Looking for photos of the sets before lighting

[Talos IV]

I teach film to high school students, and I like to show them some scenes from ST: TOS as examples of great storytelling, cinematography, music, etc.

This year I'm showing some clips from "Dagger of the Mind" and "Balance of Terror" -- more than any other director, Vincent McEveety seemed to get the moodiest lighting and best "atmosphere" out of those sets.

I'd love to show some photos of the sets (bridge, corridors, planet interiors) before they were painstakingly lit. If I could just find some ...

Any help is appreciated!

 

[feek61]

Good luck with that! There may be some B&W photos but there are very few color photos of the original sets in their natural state. That being said, here is one from "Bread and Circuses" that is cool.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

There are numerous unlit set photos in the original edition of The Making of Star Trek (1968), including one of the bridge. They're in black & white. There's even a photo of the "Bread and Circuses" set that @feek61 cited, from a different vantage point.

Also, there are three b&w photos of Nichelle Nichols doing dance poses in front of an unlit bridge station. These were taken during her Ebony interview and set visit.

 

[David cgc]

It might not be exactly what you're looking for, but the CG reconstructions on the Roddenberry Archive have the sets under a sort of default, neutral lighting, though it's not totally flat, this-is-a-set lighting. You could take some screenshots of those if that's enough of a contrast to the theatrically-lit scenes you're using as examples.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

It's not just lighting that makes a difference. There's a huge difference between the look of 35mm movie film and old-style, 20th century video. When Good Morning America made a set visit to ST:TNG, they shot their whole broadcast package in the Enterprise interior, never showing the lack of ceilings or the edge of a set. It was frustrating.

But more to the point, that TNG bridge looked like crap on SD, analog video. It looked flat, dull, and not very real. It was the combination of film and lighting that painted such a vivid picture with depth and a sense of classy importance.

 

[TheAdmiralty]

Wow, that Bread and Circuses set looks so dinky from a distance and without all the lights. They had to just make it work on 60's TV

But more to the point, that TNG bridge looked like crap on SD, analog video. It looked flat, dull, and not very real. It was the combination of film and lighting that painted such a vivid picture with depth and a sense of classy importance.

TNG bridge just needed more colors. Red highlights like on the TOS bridge would have done a lot.

 

[Forbin]

But you can't SEE them without lighting!

 

[Talos IV]

TNG bridge just needed more colors. Red highlights like on the TOS bridge would have done a lot.

Yes.

In his Television Academy interview, Jerry Finnerman talks about turning down the offer to work as cinematographer on ST:TNG. I imagine that show would have looked infinitely better if he'd said yes.

 

[Talos IV]

There are numerous unlit set photos in the original edition of The Making of Star Trek (1968), including one of the bridge. They're in black & white. There's even a photo of the "Bread and Circuses" set that @feek61 cited, from a different vantage point.

I'd completely forgotten about those photos. Time to find my copy of that book ...

 

[feek61]

It's not just lighting that makes a difference. There's a huge difference between the look of 35mm movie film and old-style, 20th century video. When Good Morning America made a set visit to ST:TNG, they shot their whole broadcast package in the Enterprise interior, never showing the lack of ceilings or the edge of a set. It was frustrating.

But more to the point, that TNG bridge looked like crap on SD, analog video. It looked flat, dull, and not very real. It was the combination of film and lighting that painted such a vivid picture with depth and a sense of classy importance.

I agree with this but I do think the most important part of the "look" is the lighting. When we were filming STC, the sets were unremarkable but when lit, they looked spectacular. It really made me realize how important the lighting is to the look; it has a huge impact.

 

[NickolasDay]

Try checking out books and documentaries about the making of Star Trek: The Original Series, which often contain rare photographs and information about the production process, including set design and lighting.

 

[TMP-Was-The-Best]

Those rooms are so cozy looking.