was truly mind-blowing . For an hour and a half , you are just taken away . It was one of those transformative experiences that I ’ ll always remember .”
A writer from Rolling Stone magazine interviewed MacGillivray during that initial screening , and said in her review that MacGillivray seemed like an algebra teacher .
“ I still seem like an algebra teacher ,” MacGillivray laughs . “ I was a math major in college , and Jim was pre-med . Our hobby was filmmaking . Actually , 90 % of our life was filmmaking , which is why the 12 years we spent together before Jim was killed [ in a helicopter crash in 1976 ] was such a seminal experience for me . We learned from each other and pushed each other every day .”
MacGillivray proudly notes that he and Freeman never got a loan to make their movies — and never borrowed from their parents either . They paid off their films before they showed them . MacGillivray ’ s advice to aspiring filmmakers : “ If you have a good idea and you believe in it , just follow your idea and don ’ t listen to other people . They are going to misguide you . That ’ s what Jim and I believed .”
Although Freeman died nearly 50 years ago , MacGillivray has honored his late partner by keeping the company ’ s name MacGillivray Freeman Films . MacGillivray has produced and directed more than 50 films ; nearly 40 of them are in the Imax format . And he initiated the development of three cameras for the Imax format : the high-speed ( slow-motion ) camera , the industry ’ s first lightweight camera , and the all-weather camera used during filming on Mount Everest .
LAGUNA LIFE Greg , his wife Barbara , and their two children are all involved with MacGillivray Freeman Films , which is still based in Laguna Beach . In fact , the couple have lived at the same home in Laguna for 50 years .
“ It ’ s a surf spot at Thalia Street ,” MacGillivray says . ” Barbara and I were walking down the beach after I had gone surfing , and saw a five-unit apartment building for sale . I talked to the owners and they were kind of desperate to sell , so I got a good price . We moved into the bottom unit closest to the ocean so I could run out and surf almost any time I wanted , and we rented out the other four units . The rent paid our mortgage . We totally lucked out .
“ It was also a great place to raise kids . Their buddies kept their surfboards at our house so every afternoon there would be 10 kids there . Barbara kept the refrigerator stocked with healthy drinks and food . Never a dull moment .”
And even in his late 70s , there is still never a dull moment for MacGillivray . He ’ s finishing a film project for an amusement park in Abu Dhabi as well as directing an Imax film on the cities of the future and another about the marvels of medicine . But does he still find time to surf ? “ Every once in a while ,” he admits . “ My body is not as supple as it used to be . I did so much athletic stuff as a kid that now I have a bad shoulder and bad knees . My pop-up on my surfboard is not a pop-up anymore — it ’ s like a crawl-up . But I still love the water — you ’ ll never get me out of the water .”
Surfing temporarily took a back seat to writing , so MacGillivray is happy that his book “ Five Hundred Summer Stories ” is about to be released . MacGillivray said instead of sitting down to write the stories that make up the book , he dictated the stories into his cell phone as he walked along the beach in Laguna .
“ It was a fun process . I really enjoyed it ,” he says .
The book highlights not only the making of “ Five Summer Stories ,” but his own stories of growing up in Newport Beach and spending time in Laguna Beach , the challenges he faced as a young filmmaker , and the increased challenges — and successes — of making Imax films .
The book contains anecdotes and insights into his career plus myriad photos , along with 40 QR codes that , when scanned , take readers to additional neverbefore-seen footage that highlight the stories MacGillivray is sharing .
“ Hopefully when people come to a QR code , it fits into the storytelling and you get the feeling of being there ,” MacGillivray says . “ I think it will add a lot to the overall enjoyment of the book .” g
Top two photos : pages from the “ Five Hundred Summer Stories : A Life in Imax ” book including Billy Hamilton surfing in 1966 ( middle ); bottom : Bay Theatre in San Pedro , where “ Five Summer Stories ” was shown in the 1970s
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To find out more about MacGillivray Freeman Films , visit macgillivrayfreeman . com . For more information on the movie “ Five Summer Stories ” and to watch a trailer , go online to fivesummerstories . com .
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