Ok so before I lose you, I’ll tell you right now that at the bottom of this article you can get a FREE PASS to Doug Trumbull’s new technological marvel, UFOTOG, at its WORLD PREMIERE screening on may 12th, with the director and legendary visual effects artist in attendance!  If that’s enough to get you excited for those passes, head straight to the end of the article now to print your free passes!  If you’re curious about the Sci Fi festival, and who Doug Trumbull is, read on…

The Sci Fi Film Festival at Cinerama

Going on now at Cinerama (May 1 – May 12, 2014) in downtown Seattle, the Sci Fi Film Festival features a lot of amazing Sci Fi and speculative fiction movies on Cinerama’s amazing screen technology.  We’re right in the middle of the festival, so you might have missed some of the cool Q&A sessions from the festival like Tom Skerritt (of Alien and Contact fame), and Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: First Contact), but the festival is still going strong, and features one more special guest:  Douglas Trumbull!

Cinerama’s Film Technology

Click here for a virtual tour of the Cinerama

Cinerama is more than just a theater name.  the Cinerama film technology used three separate cameras to film an ultra-widescreen format film that was then projected in parallel using three projectors in a Cinerama theater.  This technology pioneered the widescreen format we use today.  Although the three-camera process was ultimately abandoned, many films shot in 70mm Cinemascope (including 2001) were adapted for Cinerama screens.  Wikipedia has much more detail for those interested, but it’s important to note that Cinerama was a technological pioneer.

In 2010, Paul Allen purchased the Seattle Cinerama theater and updated the facility with the latest projection technology, in addition to paying for a new 70mm print of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, which you can see on May 9th or May 10th as part of the Sci Fi Film Festival.  Douglas Trumbull will be in attendance, as he was the visual effects supervisor for this groundbreaking film!

Douglas Trumbull

Again, Wikipedia will have more information for those interested, But all you really need to know is that Douglas Trumbull worked on the visual effects for movies like 2001, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner, and Tree of Life.  Many of these films are playing at the Sci Fi Film Festival, with Doug in attendance.  If you have any interest in the magic of special effects, or film making in general, Douglass Trumbull is an amazing person to talk to.

UFOTOG

Straight from Trumbull’s website (which covers a lot of technical points of interest), The twelve-minute sci-fi adventure UFOTOG has been written and directed by Trumbull in 4K 3D at 120 frames per second. It demonstrates his new process called MAGI, which explores a new cinematic language that invites the audience to experience a powerful sense of immersion and impact that is not possible using conventional 24 fps or 3D standards.

As you can see, the Cinerama experience was specifically chosen by Trumbull as the best possible venue to debut this demonstration of cutting edge movie technology.  There are three screenings on May 12th, and Trumbull will be available fro Q&A.  The short itself is a story about one man’s attempts to photograph UFOs.  You can read the full press release here.

FREE Passes

Simply download and print this free pass, and present it at the showbox when you arrive on May 12th.  Seating is first-come first-served, so arrive early to get a good spot!