How much vulcan/romulan ears cost..?

[Zaku]

I'm trying to imagine the conversation between Shatner and the budget guy...

"I want a town with a lot of aliens"
"Check!"
"A catwoman!"
"Of course"
"A Klingon crew!"
"You got it!"
"ROCK MEN!"
"Great idea! OK!"
"A WHOLE NEW HANGAR SET!!!"
"You are really a visionair Bill! We'll do it!"
"And a pair of Romulan ears for the amb...."
"WHAT!?! EARS?!?! Are you crazy man??? Are you trying to banckruput us??? Nopenopenope!!!"

 

[Zaku]

A little trivia bit from Memory Alpha...

Fetters-Howard remembered her part in Star Trek V as a unique experience and was impressed that six make-up artists exclusively worked on her character. Her entire body was covered with airbrushed special effects make-up, she had claws on her hands and feet, a wig and tail made from Human hair, a full face mask, and contact lenses which were made to resemble the eyes of a cat. One technician was on set to bring in and remove her contact lenses which she were only allowed to wear for twenty minutes because of a possible damage to her eyes. Fetters-Howard started her day at 2 A. M. and it took about six hours to complete her make-up and costume and at the end of the day it was removed in two hours.

 

[martok2112]

Whatever the budget for those Romulan/Vulcan prosthetics....one thing's for sure...the budget was earmarked for that purpose.



(runs...hides)

 

[Kor]

^ Ha!

As much as this movie is disliked, I don't know if it's fair to blame Shatner himself for such minutiae as pointed ears (or lack thereof). I would think that stuff like makeup budgeting is more in the producer and executive producer's area of supervision than the director's.

...But I'm no expert.

Kor

 

[martok2112]

<-----takes a bow. Thank you, friend, Kor!

Shatner amazingly still considers Trek V to be his favorite movie....and, as he put it, not just because he directed it. He seemed to be very proud of the premise the film's story had.

 

[Ithekro]

Since they made it a plot point to have Sybok show his pointed ears and of course Spock has his, and there was a scene of Sarek at Spock's birth, I wonder if they just decided that the audiance might be stupid and get confused if the Romulan also had pointed ears, and think she's also related to Spock, like about every pointed eared Vulcan shown in the film.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Since they made it a plot point to have Sybok show his pointed ears and of course Spock has his, and there was a scene of Sarek at Spock's birth, I wonder if they just decided that the audiance might be stupid and get confused if the Romulan also had pointed ears, and think she's also related to Spock, like about every pointed eared Vulcan shown in the film.

Probably. ST movies are made for general audiences, not ST fans.

The Klingons in ST III were originally scripted as Romulans, that's how come Klingon birds of prey and Klingon neutral zones were coined. With much of the movie introducing or reintroducing Sarek, Saavik, T'Lar and young Spock, it would have complicated things to have to explain about the movie's villains, who were also vulcanoid.

Ditto ST V. People actually expected Shatner to use the new TNG Romulan ridges on his Romulan ambassador, but he wanted to reflect TOS in many ways with this movie. Ms Gouw was a model, not necessarily a trained actress, and may not have wanted to undergo the unpleasant plaster or alginate mask process required to be fitted with ear tops. So an ear-covering headdress was more efficient for the director's purposes, and no need for scripted backstory on the Vulcan/Romulan thing.

 

[Nerys Myk]

He career as a model seem pretty brief, but she might have gone through "worse" for a fashion shoot. Her career seems to have started after she won Star Search and she made the jump from spokes model to actress.

 

[xvicente]

Romulans like to cover their ears.

Vulcans, too, it isn't UNHEARD of:

Some say those helmets were also for saving on ears. Probably more on makeup time than actual money.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Time is money

 

[Kor]

The Klingons in ST III were originally scripted as Romulans, that's how come Klingon birds of prey and Klingon neutral zones were coined.

Klingon Neutral Zone was mentioned in TWOK, during Saavik's Kobayashi Maru test.

