Douglas Trumbull Saved STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE | TIFF

In this previously unreleased extended cut of a 2016 interview, visual effects legend Douglas Trumbull describes the "death-defying" and "extremely challenging" production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a project that contained more effects shots than Star Wars and Close Encounters combined. Facing a strict six-month deadline and a studio terrified of a class-action lawsuit from theater owners, Trumbull negotiated for his professional freedom in exchange for saving the film. He details the technical hurdles of combining VistaVision and 70mm formats, as well as his decision to completely rebuild the "clunky" original Enterprise model with a sophisticated internal lighting system and custom airbrushed pearlescent panels to make it a "beautiful spacecraft". Trumbull reflects on creating the iconic, four-minute dialogue-free "reveal" sequence of the ship and the complex optical compositing required to maintain lens flares and interactive lighting in a pre-digital era. Ultimately, the grueling 24-hour-a-day schedule took a personal toll, leaving Trumbull hospitalized for exhaustion with ulcers by the end of the shoot.