Star Trek: Axanar

Thank you for taking the time to speak to Mr. Peters and clearing up misinformation about the project.

 

...that's the feeling i get. i'm sure there is much he wants to keep under wraps for now...

I particulaly like the USS Geronimo, it's on my desktop

 

No. You're just mistaken.

You're giving too much credence to the doofus who posts on Facebook with the extravagant claims about inside sources and CBS' plans - which is to say, any credence at all.

 

Perhaps, but a deal with CBS is not one of those things.

 

this place should be called: SnarkTrekBBS!

 

Wow, now that is a thread slightly derailed. Nick is right, it was never and is not planned to pitch Axanar to CBS. Alec has repeatedly stated so - and that he does not consider any of the other pitches to be successful. The only production that is really going to try to pitch it is Renegades, but unfortunately, I think the odds are very slim - for all the reasons that have been brought up in this thread.

Aside from that, there are no big secrets about Axanar - if you follow the Facebook news, they are really very open with news and what is happening. Also make sure to listen to the regular podcasts (15 by now) where you get some really good information, right from the source.

Latest one is here: http://www.trek.fm/axp/15

 

Look, it ain't a series pilot. End of discussion.

Can we talk about anything else related to the project than now-debunked wishful thinking?

Honestly, one thing I did like about Prelude is that by using the documentary approach it just felt fresh. That the film will apparently be a more conventional dramatic narrative makes me wonder what else they'll do to give it a distinct identity.

 

Hi Tobias,

Thank you for clearing that up...

Your work on AXANAR is fantastic! Your models are BEAUTIFUL! I haven't been so impressed with the ships since TMP! =D

Do you animate the battles and the camera, too... or does someone else do that?

Are they using your models in the video game mod, or do they get re-done?

I am a huge fan, and i can't WAIT to see more!

Keep up the great work!

 

Good question. I admit I was under the impression that Axanar was going to take the documentary approach, which was one of the reasons I liked Prelude to Axanar. Now I'm really curious as to what they'll do to make it engaging.

 

Thank you! I did all the animation for the ship sequences. Sometimes it´s just the camera moving, like in the old times with practical models, sometimes the models move.

The models of the game mod are based on our models, but of course they reworked them to be low-poly.

 

About ten pages back Bixby began a discussion about the type of lighting that would be used on the set.

I have been watching a lot of 60's era movies and a few TOS shows, and the bright lighting had two flaws:

1)Heat which led to sweat being visible on the principles face during close ups
2)Lots of shadows

Obviously I would think that modern technology would allow for bright lighting and remove the heat and shadow issues, but I still find that kind of lighting unappealing.

The other side of the spectrum is what was found on Enterprise, lots of shadows and dark corners.

If I had to pick a lighting scheme, I would pick the sort of florescent glow that was common on TNG. It was very neutral, perhaps even boring, but it made the action very visible in corridor shots, and the low level "mood lighting" used in scenes taking place in personal quarters was clean and yet still allowed everything to be visible.

 

Is there a block of time assigned for principal photography?

 

I don't know. I do know Alec posted a link on the Axanar Fan Group Facebook page to a photo of the warehouse he procured for where principal photography will take place in Valencia so, there's that. Seems like they've got a great facility at their disposal.

 

Trouble with warehouses as soundstages is they're not soundproofed, so you can end up wasting a lot of time or having good takes ruined by outside noise. We had perfectly good takes in Polaris ruined by trucks driving by.

 

...or rain on the roof of the old Phase 2 studio LOL. Luckily some good ADR will save you from that, still annoying though.

Always fun to have some one on the crew strolling on the set whistling while filming is in progress, only to have the whole crew look at him and unilaterally yell him to shut the hell up. There is always a few incidents like that in every production. LOL

 

ADR should be a last resort, and sadly most fanfilms have a track record of uneven and inconsistent audio.

 

NICE! that's what i was thinking... the klingon ship over the city looks like a static shot, no?

the star fields / nebula / etc. in your ship renders look like they might be from the game?

Do you program your own system or do you use a commercial package?

Do you think the A.I. from the game could be used to control the ships in your battles some how?

...sorry to geek-out on you! I just LOVE Axanar!

 

Set construction will begin in february, so right now principal photography is scheduled around may, but that might still change. All info from the Podcast!

As far as I know the soundstage is in a rather remote area, so very little traffic and little ambient noise (hopefully). Rain shouldn´t be much of a problem in southern california...

All ship shots in Axanar were full 3D.
Nebulas were done by Ali Ries. I don´t know if they will be using them in the mod, but I doubt it.
We use Maya as 3D program and Fusion for Compositing.
No, we won´t use any AI from the mod for animation. There is really no point in doing that - it´s much quicker doing that by hand - and you have much more control.

 

Tobias,

Thank you so much for engaging us fans here at TrekBBS, and for representing Axanar in Alec's unfortunate absence (they should give him another chance, IMHO...)

...and thank you for the continuing info! =)

I've seen the bridge design..., are the other interiors for the ship designed? Engineering Section? Sean still full-steam on the drawing board?

Interesting... So is it kinda like digital "stop-motion"? all motion is step-based? no logic? do you just drop & drag a "trail"?

Also, I really like the ship-lighting they've applied in the game shots, with the windows, running lights, flood light from bridge area, phasers...

looking forward to seeing those klingon ships lit-up by photon torpedos!!

 

I had a chance to listen to Axanar podcast #15 last night. They've signed a three year lease on the space, plan to convert to the space into a studio ASAP. Apparently the same team that converted a warehouse into a studio for Babylon 5 is doing that work, but don't quote me on that.

They hope to build sets in March/April and film in May. Delays will probably be inevitable but it looks like they are making excellent progress.

Edit: Here is a link to the podcast: http://www.trek.fm/axp/15