The World Tonight: Space Odyssey Events:
Summary about Wonderfest 2010 - part 2
By Christopher Dalton

I was fortunate enough to obtain and purchase a copy of the recently released and very informative publication '2010: A Scrapbook Odyssey', written by fellow exhibit member Jean-Marc Deschamps (turned out it was the last copy on the display table). I was also, by a stroke of luck, able to locate and purchase the actual black and white photo/production stills from 2001. After forty years, the glossy pictures were still in very mint condition. At a price of $25.00 for the entire set, I was defintely getting my money's worth.

Other 2001 and 2010 related displays consisted of the Pan-Am Shuttle, the Discovery Pod, the nuclear satellite, and various computer/voice interfaces of HAL. Even the Aries 1-B transport was also shown to public, in all of its very fine detailed glory.

One display in particular that was very interesting, involved another recreation of the Discovery One spacecraft from 2010, in all of its sulfer-clad glory.

From what information I was able to glean from the model-builder involved(unfortunately, I don't remember his name), he mentioned that this was going to be a recreation of the actual huge model that was used during the MGM production of the classic sequel(the actual model, if I'm not mistaken, is still on display at Ted Turner's main office in Atlanta, Georgia).

Judging by the CGI schematics that the model-maker displayed on his laptop, I could tell that it is going to be something spectacular, once the construction on it is completed.

One other 2001/2010 related model that I found very impressive was a Pan-Am shuttle with its cargo bay doors opened. This shuttle, which had USAF (United States Air Force) markings, had a smaller model of the Discovery Space Pod attached to a wire-like umbilical. The small pod model looked as if it were working on the model of the nuclear satellite(shown during Heywood Floyd's flight to Space Station 5 in 2001). The detail and craftmanship was excellent. And the idea behind such an EVA configuration, was very brilliant, if not creative.

Running into Scott Alexander again at his display table, I was able to snap a few shots of a silver-suit clad Heywood Floyd standing in front of the monolith(TMA-1)and placing his gloved hand on its smooth surface.

Other models that Scott had on display were the mainframe of the Clavius Base Moon Bus, the Discovery Pod carrying Frank Poole's yellow suited form, and David Bowman in his red environment suit. Scott allowed me to set up the models in various poses, while taking snapshots of them. Later we discussed about the different colors used for the spacesuits and helmets in 2001.

While talking about the blue suit and helmet (my favorite one in both films), he later told me about another spare environment suit that was on the Discovery, but located in the centrifuge. Like the bright green environment suit and helmet in the Discovery's main emergency airlock, there was one stored in one of the centrifuge's main compartments, but purple in color.

I'll have to watch for that when the double feature of 2001 and 2010 is on TCM in July.

Another interesting story Scott and I discussed, was how Scott obtained the original copy of the Ice Station Zebra screenplay (also released by MGM in 1968). While helping in the cleaning of an office in Los Angeles some years past, Scott had come across a pair of shoes originally owned by Bill Cosby, and the screenplay to ISZ written by Douglas Heyes, himself.

Scott definately struck cinematic gold by coming across those industry treasures.
We later talked about the SFX used in Ice Station Zebra and the technical complexities behind the SFX called Introvision(a certain effects process used by Peter Hyams in Outland). I even told Scott about how Mr. Hyams got the directorial and screenplay assignment concerning 2010.

He found the story very amusing. Especially when I told him about what Katherina Kubrick said about her father's reaction to 2010.*

Overall, it was a very fun-filled and entertaining weekend. Not only did I see the greatest science fiction film ever made for the third time on the big screen, I also learned some new behind the scenes trivia on the greatest sequel to the greatest science fiction film ever made, had dinner with some fellow fans and professional model builders, and obtained rare pieces of cinema memoribilia.

*Some years past, I e-mailed Mrs. Kubrick inquiring about a painting she had once created(it was a lovely painting of the Golden Retrievers her family once owned). I asked her what her father's opinion was, concerning 2010. She said that her father didn't say much about it. That only he gave Peter Hyams his blessings and encouraged him to make his own film. In an unofficial capacity, Stanley Kubrick served as co-writer, co-producer, and co-director of 2010.

The latter information I learned was from Starlog Magazine's Official 2010 Movie Magazine(released in 1984).

Interesting trivia, is it not?

Summary about Wonderfest 2008, Part 3

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