FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek ...

[Ptrope]

...Watches You!

In the height of the Cold War, the U.S.S.R. wanted nothing more than to dominate the 'space race,' and they were doing a good job of it! So then, what if they also wanted to dominate the 'space race' on television, producing science fiction action/adventure shows to dazzle their citizens - and the rest of the world - and show the promising futures that only Mother Russia could offer? What if the 'Great Bear of the Galaxy' created 'Star Trek' to entertain the people with tales of Communist science, exploration and innovation - not to mention the requisite heroism and glory?

That was the challenge this new year offered, and now we have the visions of that promise, ready for you, the people, to vote. The winner represents the honor of us all, and he or she will challenge us to another month of artistic glory.

For Star Trek! Vote!

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Klaus



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Ptrope



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Solarbaby



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The Lensman (1)



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The Lensman (2)



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(voting ends 2/4)

 

[Ptrope]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Congratulations, The Lensman! Well done (and the one I voted for ).

Thanks, everyone - for entering and for voting! Some great interpretations of an odd challenge .

 

[Redfern]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

I selected the Lensman's first entry because it looked like something we might have encountered as kids, a movie awkwardly dubbed from the original Russian, with all references to the Soviet Union clipped, similar to say, "First Spaceship on Venus". The almost twilight colors of the stellar background along with the toroid space station remind of the Japanese/Italian co-production "Green Slime".

Still, I'm glad the Lensman won because he really captured the motif in both images.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Same thoughts here. Does look like the Italian Gamma series space station, and even the Battle in Outer Space space station.

 

[BK613]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Congrats Lensman

 

[Kaiser]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Congrats Comrade Lensman

 

[The Lensman]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Thanks everyone!

I selected the Lensman's first entry because it looked like something we might have encountered as kids, a movie awkwardly dubbed from the original Russian, with all references to the Soviet Union clipped, similar to say, "First Spaceship on Venus". The almost twilight colors of the stellar background along with the toroid space station remind of the Japanese/Italian co-production "Green Slime".

Still, I'm glad the Lensman won because he really captured the motif in both images.

Sincerely,

Bill

Glad you liked them! As for that image, yep, that was exactly the vibe I was going for. While I spent more time on the poster (to my surprise), the screenshot is probably my favorite of the two. The space station is an old Chesly Bonestell influenced model that I recolored. The station in "Green Slime" looks to be Bonestell inspired, and I got a kick out of you and Potempkin Prod. mentioning "The Green Slime", since I just got that movie for Christmas and that inspired me to do a fake screenshot in the vein of one of those old movies where space was blue and the models were obviously models, but didn't feel out of place because that's just the way that world looked.

Potempkin Prod, it's funny that you mentioned "Battle For Outer Space" because while I was looking for movies that fit this vibe, that one came up and I downloaded a couple of images for it, most notably the station in the opening. I'm currently trying to get a copy of that move just because it looks awesome.

Funnily enough, a Communism group on DA is asking to use this particular image, I'm guessing because of the synopsis detailing the fictional movie, which is surprising because the poster extolls the virtues of Communism and the Soviets.

At any rate, thanks again to everyone and I'll have the new challenge up tonight.

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Lensman, it's a wonderful film. Just don't sit there and think about antigravity being caused by absolute zero.

Have fun with the Communists!

 

[The Lensman]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Lensman, it's a wonderful film. Just don't sit there and think about antigravity being caused by absolute zero.

Have fun with the Communists!

Wait, antigravity *isn't* caused by absolute zero?!

Yeah, it looks awesome! I was really impressed with the station screenshot I found. The Earth in that one was far more impressive than I would've thought, and the station is pure 60's Japanese pop futurism. The lighting and compositing was much more impressive than "Green Slime". I'd kill if someone could make movies in this style or do a web series.

I've been toying with the idea of making a "Klingon" style cruiser to go with the Gagarin. At this stage I think of this film as being contained to the Solar System and picture the "Klingons" as the last vestiges of the capitalists. Oddly enough while typing this, I realized that "Klingons = Cling on's" works eerily perfectly.

As for the Communist group, I'm still trying to decide to approve the image use or not.

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

If they use it, expect to be monitored by Federal agencies.

 

[Redfern]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Glad to know I "got" what you intended.

