Arthur C. Clarke in media
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In his lifetime
Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...
participated in film, television, radio and other media in a number of different ways. (Note: ''in media'', in this article, does not include his published writings.)


In film


Screenplay author

Clarke is most famously known as co-author, along with
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
, of the screenplay for the film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968), widely considered to be one of the most influential films of all time.


''2001: A Space Odyssey''

Clarke's venture into film was the Stanley Kubrick directed '' 2001: A Space Odyssey''. Kubrick and Clarke had met in New York City in 1964 to discuss the possibility of a collaborative film project. As the idea developed, they decided to loosely base the story on Clarke's short story, '' The Sentinel'', written in 1948. Originally, Clarke was going to write the screenplay for the film, but Kubrick suggested during one of their
brainstorming Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. In other words, brainstorming is a situation where a grou ...
meetings that before beginning on the actual script, they should let their imaginations soar free by writing a novel first, on which they would base the film. (See: 2001: A Space Odyssey.) "This is more or less the way it worked out, though toward the end, novel and screenplay were being written simultaneously, with feedback in both directions. Thus I rewrote some sections after seeing the movie rushes—a rather expensive method of literary creation, which few other authors can have enjoyed." The novel ended up being published a few months after the release of the movie. Due to the hectic schedule of the film's production, Kubrick and Clarke had difficulty collaborating on the book. Clarke completed a draft of the novel at the end of 1964 with the plan to publish in 1965 in advance of the film's release in 1966. After many delays the film was released in the spring of 1968, before the book was completed. The book was credited to Clarke alone. Clarke later complained that this had the effect of making the book into a novelisation, that Kubrick had manipulated circumstances to downplay Clarke's authorship. For these and other reasons, the details of the story differ slightly from the book to the movie. The film contains little explanation for the events taking place. Clarke, on the other hand, wrote thorough explanations of "cause and effect" for the events in the novel. James Randi later recounted that upon seeing the premiere of ''2001'' for the first time, Clarke left the theatre in tears, at the intermission, after having watched an eleven-minute scene (which did not make it into general release) where an astronaut is doing nothing more than jogging inside the spaceship, which was Kubrick's idea of showing the audience how boring space travels could be. Clarke shared a 1969 Academy Award nomination with
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
in the category Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen for '' 2001: A Space Odyssey''. In 1972, Clarke published ''The Lost Worlds of 2001'', which included his accounts of the production, and alternate versions, of key scenes. The "special edition" of the novel ''
A Space Odyssey ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' is a 1968 science fiction novel written by Arthur C. Clarke and the 1968 film directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is a part of Clarke's ''Space Odyssey'' series, the first of four novels and two films. Both the nov ...
'' (released in 1999) contains an introduction by Clarke in which he documents the events leading to the release of the novel and film.


''2010: The Year We Make Contact''

In 1982 Clarke continued the ''2001'' epic with a sequel, '' 2010: Odyssey Two''. This novel was also made into a film, ''
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
'', directed by Peter Hyams for release in 1984. Because of the political environment in America in the 1980s, the film presents a
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
theme, with the looming tensions of nuclear warfare not featured in the novel. The film was not considered to be as revolutionary or artistic as ''2001'', but the reviews were still positive. Clarke's email correspondence with Hyams was published in 1984. Titled ''The Odyssey File: The Making of 2010'', and co-authored with Hyams, it illustrates his fascination with the then-pioneering medium of email and its use for them to communicate on an almost daily basis at the time of planning and production of the film while living on opposite sides of the world. The book also included Clarke's personal list of the best science-fiction films ever made. Clarke also appeared in the film himself (see below).


''Rendezvous with Rama''

Clarke's award-winning novel '' Rendezvous with Rama'' (1972) was optioned for filmmaking decades ago, but this motion picture is in "
development hell Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between different crews, scripts, game engi ...
" as of 2012. In the early 2000s, the actor
Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...
expressed his desire to produce a movie based on ''Rendezvous with Rama''. After a drawn-out development process – which Freeman attributed to difficulties in getting financing – it appeared that in 2003 this project might be proceeding, but this is very dubious. The film was to be produced by Freeman's production company,
Revelations Entertainment Revelations Entertainment is an independent movie production company founded by actor Morgan Freeman and business partner Lori McCreary in 1996. Its mission statement, to "reveal truth," drives to company produce thought-provoking entertainment ...
, and
David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...
has been touted on Revelations' ''Rama'' web page as far back as 2001 as the film's director. After years of no progress, Fincher stated in an interview in late 2007 (in which he also credited the novel as being influential on the films ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' and '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'') that he is still attached to helm. Revelations indicated that Stel Pavlou had written the adaptation. In late 2008, Fincher stated the movie is unlikely to be made. "It looks like it's not going to happen. There's no script and as you know, Morgan Freeman's not in the best of health right now. We've been trying to do it but it's probably not going to happen." However, in 2010 it was announced that the film was still planned for future production and both Freeman and Fincher mentioned it as still needing a worthy script.


Other

The 1998 film '' Deep Impact'' originated as a joint adaptation of Clarke's 1993 novel '' The Hammer of God'' and remake of the 1951 film ''
When Worlds Collide ''When Worlds Collide'' is a 1933 science fiction novel co-written by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie; they also co-authored the sequel ''After Worlds Collide'' (1934). It was first published as a six-part monthly serial (September 1932 through Fe ...
'', and the project was originally acknowledged as such, although the finished film did not acknowledge any of its sources as it was judged as being different enough to not require it.


