Galaxy Class Main Shuttlebay miniature

[TheTrekBack]

Hi folks,

sharing with you my latest build, a replica if the Galaxy Class Main Shuttlebay miniature created and used for the TNG Episode “Cause and Effect”. The model is obviously incomplete but I can show you a first screenshot from my After Effects test composition. Looks already pretty good and convincing to me. Like the original model it is built to create a perspective trick to make the model appear bigger on screen and more real. My idea for the forcefield is that its borders are attached to the roller door gaps and will be raised by the same when it opens. This build is a part of a whole scene using physical models: a pan from the open space with stars only until the moon appears that shines in the darkness of space. In front of it lies the U.S.S. Challenger in a little distance facing aft to the camera viewpoint, represented by a detailed and fully lighted 1:1400 Ertl Kit. Closer shot on the shuttle bay – roller door opens and a Type 6 (which of course will be this model https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/type-6-shuttlecraft-studio-model-replica.312291/#post-14268442) departures by breaching through the forcefield into the space. Cut back to the wide shot of the challenger in front of the moon and the Shuttle flies towards the camera.

Hope you like the look of physical models combined with modern digital effects as much as I do.

Screenshot 2023-07-12 143042 by Alan Smithee, auf Flickr

PXL_20230712_115928059 by Alan Smithee, auf Flickr

 

[Santaman]

Looks the part I would say.

 

[Jason_Adank]

looks great!

 

[Bernard Guignard]

Nicely done

 

[Michael]

Oh my gosh, that's amazing! The composited shot looks just so cool, even with the unfinished model. I love that you're doing practical effects in this day and age where almost everyone is doing CG effects exclusively. There's just something so real and convincing about using a model like this and actually photographing it. The bit of forced perspective you've got going on is also rather ingenious. Really curious to see how all of that will look in motion. Are you building this for any particular fan film production?

 

[TheTrekBack]

Hi @Michael + all.. thnaks for your comments
Yes - I am obsessed with the look of physical model shots when they are done properly. That's real old school movie magic and it's fascinating how the effects people working on Star Trek brought this to near perfection beginning of the 90s. Generations still looks so good and with an unique organic look only practical effects can create.

I knew, someone would raise this question sooner or later... this work is indeed a part of short film I am working on since the beginning of Corona that put me in the home office. It's a project where I try to capture the 90s Trel look and feel. I will reveal it, when a certain level is reached. I feel the same way: can’t wait to see how everything will come together in moving images. But the work with a motion control system that can provide exactly repeatable movements is complex… and super expensive. My wife must never know how much money I already spend

 

[Professor Moriarty]

MARVELOUS.

 

[Tosk]

Hey you!

That looks amazing. Great work so far.

 

[TheTrekBack]

Many THX to all for your supportive words

 

[ashleytinger]

That is fantastic!

 

[publiusr]

This isn't far from some rolling top desks.

 

[TheTrekBack]

This isn't far from some rolling top desks.

I have to think of a massive roller door like in a garage

 

[TheTrekBack]

Hi all,

working on the details. I think the Shuttles of the Enterprise D were assigned to the Challenger after the crash on Veridian 3 - they will probably be repainted on Tuesday

PXL_20230815_155735310 by Alan Smithee, auf Flickr

Galaxy Class (U.S.S. Challenger) Main Shuttlebay studio model WIP by Alan Smithee, auf Flickr

Galaxy Class (U.S.S. Challenger) Main Shuttlebay studio model WIP by Alan Smithee, auf Flickr

Galaxy Class (U.S.S. Challenger) Main Shuttlebay studio model WIP by Alan Smithee, auf Flickr

 

[ashleytinger]

Are you building up part of the back on that to show the rest of the bay or keeping it in shadow?

This looks phenomenal

 

[TheTrekBack]

Are you building up part of the back on that to show the rest of the bay or keeping it in shadow?

I will not build the back. There are two solutions: either indeed keeping it in the shadows, which wouldn't make much sense, since you would expect an operational bay to be lit inside or I will create a digital backdrop. Since the further inside parts will be out of focus the effort to build it as a physical model would be not worth it. The problem with static backdrops is of course that it requires a certain static camera angle. Maybe you have seen that effect on the shows, where they usually used static backdrops for long corridors on DS9 or Jeffrey Tubes: that worked to a certain degree convincing enough but the mismatched perspective became obvious many times. So, a slight motion control pan during the Shuttle departure could be look strange, while in general adding camera movement makes model shots more alive and convincing. A digital backdrop could be still animated to emit the parallax effect to make it look right. Long story short: I need to test it under shooting conditions

 

[Tosk]

Looking amazing!

 

[publiusr]

Millennium Falcon fit in there?

 

[Tallguy]

Millennium Falcon fit in there?

Maybe not tall enough?

 

[ashleytinger]

I'm going to guess the Falcon fitting there would be dependent on if it's Han from Solo piloting it after the Maw or not.

Fly in, sure... deploy landing gear? NO

 

[TheTrekBack]

I swear, one day when everything is just one big media company some genius in a suit will jump up from his chair with a new idea: "WHY NOT HAVING A STAR WARS/STAR TREK CROSSOVER X-MAS SPECIAL!? We just call it Trek Wars!"