Bruce Logan, a respected director of photography and cinematographer who worked on classic films including Star Wars: A New Hope, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Tron, has died. He was 78. Logan passed away unexpectedly earlier this month.
At the age of 19, having worked as an animator for the BBC, Logan scored a job on 2001: A Space Odyssey, working on special photographic effects.
Afterwards, he moved to the U.S. and started working as a cinematographer. He worked on Saturation70, a fascinating sci-fi project that starred Gram Parsons, shortly after he left The Byrds that was directed by Anthony Foutz and shot across Joshua Tree and LA.
In 1976, he was hired to head the second unit special effects photography on Star Wars: A New Hope. It’s understand that at the time, the effects team was trying to choreograph the final aerial dogfight using puppetry, with X-fighters on sticks but it wasn’t working. Logan then started shooting explosions to comp into the sequence and later said that his “biggest claim to fame is… I blew up the Death Star”.
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Other credits include Airplane!, Avalance Express and Batman Forever. He was director of photography on Idaho Transfer, the Peter Fonda-directed time machine thriller, and cinematographer on Tron. He also directed second unit on Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
He also shot a number of music videos including Borderline, the second video for Madonna, as well as those for Prince and Rod Stewart.
Logan’s daughter, Mary Grace Logan, paid tribute to her father, on social media. “Before CGI ruled the screen, there were visionaires who lit the future by hand. From 2001: A Space Odyssey to Tron, my dad didn’t just work on movies – he made magic. A rebel with a camera, a pioneer with story, and my personal hero,” she wrote.
“He was the kind of larger-than-life character in the industry who doesn’t really exist anymore. He also built and raced cars, and was an incredibly lovely, warm-hearted, gentle, and soulful man,” added Chris Campion, who wrote Saturation 70: A Vision Past of the Future Foretold.
The post Bruce Logan Dies: VFX Legend Who “Blew Up The Death Star” & Worked On ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Was 78 appeared first on Deadline.