Appearances

Clarke appeared in ''2010'', first as the man feeding the pigeons while Dr. Heywood Floyd is engaged in a conversation in front of the White House. Later, in the hospital scene with David Bowman's mother, an image of the cover of '' Time'' portrays Clarke as the American President and Kubrick as the Soviet Premier. In 1994, Clarke appeared in a science fiction film; he portrayed himself in the telefilm '' Without Warning'', an American production about an apocalyptic alien first contact scenario presented in the form of a faux newscast.


In television


Series host

In the 1980s Clarke became well known to many for his television programmes investigating paranormal phenomena ''
Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World ''Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World'' is a thirteen-part British television series looking at unexplained phenomena from around the world. It was produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network and first broadcast on 6 September 1980. ...
'' (1980), ''
Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers ''Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers'' is a thirteen-part British television series looking at strange worlds of the paranormal. It was produced by ITV Yorkshire, Yorkshire Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV network and first broad ...
'' (1985) and ''
Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe ''Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe'' is a popular 26-part television series looking at unexplained phenomena across the universe. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom by independent television network Discovery Channel. It premiered ...
'' (1994), enough to be parodied in an episode of '' The Goodies'' in which his show is cancelled after it is claimed he does not exist.


TV commentator

Following the 1968 release of ''2001'', Clarke became much in demand as a commentator on science and technology, especially at the time of the Apollo space program. The fame of ''2001'' was enough to get the Command Module of the
Apollo 13 Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted aft ...
craft named "Odyssey". In 1988, Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke and
Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...
were interviewed in ''
God, the Universe and Everything Else ''God, the Universe and Everything Else'' is a 1988 documentary featuring Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan, and moderated by Magnus Magnusson. They discuss the Big Bang theory, God and the possibility of extraterrestrial life E ...
''. They discuss the
Big Bang theory The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
, God and the possibility of
extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...
.


Television adaptations

The first of Clarke's works to be adapted for television was "All The Time In The World" which he adapted himself as an episode of the American '' Tales of Tomorrow'' series in 1952. Clarke's short story "
The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
" was adapted for television in 1985 as a segment of the revival of '' The Twilight Zone''. Clarke's short story "
Breaking Strain "Breaking Strain", also known as "Thirty Seconds - Thirty Days", is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1949. It was adapted into a movie in 1994 under the title ''Trapped in Space''. Plot ...
" was adapted as the 1995 TV movie ''Trapped In Space''. The 2002 ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
'' episode "
Godfellas "Godfellas" is the 20th episode in the third season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 17, 2002. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Su ...
" was partially inspired by Clarke's short story "
The Nine Billion Names of God "The Nine Billion Names of God" is a 1953 science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. The story was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories ...
".Cook, Lucius (April 26, 2004)
Hey Sexy Mama, Wanna Kill All Humans?: Looking Backwards at Futurama, The Greatest SF Show You've Never Seen
'' Locus Online''. Retrieved on July 2, 2007
In 2013, the SyFy Channel announced they were producing a six-hour miniseries of Clarke's novel '' Childhood's End'', which aired in 2015.


In radio

In a 1974 taped interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the interviewer asked Clarke how he believed the computer would change the future for the everyday person, and what life would be like around the year 2001. Clarke accurately predicted many things that became reality—including online banking, online shopping, and other now commonplace things. Responding to a question about how the interviewer's son's life would be different, Clark responded: " will have, in his own house, not a computer as big as this, oints to nearby computer but at least, a console through which he can talk, through his local computer and get all the information he needs, for his everyday life, like his bank statements, his theater reservations, all the information you need in the course of living in our complex modern society, this will be in a compact form in his own house ... and he will take it as much for granted as we take the telephone." BBC Radio adaptations of Clarke's novels '' Childhood's End'' and '' Rendezvous With Rama'' were produced in 1997 and 2009 respectively.


In video

In September 2007, he provided a video greeting for NASA's Cassini probe's flyby of
Iapetus In Greek mythology, Iapetus (; ; grc, Ἰαπετός, Iapetós), also Japetus, is a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. He was also called the father of Buphagus and Anchiale in other ...
(which plays an important role in '' 2001: A Space Odyssey''). In December 2007 on his 90th birthday, Clarke recorded a video message to his friends and fans bidding them good-bye.


In music

In 1994 Mike Oldfield recorded an album called ''
The Songs of Distant Earth ''The Songs of Distant Earth'' is a 1986 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, based upon his 1958 short story of the same title. He stated that it was his favourite of all his novels. Clarke also wrote a short step ...
'', based on Clarke's novel of the same name.


In games

In 1984 a text adventure computer game with pictures, based on Clarke's 1973 novel Rendezvous with Rama, was made by Trillium (later known as Telarium). Despite its primitive graphics, it had highly detailed descriptions, and it followed the book very closely along with having puzzles to solve during the game.http://mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getgame=rama-alt2 Rendezvous with Rama @ The Museum of Computer Adventure Games In 1996 '' Rama'' was created, a point and click adventure game in the style of '' Myst'', by Sierra Entertainment. Along with highly detailed graphics, Arthur C. Clarke also appeared in the game as the guide for the player. This game featured characters from the sequel book '' Rama II''. The main
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the ''
Dead Space ''Dead Space'' is a science fiction/horror fiction, horror media franchise created by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, developed by Visceral Games, and published and owned by Electronic Arts. The franchise's chronology is not presented in a lin ...
'' series of video games, Isaac Clarke, takes his surname from Arthur C. Clarke, and his
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
from Clarke's friendly rival and associate,
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
.


References


External links

*
Sir Arthur C Clarke: 90th Birthday Reflections
* {{Arthur C. Clarke Media