Concerning "Green Slime", I first saw that flick around 1976, making me 13 years old. I spent the night at my friend Sam's house and we stayed up late to catch the film. What did I expect? Well, the famous lobby poster depicted that kaiju sized Lovecraftian horror all but engulfing the space station. Now, in my youth I was easily frightened by films generally. Another friend of mine, Kyle, had a knack for describing films that made me conjure horrific images. The way he recounted scenes from "Willy Wonka" (Augustus getting caught in the pipe, Charlie floating towards the ventilation fans, Varuka falling down the waste chute) had me imagining images worthy of the "Saw" films! But when I saw the final evolution of the "Green Slime" creatures, 4 foot tall costumes worn by "little" performers, even I burst out laughing! By the closing credits, I wanted to chuck a shoe a the TV because the film never delivered a creature large enough to entwine the station. (Plus, we never got to see the nurse in her "second skin" spacesuit also depicted in the poster.

But the thing that stuck most with me was a scene involving the pressurization of a hangar deck. A crewed spacecraft we are to believe is maybe 200 feet long returns from a expedition to explode an asteroid threatening the Earth with collision. It enters a cavernous chamber about the size of the "vehicle assembly building" at Cape Canaveral . The hatch seals and an order is given to pressurize. A thermometer looking gauge climbs to the top in 2, maybe 3 seconds! My jaw just dropped! Even as a kid I thought, "No way!" But, to demonstrate my hypocrisy, I could forgive Star Trek for doing the same thing with the shuttle-bay. Hey, I was a kid.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[The Lensman]

Re: FINAL POLL - January 2015 Challenge - In Soviet Russia, Star Trek

Glad to know I "got" what you intended.

I'm glad there were a few folks out there that liked it! While I came to like that piece more of the two, I realized, especially with the "American International" logo, that you'd have to be a certain age not just to really appreciate it, but just to get it. I'm surprised there wasn't a request or two for that image without the logo, but the image just didn't work for me without it, despite knowing it was hurting that images ability to get votes. I do wonder how it would've fared sans logo. I think I'll post it up in my thread for this challenge to see if there's any preference.

Concerning "Green Slime", I first saw that flick around 1976, making me 13 years old. I spent the night at my friend Sam's house and we stayed up late to catch the film. What did I expect? Well, the famous lobby poster depicted that kaiju sized Lovecraftian horror all but engulfing the space station. Now, in my youth I was easily frightened by films generally. Another friend of mine, Kyle, had a knack for describing films that made me conjure horrific images. The way he recounted scenes from "Willy Wonka" (Augustus getting caught in the pipe, Charlie floating towards the ventilation fans, Varuka falling down the waste chute) had me imagining images worthy of the "Saw" films! But when I saw the final evolution of the "Green Slime" creatures, 4 foot tall costumes worn by "little" performers, even I burst out laughing! By the closing credits, I wanted to chuck a shoe a the TV because the film never delivered a creature large enough to entwine the station. (Plus, we never got to see the nurse in her "second skin" spacesuit also depicted in the poster.

But the thing that stuck most with me was a scene involving the pressurization of a hangar deck. A crewed spacecraft we are to believe is maybe 200 feet long returns from a expedition to explode an asteroid threatening the Earth with collision. It enters a cavernous chamber about the size of the "vehicle assembly building" at Cape Canaveral . The hatch seals and an order is given to pressurize. A thermometer looking gauge climbs to the top in 2, maybe 3 seconds! My jaw just dropped! Even as a kid I thought, "No way!" But, to demonstrate my hypocrisy, I could forgive Star Trek for doing the same thing with the shuttle-bay. Hey, I was a kid.

Sincerely,

Bill

That was awesome! Thanks for sharing. For myself, I don't recall when I saw the movie first. Sometime in the late '70's, IIRC, one of the local stations did the whole "Sci-fi Friday and Saturday nights" and I caught a lot of good stuff from that. Lot of Godzilla, as well as other Japanese stuff like "Attack Of The Mushroom People" in addition to low grade American stuff. I had a VERY active imagination as a kid and could totally buy into what I was watching. I can reasonably say that I probably thought these creatures were scary as a kid.

When you watch stuff like "Green Slime" or the Godzilla films....yeah, you could tell the models were, not just models, but toy sized too....but I would still buy into it whole heartedly as that's just the way that world looked.
Even being a grown up, I can still watch movies like that and not be thrown by the FX, or the fact that the alien planet is on a sound stage. Now it works for me from a stylistic approach and I'm not pulled out of the story. Again, I'd love it if someone did a web series that captured that flavor.