Con Pederson, one of four special effects supervisors on “2001: A Space Odyssey,” died Friday at the MPTF mansion in Woodland Hills from complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 91 years old.
Pederson became famous in the field of science fiction filmmaking, especially thanks to his involvement in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Along with three other special effects supervisors, including Douglas Trumbull, Wally Vevers, and Tom Howard, Pederson’s work led the director to win the 1969 Oscar for Best Visual Effects. On set, Pederson conducted “The War.” Here, VFX shots were planned, scheduled, tracked, and evaluated. For each shot, eight to ten elements were added to the original camera negative, a complex process that took several months.
In Michael Benson’s 2018 book A Space Odyssey, the author quotes Trumbull as saying, “The film’s post-production process was epic in its complexity, and Conn was the smartest man in the room.” He added, “‘2001’ would never have happened without Con.”
After working on this film, Pederson co-founded the pioneering computer animation company Robert Abel and Associates, where he worked as an animator and programmer alongside Bob Abel. After the company closed, he continued to serve as creative lead at Metrolight Studios alongside Tim McGovern.
“Conn has always been a source of wisdom and knowledge,” said John Nelson, who met Pederson during their time at Robert Abel & Associates. “He was a Renaissance man who was both an artist and a technician. He could create animations by hand and write computer programs to generate animations. Several of the guys at Robert Abel won Oscars for visual effects, and I was lucky to be one of them.”
Before beginning his career in the film industry, Pederson attended UCLA, where he majored in art and anthropology. While in school, Pederson produced a student film before being hired by Disney. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army and worked on a rocket project with Wernher von Braun. Pederson went on to work for Graphic Film, where he wrote and directed the 1964 World’s Fair film “To the Moon and Beyond.” Kubrick saw the film and hired Pederson to produce 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Outside of work, he creates crossword puzzles that have been published in the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, and Washington Post. He also loved science fiction, hiking, sailing, and building things with bricks from around the country.
Pederson is survived by his wife Carol, son Eric, stepsons Tracy and Morgan, and grandchildren Alex and Vivi.