Kor

 

[xvicente]

^ and it was an ovoid completely unlike the Romulan NZ.

 

[martok2112]

And then the script went through another modification where the Klingons attacked and stole a Romulan ship in ST III.

Ultimately the story was written that it became a Klingon Bird of Prey with its own cloaking device, obviously as part of the tech exchange as seen in "The Enterprise Incident."

 

[xvicente]

Now that I think of it, I dont seem to recall anyone --in the movies-- mentioning a "Klingon neutral zone" ever.

In STII it's just "the Neutral Zone" (which, if it was the Romulan NZ as described in TOS, would make the Klingons' appearance there even more surprising).

It also is that ovoid shape a size that starship can easily circle around, not possibly engulfing a Star Empire.

In STIII I think I remenber Kruge ordering course for the Federation Neutral Zone (which is logical from their POV, and *could* imply there is not only one NZ in space)

I dont remember from the top of my head the other mentions, but I think in V and VI they say only "Neutral Zone"

So.

In Balance of Terror the NZ was very well explained, but it was a Romulan thing. The Klingons in TOS were always sailing in "disputed" space, and their mere presence wasn't considered an "act of war" in K7 and the planet Organia.

Could it be there is only one Neutral Zone and it is the Romulan NZ? And what is that small ovoid space called NZ near Gamma Hydra?

 

[Kor]

IMO, the small ovoid area was an abstraction so that the test simulation wouldn't be too complicated.

And there are probably many "neutral zones" in the vastness of space, just as there have been various neutral or demilitarized zones and territories on Earth.

Kor

 

[Therin of Andor]

Klingon Neutral Zone was mentioned in TWOK, during Saavik's Kobayashi Maru test.

Yes, but if I recall the very first synopsis that came out (pre-release), the reference was to have been to a Romulan Neutral Zone during the Kobayashi Maru scenario, and the TMP Klingon trio of ships representing Romulan ships, as they had done in latter seasons of TOS.

Anyone have the "Starlog" movie magazine handy?

 

[BeatleJWOL]

Anyone have the "Starlog" movie magazine handy?

Would this be it?
https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-002

Starlog is now all available on the Internet Archive.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Anyone have the "Starlog" movie magazine handy?

Would this be it?
https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-002

Starlog is now all available on the Internet Archive.

No, that's Issue #2 of regular Starlog. I'm talking about the Starlog Movie Special for ST II, which carried a synopsis of the movie.

 

[Nebusj]

Klingon Neutral Zone was mentioned in TWOK, during Saavik's Kobayashi Maru test.

Yes, but if I recall the very first synopsis that came out (pre-release), the reference was to have been to a Romulan Neutral Zone during the Kobayashi Maru scenario, and the TMP Klingon trio of ships representing Romulan ships, as they had done in latter seasons of TOS.

Anyone have the "Starlog" movie magazine handy?

The Kobayashi Maru describes its position to be ``Gamma Hydra, Section Ten'' ... with Gamma Hydra being right at the edge of Romulan space, per The Deadly Years. The preponderance of evidence is that the Kobayashi Maru scenario is set at the Romulan Neutral Zone.

The Kobayashi Maru does claim to be nineteen periods out of Altair Six, which per Amok Time had been an unsettled area of space. The presence of three starships there was meant to send a message to the Klingons. Therefore while the setting was the Romulan Neutral Zone, the presence of Klingons in space apparently close enough they might credibly contest it is surprising but not outrageous.

 

[Maurice]

Backtracking a bit, here's a clearer version of that picture (link).

As to the way the money is spent and who is responsible, typically a "line producer" (a loaded title I'll discuss some other time) breaks the budget down. The Producer is responsible for making decisions re that budget (cut this, put more money here than there, etc,), but a Director may have some authority here as well depending on their contract. The Executive Producer rarely gets involved at that level, and usually is more involved in packaging the production (at least in movies).