responsible for how this all looks and feels. Remember, I'm a 15-year-old
kid from Wadsworth, Illinois. I don't know any better at this point. So
while he's talking, I'm torn by this feeling that maybe while I'm listening
to this very intelligent craft guy talk about this movie, I'm missing the
chance to meet Doug Trumbull."
While Spielberg and Lightman continued to talk about details of the
film, Johnson wandered off in search of Trumbull. "Behind this one
curtain there are all these guys
building models and working
on the mothership. Greg Jein,
Ken Swenson, and Dave
Jones--all these heroes of mine
in the model making world,
just sitting around having their
Cokes, eating junk food, and
working on the mothership."
The group invited Johnson to
come sit with them while he
asked a multitude of questions.
Soon he was invited to help
them attach fiber optics to the
mothership. "I'm always
searching for the ones I did."
While wondering if he will
ever get to meet Doug
Trumbull, a door suddenly
blasts open and a big burly
guy comes charging in, obvi-
ously in a hurry and not in a
good mood. "Herb goes, `Hey
Doug, how ya doin'?' And he's
like, `Fine, fine. I've got some
fire to put out.' He's walking
along pointing at things, still
moving fast, and Herb is
running along trying to catch
up and not knock over models.
Herb says, `Doug, this is the
young man I told you about
whose big dream it has been to
come out to California and
meet you.' Doug turns and he
goes, `Hey,' and he turns away
What do you like
least about your job?
"What I like least about
it are the overriding
economic concerns. It's
not like we should take
someone's money and go
off and spend it any way we like, without
regard to having to pay that money back.
There are legitimate concerns, but unfortu-
nately there seems to be a dearth of executive
and studio personnel who truly, truly under-
stand the filmmaking process, the actual cre-
ative end. Rather than admit they don't
necessarily know what's going on and look
like fools, they'd rather act like they know it
all and start making decisions, just to be seen
making decisions."--Patrick Read Johnson
What do you love most
about your job?
"What I like most is the opportunity to work
with a lot of incredibly talented people:
everybody from the camera team to the art
team, the costume designer, prop, makeup,
and visual effects people, and actors--really
talented actors. I have really had golden
opportunities, so far, to work with some
amazing actors: some who are Academy
Award winners and some who have never
acted a day in their life, and both have been
rewarding. Getting together with a whole
bunch of creative people and essentially
putting on a play is as much fun as I can
imagine."--Patrick Read Johnson
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
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