Project: Potemkin, a Star Trek Fan Film

[Melonpool]

Did you try putting Gorilla Tape on the back side of the panels? That's what I do in situations like this, and it keeps the light from coming though from the back. You can even double-layer it if you need to -- and you don;t have to worry about it not accepting paint.

[Potemkin_Prod]

Melonpool wrote:

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Did you try putting Gorilla Tape on the back side of the panels? That's what I do in situations like this, and it keeps the light from coming though from the back. You can even double-layer it if you need to -- and you don;t have to worry about it not accepting paint.

In fact, we did after we put the Gorilla Tape on the front. We put one or two layers on the back, as needed to block the light from shining through.

[Melonpool]

How was your weekend? I saw in an earlier post that you had a very ambitious schedule set put for yourselves -- I know how everything always takes longer than you think it will -- That's why I'm renaming my ship the USS Murphy's Law.

[Potemkin_Prod]

LOL -- Well, the weather has been quite rainy here, and so we're behind, of course. We knew that would be the case. We've got one turbolift built, lit, and ready to hang the doors this evening.

Not sure what I'll do tonight, but we're about four days behind on our dream schedule. I've had to do the work myself lately because of vacations for my associates (no rest for the wearied exec, I'm afraid). The boys helped out a bit Sunday and Monday evenings, allowing me to get the dummy lift partitions assembled. The plans on how to assemble them changed four times during implementation (grrrrrrr). The electrician bailed because of all the storms (can't blame him there), and will be here tomorrow.

We're going to do the viewscreen next.

[Melonpool]

Sounds like we're both making progress. I've started bolting the odds and ends I've been saving to the walls as texture, then I'll be able to prime and paint soon. Still haven't figured out the base for the helm and nav stations yet... soon, though! I think the next time I work will be spent on that and the captain's chair.

I was delayed by the exact opposite problem out here this weekend -- 108 degree heat! I ended up working from about 8 am to 11 am, then again from 6 pm to 8 pm. Every second counts, I guess!

[Potemkin_Prod]

With my job, I work until 6pm daily, and then get started on the set around 745pm. It's usually only 90 when I start, but the humidity's always around 67%, so it feels horrible. Last night, I worked until 10pm, then I restarted around midnight and worked until 2am. It's a lot cooler then. Fortunately, I set my own hours at Fast Copy, so I don't have to be in until I want to.

On your nav stand, have you thought of just a simple tube for a base? We used that on the Klingon console that Lt. Korg uses (although no one could probably see it).

[Melonpool]

The biggest thing about the puppet is making sure it's not incredibly top heavy (since the puppeteer can easily knock it over from below. My main concern with the stand isn't the way the base on camera looks as much as having a base that has enough bottom to keep it from toppling over. The drawback is that it also has to be portable since it stands directly on a concrete floor -- making it impossible to secure it in place.

I think I have a design in mind now -- but until I build it, I have no idea if it'll work. Oh well. Hasn't stopped me, so far!

[Potemkin_Prod]

With our console design, we were faced with the same concern: they looked to be top heavy. Fortunately, I had opted to use 2x12's for the base. It made it extremely stable, and they don't even rock at all.

Tonight, I was hoping to do two things: hang those silly "dummy" turbolift doors, and then work on the captain's chair. Hanging those doors turned out to be one of the most trying experiences we've undertaken. Fortunately, the "working" turbolift doors will be easier now that we've figured out the process.

Now I need some plywood... *sigh* It's always the most expensive thing to purchase...

[Potemkin_Prod]

We will add diamond-cut acrylic light screens to defuse the rope lights, edge those screens with some L-shaped molding, put another cross piece over the foyer, and stick one of those click-on click-off round lamps in the ceiling of the foyer. Then we'll turn it over to the set decorator for cool doodads and stuff.

[Data Holmes]

Nice...

[Melonpool]

It looks great! I would think that you could "cheat" the dummy turbo lift for the real one if necessary by having the actors walk toward the dummy doors in a long shot, then switching angles to a close up of the working one for them to leave the Bridge. Might work if you need it for a storyline.

You know what I was thinking about doing with those click-on click-off lights to not have to deal with the batteries? I'm planning to take off the backs, and just take the lens and the front facing and glue it over a hole in the wall board that's the same size as the lens. That way, I can just put a shop light behind the panel and light both the elevator (well, in my case, the corridor) and the lamp up top with the same bulb.

Of course, I'm planning on using the super cheap "touch lights," and this might not work for you guys, but I'm so leery of batteries, it's worth pursuing.

[Potemkin_Prod]

Data Holmes wrote:

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Nice...

Thanks. We're getting there!

Melonpool wrote:

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It looks great! I would think that you could "cheat" the dummy turbo lift for the real one if necessary by having the actors walk toward the dummy doors in a long shot, then switching angles to a close up of the working one for them to leave the Bridge. Might work if you need it for a storyline.

On the same page, man. On the same page. The doors actually do slide. It's just that there's no room out the back for a platform (just a triangular clearance of about a foot and a half. We can actually pan by the doors, open the doors off camera, have the actor step out and close them off camera, and he'll appear as though he's stepped out of the turbolift.

Melonpool wrote:

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You know what I was thinking about doing with those click-on click-off lights to not have to deal with the batteries? I'm planning to take off the backs, and just take the lens and the front facing and glue it over a hole in the wall board that's the same size as the lens. That way, I can just put a shop light behind the panel and light both the elevator (well, in my case, the corridor) and the lamp up top with the same bulb. Of course, I'm planning on using the super cheap "touch lights," and this might not work for you guys, but I'm so leery of batteries, it's worth pursuing.

I'm going to put my trust into some batteries, just because the devices are powered that way.

[Data Holmes]

Potemkin_Prod wrote:

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Thanks. We're getting there!

Indeed.

On the same page, man. On the same page. The doors actually do slide. It's just that there's no room out the back for a platform (just a triangular clearance of about a foot and a half. We can actually pan by the doors, open the doors off camera, have the actor step out and close them off camera, and he'll appear as though he's stepped out of the turbolift.

If your effects/editing set up can handle it, you could always green screen it.

Place a green screen behind the doors, that way you can "insert" a full sized turbo lift behind the doors as they open as the crew walks up, or to have a partial open door showing "battle damaged turbo" or even a liftless tube, depending on what the story would require. Then, just before the cast walks into the screen, you cut to a inside out shot. Then you film the crew entering your turbolift set with a green screen behind them hiding the bridge. Then shoot a "insert" with the camera from the other side to insert behind the actors showing proper bridge placement/action.

It adds more work to do in post production and takes a little more time to film said shots because of on set requirements, but it also adds a level of versatility for story telling


As an aside, have you given any thought to placing a "tix clock" anywhere on/in your sets?

They are great and are an example of what those things in the R-Refit corridors just might be:

Tix Clock - http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/moms/7437/

During TSFS destruct sequence: http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/a...tsfshd1244.jpg

[Potemkin_Prod]

Definitely will do the green screen thing as needed.

The Tix Clock is cool. Don't have any corridors in this episode, but will keep that box in mind for other things as well!

The main thing we're going to avoid is the red digital clocks all over the bridge.

[Maurice]

Data Holmes wrote:

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As an aside, have you given any thought to placing a "tix clock" anywhere on/in your sets?

They are great and are an example of what those things in the R-Refit corridors just might be:

Tix Clock - http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/moms/7437/

During TSFS destruct sequence: http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/a...tsfshd1244.jpg

We used a TIX clock (modified) on the Starship Polaris set. They look cool, but they're an expensive solution for just a few blinky lights.