animation style - 'Star Trek: Aurora' Lighting really sells a 3D environment. Why not have the characters in 3D too? Check out episode 3 of this fan production: Star Trek: Aurora is an original animated movie set in the Star Trek universe. fully CG-animated movie is set just after the original Star Trek series SOURCE He uses I admit his ship design for the Aurora is bad. It looks like something out of Fisher Price. Just because he has nacelles and a deflector dish does not make it a Trek-like ship design. If you look at the lighting on episode 3s characters you'll see it's move believeable than 2D traditional. For one guy making all this it looks pretty good. If a team did it on a budget it could look great. Take a look at episode 2 around the 2:10 time. That kind of lighting just doesn't happen with 2D animation. They just don't do it. Frank Miller's graphical novels are too stylized to be this type of 2D animation. at 7:38 the lighting is really gorgeous. It is multisourced and different color temperatures. The character's skin is really rendered realistically. Download the episodes here free for image comparison.
T'Cal: I do like this idea, as it's kind of a reflection of how they're handling the relaunch novels. I do think you need to set it in one location. IMHO, Picard should still be captain of the Sovereign-class Enterprise, and have crew members from VOY and DSN. On the other hand, if the new movie is successful, I can see a companion animated series with the young Kirk, Spock, and company, as they embark on the adventures that will form the basis of their legends. Red Ranger
A cartoon is the only way you'll ever see Data again, unless they pull some X-Men style anti-aging effects.
Same here, and I've even created my own idea for a show here. I don't think that it's a bad theme either. Thank you! Only if done in a realistic style similar to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, or the new DTV Resident Evil movie, as I've said before. I'm in complete agreement with you on doing a show in anime style, and yes, it should be done in a style similar to Robotech-perhaps even getting Tatsanuko Animation Ltd. (the company behind Macross/Robotech) to do the animation? With a little help from Harmony Gold? I too saw the anime Highlander movie and as I mentioned above, would love to see a Star Trek cartoon done the same way in the same style. A remake of Star Trek: TAS would be amazing, sure, but not in a cartoony style-a realistic style would be best, or something similar to Clone Wars, but with a bit more realism.
I've thought about this also. This would be the best way to do an animated series, since it could exist outside the new continuity, and let's face it, 'branding' being established with the new Trek, and appeal to all Trek fans plus bring in new ones if it isn't steeped too deeply in canon or as a continuing story. We could have a 2-part TNG story, for instance, and then after that a new adventure with the movie-era TOS, or a Pike era story. Nothing elaborate, we're not talking about a 12-part series, just short, fun and thought provoking episodes that don't require any investment of time from new viewers. The style of art could be consistant throughout, so that there is some cohesive look to it that will be easily identifiable, in the same way that Clone Wars has carved out it's own distinctive look. The whole thing could be done cheaply (especially if they don't even try to hire the original actors and instead find voice actors). It could exist as sort of an anthology series, and Paramount could even decide to focus more on whichever era proves the most popular in terms of dvd sales or ratings.
I had the idea back in the day of an animated continuation of TNG, showing the months to a year between "All Good Things..." and Generations. Personally, I love the Timm/Dini/DC animated universe animation style, and could see that being used.
After reading a post on trekweb I thought the only way we will be seeing a new live-action Trek series, a length of 60 minute with high quality will be in the 13-episode format. Now if they want to do a 22-episode 30 minute length episodes I can see that happening with stylized animation similar to 'The Clone Wars' stylized CGI.
New Animated Series - TOS Enterprise Like this? Spectacular CGI Tour of the Original Series Enterprise - Video (7 min 34 sec) http://startrekpropauthority.blogspot.com/2009/05/spectacular-cgi-tour-of-original-series.html this CG model of TOS Enterprise interiors (not the characters) http://www.trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=2745541&postcount=50 or this guy's CG model comes in third a mod for Mysteries of the Sith is an expansion pack to Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=48585 http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?p=1581212#post1581212 Dusty Ayres what do you think of using one of these?
ship 3G interior models These bridges have already been created in 3-D. 7 minute video of just looking around 360 degrees from the center of various Federation bridges as high quality CG models. What do you guys think of having an animated show that could play on bridges looking like this? (with high quality humanoid character models) with smoother pan & tilt, and dolly L-R, forward-back, & zooming camera moves of course. The CG model quality is there. They could be rendered a little better with better lighting. Actually I could see if Paramount/CBS decided to go with an animated show the producers could have the team make their storyboards by framing shots & choosing camera angles with the episode Director using this, adding their characters in foreground and background in a very quick cheap manner and have them in full color very similar to animatics done for action movies to help storyboard them for budgeting and planning. So basically using this for storyboards and then also using this as video for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard#Animatics
Re: ship 3G interior models I'm sorry, but those all look like they were done in a video game. Probably Elite Force or something similar. They don't even compare with the work ILM is doing on Clone Wars. I can accept the argument for a 3D CGI animated series, but using a 9 year old computer game engine as justification for an animated series doesn't cut it. If you tried to release a show with that quality visuals you wouldn't be able to get any more attention than a cheap fan made video online.
CGI animation & physics engines I said Shading CG models, lighting, and atmospheric effects make a HUGE difference. I was not saying it looked close to ILM. Lucasfilm Animation Singapore spent at about $2 million an episode. what doesn't compare specifically? I am saying that by showing off these CG bridge models you don't need to spend bucketloads to create a cartoon. That particular video was made with older game engines. Take a look at this modern game engine and see what I mean. This is showing physics, explosions, lighting, using pre-made models. *Warning graphic Violence in these videos. Crysis Mass Physics And Editor Fun 5:46 video showing the Physics of CryEngine 2 made and rendered on a desktop computer in HD in a few hours using a 2008 off-the-shelf graphics card by a 17 year old kid in Sweden. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBoYuAc3uHw Can you imagine a Trek TV space battle using a physics engine like this? another one at 3:58 he has the sun at golden hour showing long shadows and changed the water color to red simulating an alien world. at 6:48 has a blue-colored sun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5mhB_5ABeE&feature=PlayList&p=C38D121C475830BA&index=3 this video he made shows off what amazing landscapes with sunshine lighting that can be achieved in a game engine. Really beautiful cinema-quality sunsets. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Atmospheric Gameplay Montage HD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qevIBvcRgMQ&feature=PlayList&p=C38D121C475830BA&index=7
Re: New Animated Series - TOS Enterprise Great idea. A bit blocky, but it could be done, say with character design similar to the Resident Evil series. What I also had in mind when it came to an animated Star Trek was this fan production: Star Trek: Aurora
Re: New Animated Series - CG Yes his work is great. The 3rd part is even better visually. Tim is working on this CG film using Smith Micro's Poser and Maxon Cinema 4D and rendering in Cinema 4D. I PM'd with him and he is only rendering at sub-television resolution. 320x240 or something like that. If something like this project were rendered in 1080x1920 at 30fps it would be great to seen on a Plasmascreen in HD.
Re: New Animated Series - CG Believe it or not there was serious talk of a TNG animated series running at the same time as the TNG live-action series.
Anthony Sabre pointed out this great CGI cinematic trailer done for the new game. Star Wars: The Old Republic video length: 3:52 This is the type of quality animation that would look amazing in the Star Trek universe!
Re: New Animated Series - TOS Enterprise Borjis mentioned the idea of using the original digital recordings of Shatner, Nimoy, Kelley for the dialogue from the unfinished Secret of Vulcan Fury for a new CGI animation series. The issue is how many episodes could they do as dialogue was written only for the game. Could this be a 3 episode springboard for an animated series though with a different crew on a different starship?