction, the great deeds of the past are not forgotten. (1)
The first period we are going to
address are a series of events that occurred in the time frame from
about 1976 - 1980, the very dawn of the modern visual effects
industry. But specifically, I want to begin our story with a very
specific time, a golden time if you will, which would be in roughly
August - October 1977.
The following sequence would have been
created about that time. It is from Close Encounters of the Third
Kind (1977) (aka CE3K) and it confirms a story that has been floating around
since the release of the film, that if you looked, you would find
that there was an R2D2 somewhere on the mothership in CE3K.
I was showing this sequence to someone who should know better who said how much he had wanted to be part of the visual effects industry at that time because it was so glamourous and so very lucrative.
Lucrative? Are you kidding me? But first, lets examine the issues involving R2D2.
I was showing this sequence to someone who should know better who said how much he had wanted to be part of the visual effects industry at that time because it was so glamourous and so very lucrative.
Lucrative? Are you kidding me? But first, lets examine the issues involving R2D2.
This picture is from an approximately 2
second shot as the mothership is first revealing itself to our
protagonists, but the scientists haven't noticed it yet. They think
they have already had their close encounter, not realizing that all
that has happened is that they have met the scout ships. The real
event is about to begin. The reveal of the mothership is dramatic
and exciting, it is one of the best sequences in the history of
visual effects.
The sequence on Youtube is below. The shot with R2D2 is at approximately 1:30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYCBgSRNjk0
The sequence on Youtube is below. The shot with R2D2 is at approximately 1:30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYCBgSRNjk0
The way model shops used to work, in
part, was to fabricate new models out of parts that they either
created from molds, or carved, or repurposed plastic model parts
that were commercially available. Thus they might buy a Revell model
of a B29 and use elements from it, suitably painted, as part of a
spaceship, or an alien city. This shot with R2D2, was a homage to
Star Wars, their competitor, which had come out just a few months
before, and probably was from a model that had been released with the
film. It could have been sculpted especially for this purpose, these
guys would do stuff like that, and I am checking to see if anyone
knows.
But consider: the EEG (Entertainment
Effects Group) was in full production on finishing CE3K, they were
presumably also ramping up on the Star Trek: The Motion Picture
disaster. ILM was dead, they had finished their movie, it was a
success, everyone was laid off, and George was negotiating with
people about coming up to Marin County and creating a new ILM for the
2nd (now the 5th) Star Wars movie. Apogee might have been formed
but if so, it had just started. Robert Abel was doing 7UP
commericials during one of their most creative periods having
survived the Star Trek disaster. Bladerunner was in the distant
future. Tron was in the future.
So, how many people were working, and
where, for what companies and what were they being paid?
Unless you were there, I think you will
be very surprised.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind on IMDB
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Mother Ship Model (with R2D2) on display at Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy
ReplyDeletehttp://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19790906000