Just great!! Another fan production....
- Thread starter RAMA
- Start date
I think this is an extremely clever idea and I, for one, cannot wait to see it. I did not *love* TAS the way I loved the live-action shows, but I have great memories of watching it as a kid with my brother on Saturday mornings and it was great to revisit them on DVD last year. The preview looks impressive and this should be a hoot to watch!
Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but hardcore Trekkers are exactly the audience that I think most of the fan productions want to appeal to, so there's nothing at all wrong with trying to recreate that look. I just find it fascinating that in this day and age, we've gotten to the point that so many enthusiasts can do this without needing the sorts of resources that were required 'back in the day' - with only hardware and software that could be picked up at any Best Buy, it's absolutely possible to meet, if not exceed, the quality that took an entire film studio to achieve in 1966, or even 1974.
And while I have no delusions about the quality of Filmation's efforts, and want to bring more modern technology to bear to replace it for ST:R, I'm all for folks like Kail and the Starship Farragut folks faithfully extending the vision of Filmation's work. If they have a good story to tell, that can rise above the animation, just as it did with TAS in the first place.
I have to say that I like much of Filmation's work. As I commented up-thread, I'm not necessarily a fan of TAS' look specifically, but in recent months I've regained a childlike fondness for productions like Blackstar and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe -- heavily overused stock footage and rotoscoped animation and all.
It's also important to consider that virtually every 2D-animated production cuts corners in one way or another. In anime many corner-cutting techniques are dismissed as stylistic choices -- showing a "fatal blow" three times in a row, for example -- but they remain cost-cutting techniques.
And keep wearing that damned Farragirdle!
All,
I just joined this forum and found this discussion very interesting. I am pleased that most people are so enthusiastic about our project. And, just like the live-action episodes, I don't expect everyone to embrace it.
Just for clarity, the choice of 'look' is more of an economic decision than anything else. As Kail mentioned, we don't have a fleet of animators on this project, so we will be re-using some of the backgrounds of TAS so we don't have to recreate everything from scratch. This, ironically, is VERY similar to what Filmation did in the 70's. And while we could re-imagine the whole look of the show into a more modern style, to be honest, some folks would not be happy with that as well (and it would take a lot more resources to pull off). Bottom line, in many people's opinions...if you are going to do a TOS-era cartoon it HAS to be in TAS/Filmation format.
As many of you may have heard, I recently met with Lou Scheimer, the founder of Filmation. He completely endorsed this project and said something that really stuck with me...The original cartoons were NEVER about the animation...it was about the storytelling. The stories we have could not easily be done on a fan budget (read: $0.00)...however, they can be done in animated format. The method of the animation is not important...it is just a medium to tell the stories. Our stories are written by professional writers (i.e. Jack Treviño for one), and are voiced by a lot of Trek alumni, so it will be an interesting project if anything.
Another thing that a fan recently relayed to me that made me feel good is that he now has a program that he and his son could sit down and relate to. This is something every artist strives for...allowing people to make 'connections' to others. However, I am not under any illusion that this project is going to end global warming or save the world. It will simply be entertainment for some.
Finally, the question was asked why we don't do something original. NEO f/x is a professional visual effects/animation company and that is certainly our goal and what we do every day. While we are doing this project for free, it is also a 'demo' of our abilities to potential clients. You would be surprised how much of our 'free' live-action work on Farragut, OGaM, Exeter, etc has translated into new busine$$ for us. We even recently had a new client approach us looking for a 'cel style animated logo treatment' that we were able to offer simply because we took this path into 2D.
Again, I am pleased at the number fans we already have that are looking forward to this project...for those of you that aren't fans, I hope you give the episodes an opportunity...we may just convert you as well...not for the animation but for the expansion into the Trek universe.
I just joined this forum and found this discussion very interesting. I am pleased that most people are so enthusiastic about our project. And, just like the live-action episodes, I don't expect everyone to embrace it.
Just for clarity, the choice of 'look' is more of an economic decision than anything else. As Kail mentioned, we don't have a fleet of animators on this project, so we will be re-using some of the backgrounds of TAS so we don't have to recreate everything from scratch. This, ironically, is VERY similar to what Filmation did in the 70's. And while we could re-imagine the whole look of the show into a more modern style, to be honest, some folks would not be happy with that as well (and it would take a lot more resources to pull off). Bottom line, in many people's opinions...if you are going to do a TOS-era cartoon it HAS to be in TAS/Filmation format.
As many of you may have heard, I recently met with Lou Scheimer, the founder of Filmation. He completely endorsed this project and said something that really stuck with me...The original cartoons were NEVER about the animation...it was about the storytelling. The stories we have could not easily be done on a fan budget (read: $0.00)...however, they can be done in animated format. The method of the animation is not important...it is just a medium to tell the stories. Our stories are written by professional writers (i.e. Jack Treviño for one), and are voiced by a lot of Trek alumni, so it will be an interesting project if anything.
Another thing that a fan recently relayed to me that made me feel good is that he now has a program that he and his son could sit down and relate to. This is something every artist strives for...allowing people to make 'connections' to others. However, I am not under any illusion that this project is going to end global warming or save the world. It will simply be entertainment for some.
