TOS ‘Cheesy’ Special Effects

[Spock's Barber]

Shatner labeled TOS Special Effects/Post Production (Not Remastered) as ‘cheesy’ in one of his books. Compared to today’s state of the art CGI, they do show some limitations. However, for the years TOS was produced and the budget constraints imposed, I am still impressed by the magic that was achieved. Your thoughts?

 

[Methuselah Flint]

Certainly the Enterprise/space shots are masterful for their time, IMO.

Only one really struck me - when Scott gets the Constellation moving again, that shot of it chugging along is a little "cheesy", I suppose. But generally I have no problems.

What, IMO, is more cheesy is some of the costumes/wigs.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Only one really struck me - when Scott gets the Constellation moving again, that shot of it chugging along is a little "cheesy", I suppose. But generally I have no problems.

Oh, yes. You mean this shot of the same cheap AMT Enterprise model that I had in my room as a kid.

 

[1001001]

There have certainly been incredible advances in f/x over the last 50+ years.

I look at it the same way I look at automobiles. No one drives a Model T anymore, but that doesn’t mean it was a bad car. For its time, it was top of the line.

 

[M'Sharak]

Shatner labeled TOS Special Effects/Post Production (Not Remastered) as ‘cheesy’ in one of his books. Compared to today’s state of the art CGI, they do show some limitations. However, for the years TOS was produced and the budget constraints imposed, I am still impressed by the magic that was achieved. Your thoughts?

If Shatner can sell books by badmouthing special effects which were, for that time and industry, 1) state-of-the-art, 2) often quite costly to produce, and 3) helping to butter his TV-star bread pretty handsomely, then more power to him.

It's not a book I'm particularly interested in reading, though.

 

[oldtrekkie]

If the Sf are cheesy then the plots are gruyere... you know, full of holes...

 

[Spock's Barber]

Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001 had unbelievable special effects for the year 1968, but that was part of its’ $10.5 million budget. TOS still amazes me with the on screen special effects they created during the same time period.

 

[Relayer1]

There have certainly been incredible advances in f/x over the last 50+ years.

I look at it the same way I look at automobiles. No one drives a Model T anymore, but that doesn’t mean it was a bad car. For its time, it was top of the line.

Exactly.

The effects shots on Blakes 7 look terrible now, but back when it was made they were...terrible !

 

[Phaser Two]

Shatner making such a comment is 100% vintage Shatner.

 

[Neopeius]

Exactly.

The effects shots on Blakes 7 look terrible now, but back when it was made they were...terrible !

Truth! Though it's still a great show.

I'm more forgiving these days, but the effects shots that struck me as bad even in the day (early 80s during reruns) were the Enterprise wobbling back and forth in Tomorrow is Yesterday, the tilted up after being hit by the plasma torp in Balance of Terror, and the close-ups of the AMT model in The Doomsday Machine (and also the shuttle missizing). The first shot approaching the Constellation, when it was more blurry, was excellent.

The best special effect in Star Trek, though, is the fact that Scotty has ten fingers.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Shatner making such a comment is 100% vintage Shatner.

To be honest, Shatner had a co-writer for Star Trek Memories named Chris Kreski. Maybe he authored the ‘cheesy’ comment.

 

[oldtrekkie]

Maybe he meant cheesy in a positive way... You know like you say "cheese" when you're photographed, to make it seem like you're smiling.

 

[Methuselah Flint]

Oh, yes. You mean this shot of the same cheap AMT Enterprise model that I had in my room as a kid.

Actually I didn't mean that one funnily enough.
I meant this one :

 

[Spock's Barber]

Just as kind of an aside, but the remastered Doomsday Machine looks like one of those Bugle potato chips.

 

[NCC-73515]

The only effect that didn't work for me as a kid were the Catspaw puppets with their clearly visible strings XD

 

[Neopeius]

The only effect that didn't work for me as a kid were the Catspaw puppets with their clearly visible strings XD

I actually liked that one, even as a kid! I don't think I noticed the strings.

 

[Maurice]

Exactly.

The effects shots on Blakes 7 look terrible now, but back when it was made they were...terrible !

That's because the VFX budget was just about 10p.

 

[Maurice]

They did a fair amount of stuff via optical printing whereas an Irwin Allen show would have Lydecker method–ed models on wires in front of a painted backdrop or static starfield. You could not have made the 11' Enterprise zoom off into the distance using an in-camera method. You need traveling mattes and an optical printer to do that and put it over a moving starfield.

 

[Spock's Barber]

The only effect that didn't work for me as a kid were the Catspaw puppets with their clearly visible strings XD

I really don’t see any thin black strings attached to those lame looking aliens.

The special effects department sure pinched pennies on those shots.

 

[Spock's Barber]

The first time I saw the Klingon Battlecruiser on the Enterprise viewscreen during S3 I was just totally amazed.