Another new footage report at AICN

[Mordock]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37648

...and another inarticulate account of a couple of barely-finished scenes. Like Harry's report, there is much numinous talk of how "real" everything seems, which tracks with the party line we've been hearing from the creatives. There are some vague spoilers.

ETA: Oh, and no sign of any sombreros yet, in case anyone was curious.

 

[Franklin]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37648

...and another inarticulate account of a couple of barely-finished scenes. Like Harry's report, there is much numinous talk of how "real" everything seems, which tracks with the party line we've been hearing from the creatives. There are some vague spoilers.

You're right. Not well written. If it's the Enterprise, wonder why Atoz wouldn't assume the captain is Pike?

Even in "Trek science," I'm a little concerned about the Yorktown billowing black smoke in space. Must be something other than smoke.

Atoz describes the other ships in some detail, but says nothing about how the Enterprise herself looked? Wouldn't that be the ONE THING you'd concentrate on if you were privvy to such a showing? Wouldn't it be a big scoop to be the first to have seen footage of the ship and describe it? I wonder if it even was the Enterprise. Maybe it was the Kelvin.

There's just nothing really here except the speculation that the ships contain refugees, which plays on an earlier rumor that Vulcan is blown up.

 

[Procutus]

I find it interesting that 'Mr. Atoz' said that the ships look like models and not CGI. I wonder if this is true, as several months back I speculated as to whether or not J.J. would decide to use physical models over CGI or not.

 

[JuanBolio]

"We then cut to the Enterprise moving in slowly and firing a torpedo...It doesn't actually strike the ship, but explodes once it gets within range, and once again the result is BIG."

"You get the impression that either ship could be destroyed by just a handful of hits with these weapons."

AWESOME! Finally some futuristic firepower!

 

[Supervisor 194]

I wonder if this could be the Kobayashi Maru simulation? It might explain why the Enterprise herself is not described in the scene.

 

[Rat Boy]

I find it interesting that 'Mr. Atoz' said that the ships look like models and not CGI. I wonder if this is true, as several months back I speculated as to whether or not J.J. would decide to use physical models over CGI or not.

Doubtful. ILM got out of the physical model business a while ago when they sold their model shop. I've got the classic Vreenak pic sitting on my clipboard, but I'll wait for official debunkification before I whip it out.

 

[Franklin]

I wonder if this could be the Kobayashi Maru simulation? It might explain why the Enterprise herself is not described in the scene.

Also explains why it's described as a shipful of cadets and the rather odd description of the bridge (viewscreen so close to the captain's chair, very few seats).
Otherwise, we've also apparently got a ship sent on what must be an important mission with a largely inexperienced crew. Been there. Done that. Can't say I want to do it again.

 

[pookha]

on how the movie might look
the return of the real fake

 

[Tom Servo]

If this is true, I LOVE it.

 

[M'Sharak]

I wonder if this could be the Kobayashi Maru simulation? It might explain why the Enterprise herself is not described in the scene.

The same thought occurred to me while I was reading the description.

 

[Jimmy_C]

It isn't the CGI that's the problem. Models can look just as bad. It is instead how it is used. CGI possibly gives some movie makers too much freedom. They can defy realty so much that the special effects look too fantastic.

 

[Procutus]

If this is true, I LOVE it.

Same here. While I will admit that CGI has it usefulness (filling in cityscapes and other vistas among them), I still feel that model spaceships tend to look more 'real' than their CGI counterparts. This is just my preference, and knowing how Abrams felt about trying to build as much as possible for the projects he's involved in is what led me to wonder in the first place about whether or not the Enterprise would be a physical model.

It's entirely possible that it could turn out to be a combination of both, a model in the same vein as the TMP Enterprise built by Doug Trumbull in 1979 and CGI close-up shots for surface detail.

I really hope the eventual DVD has a couple of good segments on the FX of this film and how they were put together.

 

[Tom Servo]

Well I do think that when he says model, it looks more like a model was used, rather then CGI, I am pretty damn sure that all the ships in this will be CG, seeing as how ILM shut down its model department in '06 I believe.

That said, if the CG is done properly in this film, it can look like very well done model work. I am encouraged by the fact that he mentioned the Enterprise moved slowly. That I like, because it gives a sense of mass to the ship. Compare how the Enterprise moved in TWOK, or even in FC compared to Nemesis. Im sorry, but a ship that size would be manuverable in space, but it would not fly around like a P-51.

Also, the mention of the Photon Torpedoes is EXCELLENT, because finally they seem firing huge antimatter-matter weapons, not just freaking potshots at each other. The only thing I don't like is the TNG colored phasers, I would have like to have seen the blue ones, or ones like the Phasers in TWOK.

 

[USS Mariner]

"We then cut to the Enterprise moving in slowly and firing a torpedo...It doesn't actually strike the ship, but explodes once it gets within range, and once again the result is BIG."

"You get the impression that either ship could be destroyed by just a handful of hits with these weapons."

AWESOME! Finally some futuristic firepower!

BIGGER is not always better.

 

[cbp44189]

It may be the incident where Cpt Pike got the lethal dose of radiation that crippled him.....

 

[JuanBolio]

Also, the mention of the Photon Torpedoes is EXCELLENT, because finally they seem firing huge antimatter-matter weapons, not just freaking potshots at each other. The only thing I don't like is the TNG colored phasers, I would have like to have seen the blue ones, or ones like the Phasers in TWOK.

I agree on al points.

BIGGER is not always better.

It is when multi-megaton antimatter weapons have been consistently and incorrectly portrayed in the past as having yields less than that of your average artillery shell.

It may be the incident where Cpt Pike got the lethal dose of radiation that crippled him.....

I think that was stated to have happened later, when Pike was working at the academy. This supposedly takes place before Spock gets to be science officer of the Enterprise, before the events depicted in The Cage. Who knows, though? They might change it.

 

[USS Mariner]

BIGGER is not always better.

It is when multi-megaton antimatter weapons have been consistently and incorrectly portrayed in the past as having yields less than that of your average artillery shell.

Which, of course, requires a HUUUUGE fiery explosion to convey, instead of the ship being disintegrated in a flash of light? Not that the AICN description implies the former, but I can't see them calling a flash of light an explosion either.

What purpose do the choad phasers serve? Are they hard as well as thick?

 

[Devon]

Regarding Kobiashi(sp?) Test -

That crossed my mind but as someone pointed out elsewhere, they wouldn't be showing exterior shots of all the ships as per the very first paragraph.

 

[ancient]

Also, why would Pike be taking the test?

 

[JuanBolio]

BIGGER is not always better.

It is when multi-megaton antimatter weapons have been consistently and incorrectly portrayed in the past as having yields less than that of your average artillery shell.

Which, of course, requires a HUUUUGE fiery explosion to convey, instead of the ship being disintegrated in a flash of light? Not that the AICN description implies the former, but I can't see them calling a flash of light an explosion either.

What purpose do the choad phasers serve? Are they hard as well as thick?

Well, so far in the movies photon torpedoes have been portrayed as exceedingly weak, with the possible exception of TMP. So I'd prefer a huge explosion to a tiny little photon-fart (or worse, no explosion AT ALL, like in Nemesis) any day. I admit that a huge, brief flash of light like a flash bulb would be more realistic, but probably not as visually impressive for the folks who go to the theater wanting to see spectacle rather than 100% accurate physics.