Finally, the question was asked why we don't do something original. NEO f/x is a professional visual effects/animation company and that is certainly our goal and what we do every day. While we are doing this project for free, it is also a 'demo' of our abilities to potential clients. You would be surprised how much of our 'free' live-action work on Farragut, OGaM, Exeter, etc has translated into new busine$$ for us. We even recently had a new client approach us looking for a 'cel style animated logo treatment' that we were able to offer simply because we took this path into 2D.
Again, I am pleased at the number fans we already have that are looking forward to this project...for those of you that aren't fans, I hope you give the episodes an opportunity...we may just convert you as well...not for the animation but for the expansion into the Trek universe.
You obviously haven't been aorund here long.
RAMA is one of the most respected members of this BBS.
Just wanted to chime in for a moment, as a Star Trek fan, and share a bit of a story...
In late 1985, I was sitting on the smaller of our two couches one afternoon when the local Cable TV company came out to my mobile home. My grandmother had decided to get Cable, which, at the time, consisted of something like twenty channels. One of those stations was Nickelodeon.
A few days later, as I was changing channels on the cable box (we didn't have remote controls), I saw this strange guy in a cartoon. Up till then my idea of cartoons was Smurfs, Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, etc. I saw this guy, who looked like... well... almost human, but not. Those ears! What was this all about?
Soon, a three armed man showed up on the screen... but he looked like no man I had ever seen... and the cat that talked? What was that all about?
I was hooked. I watched that show religiously, every Saturday afternoon when it aired two episodes back to back from 2 to 3 PM. The show was called Star Trek.
About seven or eight months later, I was flipping through channels (still on the box, no remote) and saw the same guy, but in real life... no cartoon this time... and the show had the same name. Star Trek.
So, to all the naysayers, please forgive me, but the Animated Star Trek, flaws and all, introduced me to the universe that Gene Roddenberry... and while other forms of animation have come and gone, the Filmation style choice for the Farragut episodes, regardless of the reason (budget, etc...) for making the choice, warms the depths of my heart, and stirs up many of the same feelings I had then.
So, Farragut crew, Godspeed, may your work be fun... and, well, I have two questions:
1) Do you have a projected release date yet?
2) Do you have anything that a hopeless TAS romantic in Central Indiana can do to help?
Rob+
In late 1985, I was sitting on the smaller of our two couches one afternoon when the local Cable TV company came out to my mobile home. My grandmother had decided to get Cable, which, at the time, consisted of something like twenty channels. One of those stations was Nickelodeon.
A few days later, as I was changing channels on the cable box (we didn't have remote controls), I saw this strange guy in a cartoon. Up till then my idea of cartoons was Smurfs, Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, etc. I saw this guy, who looked like... well... almost human, but not. Those ears! What was this all about?
Soon, a three armed man showed up on the screen... but he looked like no man I had ever seen... and the cat that talked? What was that all about?
I was hooked. I watched that show religiously, every Saturday afternoon when it aired two episodes back to back from 2 to 3 PM. The show was called Star Trek.
About seven or eight months later, I was flipping through channels (still on the box, no remote) and saw the same guy, but in real life... no cartoon this time... and the show had the same name. Star Trek.
So, to all the naysayers, please forgive me, but the Animated Star Trek, flaws and all, introduced me to the universe that Gene Roddenberry... and while other forms of animation have come and gone, the Filmation style choice for the Farragut episodes, regardless of the reason (budget, etc...) for making the choice, warms the depths of my heart, and stirs up many of the same feelings I had then.
So, Farragut crew, Godspeed, may your work be fun... and, well, I have two questions:
1) Do you have a projected release date yet?
2) Do you have anything that a hopeless TAS romantic in Central Indiana can do to help?
Rob+
Actually, I'm hoping I'm not in a minority of people who appreciated TOS more after watching the fanfilms set in that era
I tried to do something original - there wasn't even so much as a sound effect used that was Trek-like. Ultimately, I think it failed because it's harder to key into an audience if they're not really sure what you're trying to do. At least with the words Star Trek in the title, there's already a hungry audience out there for it
Of course, my failure has nothing to do with the fact that I'm not by definition an actor, and the whole thing was filmed on a budget of less than £18... and I never actually managed to get anything but the pilot produced
And of course that the film was crap. (I'm hoping to start something new quite soon tho...)I think Rob Caves, et al. could be onto something producing Frontier Guard, they've already established a loyal fanbase through Trek, and there's no reason why that in itself won't draw in a new audience...
All this aside tho, I'm very much looking forward to an animated series and I wish you the best of luck.
Just as an afterthought... How much mileage is there in an ENT era fanfilm?
I'm guessing I'd probably be the only one watching 
Those are the stories I like to hear, and they validate what we are doing. As for your questions...
1) We would like to release at least one epiosde before the end of the year. That still seems reasonable.
2) We are still in need of illustrators and a new web site...If you are good with Photoshop and with character illustrations, or you are interested in helping with a premiere web site, drop me a line at animations(at)neo-fx(dot).com.
Thanks again for the feedback...you made my day!
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RAMA if your in for a more modern fan production with original cast/crew etc.. check out Encarta if you haven't already.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=n6Q7kXlYSoY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=n6Q7kXlYSoY
I'll be looking forward to that!
I'm afraid that the limit of my art skills is Paint in Windows, and I don't think you'd want me working on a website... you'd wind up with a glorified blog (or worse) and I am sure that what you're putting together will deserve better than that.
Anytime... seeing Filmation-style Trek again will make mine!
Rob+
