low-tech effect

[sbk1234]

I remember The Naked Time, from TOS. In the begining, while being infected, you could see little drops of red jumping from one person to the other. This was not done with CGI or blue screen. Just a simple effect done with some playing around with the film speed, and a few other little tricks. Nothing fancy, but as far as I'm concerned, one of the most effective.

Likewise, Catspaw. Those alien puppets, (Original, non-remastered version) strings showing and all, really worked for me. Add that creepy sound effect and I bought it, hook, line, and sinker.

So, got me thinking. In all of Star Trek, what do you think was the most effective low-tech effect they did? This means no CGI, no Blue screen. Mostly on-stage stuff. Perhaps augmented a bit with conventional technology, such as playing with the sound or the speed or direction of the film.

 

[EEE]

I remember The Naked Time, from TOS. In the begining, while being infected, you could see little drops of red jumping from one person to the other.

Filming sideways and slowing down the film was a good effect. How about another... slowing down the film and sound speed while The Mantrap's Professor Crater is stunned?

 

[trevanian]

A couple come to mind ... on TOS 3rd season, they used rear projection on the bridge a couple times to very good effect, and in TWOK, they used a foreground miniature to expand the starfleet hall where Spock and Kirk wait for an elevator. The skylight, as well as the foreground lower level, are all smaller scale (quarterscale?) elements, shot in camera on a Monday after Mike Minor spent the weekend setting things up.

 

[EEE]

That reminds me of a blatant one... the forced perspective in the (TOS) Enterprise engineering.

 

[clonewarrior]

That reminds me of a blatant one... the forced perspective in the (TOS) Enterprise engineering.

gotta love TOS

 

[Captain Leslie]

I cant think of a specific one I liked, but the low tec solutions certainly are part of the charm of the show. Maybe Apollo growing to giant size, or Jumping through the gate In City on the edge,

 

[Antihero]

The painting in TMP, in the Enterprise engine room. Made the warp core look like it was 100 feet long. That was pretty clever.

 

[Forbin]

When Data put a drink down on a table, and Lore picked it up, in one shot, and at one point they both had a hand on the cup. My pal Frank is a video editor, and he was stunned by the effectiveness, and he immediately realized how they did it.

It was a simple digital split screen with a moving edge. Spiner as Data, on the left, put the cup down with the split screen offset to the right of the cup. The camera stays locked down. Brent changes into Lore's costume and takes position on the right, touches the cup. They dial the split screen so the edge is now to the left of the cup, sync the new footage to the point where Data's touching it, and roll.

That weekend we went to Frank's studio and did it ourselves - I think I handed myself a phone. But he'd never even thought of it until he saw it done.

 

[trevanian]

Supposedly you can see Data's drink go flat during the shot since time elapsed between the two sides of the take, but that is the only thing the fx guys ever saw wrong with the shot.

As long as we're on TNG ... WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS has a nice cheapie reactor at the end that is all made out of space shuttle gantry model kit pieces, with a light inside. It is one of the few times I've been able to spot a model part immediately (though anybody into trek who has ever seen the terrible Canadian flick THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME will know of at least one other instance where everybody recognizes ship parts in a movie), but it is still pretty nice.

 

[Maurice]

Stratos up in the sky.