2001

I have seen very many "space movies", and not a single one can compare to 2001: A Space Odyssey. I can definitely understand why it's one of the most parodied and satirized movies of all time. I was just watching a Futurama dvd the other night, an episode in which they parodied the psychedelic "Star gate" sequence from 2001. At the time 2001 was created, the type of visual effect used to create the "Star gate" (trippy wormhole thing) had never been used in such a way before. A man named Douglas Trumbull created a revolutionary camera design which used "slit scan" photography. Modern films would likely use computers to achieve such an effect, but Trumbull used a a strictly mechanical technique. I am still not sure exactly how Trumbull used slit scan to do it. All I know is that it has something to do with simultaneously moving a camera and a slide with a slit cut in it to create the effect of infinitely moving planes of light. I was reading that Trumbull had suggested to Kubrick that he should kill all of the astronauts but one and then send him alone through the star gate with the monolith watching over him. Apparently Kubrick told Trumbull that he was "ridiculously stupid" and disregarded the idea. However, the movie ended just how Trumbull had suggested, more or less. I'm not sure if all this is true, but if it is, I'm sure Kubrick must have apologized. All of the special effects in 2001 were done without the benefits of computers and the effects achieved are very impressive, especially the slit scan star gate sequence which no movie goer had ever seen the likes of before. Minds were blown.