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TAS computer animated

For me, "Star Trek: Reanimated" sounds like a feature with a zombie theme. Then again, the TAS characters already looked like zombies most of the time. So redoing them as zombies would mean...

...Now where was I?

I wouldn't mind TAS "retouched" with the "subtlety" of TOS-R. But if there's going to be major new audio input there, I'd actually rather wish for all-new episodes. Hopefully plenty of them.

Timo Saloniemi
 
Therin of Andor said:
BalthierTheGreat said:
How is animation limited?

Compare Filmation's TV animation to previous work by other studios: Hanna-Barbera's "The Flintstones" for TV, or Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" for cinema. Although Filmation used long, panning, painted backdrops that were probably more detailed than those in "The Flintstones", they used many less character cels to make up a sequence of motion - less "in betweens" - and they also repeated sequences to save time and money.

Many characters delivered TAS lines of dialogue while the camera focussed on an eye (so the lips didn't have to move) or Spock kept his face into a viewer at his console. Although Arex had three arms and three legs, we only saw him walk in one episode ("The Terratin Incident").

Do you people remember the Dirk Bogarde commercial 5 years ago done using a Bogarde image and animating him just like a real life actor,from his various films and making him do different things.Surely you could do that easily now with processing power increased 10 fold since.The TAS voices would be retained of course.A fan project could be started so spread the word around.

The Star Wreck people have amazing cgi skills so thats just one set of peope qulified to do this as well New Voyages/Hidden Frontier/Exetar groups or a new group altogether.

You could use 2d/3d modelling from the TOS episodes to animate the images just so that they appear exactly like real life actors.It's already been done convincingly 5 years ago and also to replace actors who die while filming cinema movies.

I suggest somone do some TAS test footage and release it on youtube for tests/appraisal,etc.Anyone know of suitable software for this?
 
I'd support this, though with some reservations. While I'm a fan of TAS, some of the stories just aren't very good, and I don't think CGI would help. That said, some could realy be improved with better graphics.
 
If you want a sense of what this might look like, watch last night's "Star Wars" episode of Family Guy. I don't know whether they traced over the original visual F/X or did all-new cel-shaded CGI, but it was pretty amazing.
 
I also would like to see better visuals for TAS -- very much so. It's an exciting idea.

And yet, for the same reasons that I dislike so-called TOS "remastered" (which is not remastering of original content at all, but introduction of new material), I resist the idea.

Where are the film scholars among us? Cannot we appreciate dramatic works within the context of their times? Must we remake everything in our own contemporary entertainment image?
 
Always wondered why it only went 22 episodes. here's a bit on that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Animated_Series

The animated series was, according to the Nielsen ratings, not popular enough with young children. According to series' producers it was intended to be enjoyed by the entire family. Although the accuracy of the ratings system conducted by the A. C. Nielsen company has been vehemently disputed by its supporters and detractors since their first implementation, these results have been cited by fans and critics as justification for the show's brief run of only 22 episodes. However, in the 70s, very few animated series went beyond a few seasons as it was usually more profitable to start a new series.



P.S. I wonder if any unused scripts are laying about.
 
voggmo said:
However, in the 70s, very few animated series went beyond a few seasons as it was usually more profitable to start a new series.

Correct. In the 70s, they would contract animated series for a full season of 13 episodes, and a possible half season to follow, usually to be interspersed with repeat episodes to make a second batch of 13. (Unlike a live-action series that saw the actors contracted for five years, but only paid if the series was picked up each year.)

For animateds, it was very expensive to renegotiate the voice cast for a third year, and this was only done if the show was a runaway hit. It was much cheaper to conceive and cast a new animated series. (Not how the 60s and 70s "Super-Friends" reinvented itself as a newly-titled variation of the show every year. Ditto the "Batman" animateds of the 80s and 90s.)

I wonder if any unused scripts are laying about.

Probably not. The only reason the second (half) season of TAS was viable was that they deliberately over-commissioned for the first season, and a few scripts were sitting spare.

However, the production numbering actually goes to #23, so at least one script got yanked from production, probably at the storyboard stage - and I've never heard what that one was about.
 
jayrath said:Where are the film scholars among us? Cannot we appreciate dramatic works within the context of their times? Must we remake everything in our own contemporary entertainment image?

I'm not a "film scholar," but why can't we do both? I have a certain fondness for TAS, enough so that I have the DVD set. But that wouldn't prevent me from enjoying a new digital version of the series. Why be forced to choose when we can have both? (Or more to the point, why should someone else choose for me??)
 
Yes, both would be preferred. Extending them from 30 min to 45 without altering the story is another thought, but perhaps too much work & might change things to a point some would not be comfortable with.
 
The audio leaves something to be desired, but then again, the cast wasn't really together when they recorded it. Still, we have the original performers on the voices -- why not give it the best visual presentation? I can't watch the cartoon shows for more that a few minutes, so limited is the animation. By all means, go for it! If they can flesh out and expand the stories, fine.
 
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