The OFFICIAL STNG-R general discussion thread!

[Scotty]

Sci Fi now(UK magazine) just did a 25 year special on TNG which included an interview with Craig Weiss (CBS director of visual effects).

Rest of the article was pretty interesting but nothing especially new on the subject.

What I loved the most about the article was Burnett, Weiss and Dexler's comments about how they intend to create for this BD release a definitive edition of TNG. Each season will include a new feature length documentary with stories, interviews and images that haven't been told before. We've seen/heard examples already, like the animation used in the opening titles and the possibility of an extended cut of Measure of a Man.

I already was excited but this excites me even more. I can't wait for season one and will eagerly await the upcoming seasons.

 

[Mike Okuda]

I had no idea that observation lounge element from the main title sequence was very rudimentary animation!

That's great, I had no idea. Like you I assumed they filmed it using actors.
Using crappy animation makes more sense though, it was cheaper and we are the living proof that no one could see a difference.

I thought the same thing until someone at ILM told me it was simple pencil animation. Even so, I wasn't sure if my friend was kidding me until a few months ago, when I actually saw the actual original film. I was really impressed the simplicity of the art, because it shows that the animator really knew exactly how much detail was necessary to create the illusion of reality.

 

[NewHorizon]

I thought the same thing until someone at ILM told me it was simple pencil animation. Even so, I wasn't sure if my friend was kidding me until a few months ago, when I actually saw the actual original film. I was really impressed the simplicity of the art, because it shows that the animator really knew exactly how much detail was necessary to create the illusion of reality.

Hi Mike. Thanks for dropping in. How are things progressing with the project? I'm really looking forward to buying season 1 when it's released this month. Please send along a sincere thank you to the team behind this remarkable project.

 

[RAMA]

I had no idea that observation lounge element from the main title sequence was very rudimentary animation!

That's great, I had no idea. Like you I assumed they filmed it using actors.
Using crappy animation makes more sense though, it was cheaper and we are the living proof that no one could see a difference.

I thought the same thing until someone at ILM told me it was simple pencil animation. Even so, I wasn't sure if my friend was kidding me until a few months ago, when I actually saw the actual original film. I was really impressed the simplicity of the art, because it shows that the animator really knew exactly how much detail was necessary to create the illusion of reality.

 

[Salinga]

Did I miss something or is the BluRay also not having a commentary track for (at least some) episodes?

 

[Maxwell Everett]

I had no idea that observation lounge element from the main title sequence was very rudimentary animation!

That's great, I had no idea. Like you I assumed they filmed it using actors.
Using crappy animation makes more sense though, it was cheaper and we are the living proof that no one could see a difference.

I thought the same thing until someone at ILM told me it was simple pencil animation. Even so, I wasn't sure if my friend was kidding me until a few months ago, when I actually saw the actual original film. I was really impressed the simplicity of the art, because it shows that the animator really knew exactly how much detail was necessary to create the illusion of reality.

It's really a great, subtle effect. Again, never would have guessed.

I wonder, are you going to be using this element (maybe with the people erased) to fix the same shot used at the beginning of Act One of the 3rd season episode "The Ensigns of Command" (and elsewhere) in which the conference lounge windows are seen as original chroma key blue* without the pencil animation added in?

I ask because I've heard (through other sources) that following the season 1 work, CBS has hired a second team now to assemble the episodes (sans VFX work) and that you are now -- in effect -- working on season 2 and 3 simultaneously. Can you confirm this?

Anyway, thanks for all the dedication and great work you and Denise continue to put into the show.


* Either that, or John Knoll made a custom articulate matte for the windows back in '87. Or a luma key, I suppose, using the window pass.

 

[Mike Okuda]

My impression of that particular shot was that the blue was a deliberate choice to make the shot look different from the flyaway in the main title. Even if it was not a specific choice, I think it made the shot look like it wasn't an exact repeat. In such cases, we are usually trying to preserve the original decisions.

 

[FrontierTrek]

CBS have provided us with some new information about the bonus features which will be included in the Season 1 Blu-Ray set. Full breakdown of the bonus feature contents here:

http://tng.trekcore.com/bluray/#s1bonusjuly

 

[Takeru]

My impression of that particular shot was that the blue was a deliberate choice to make the shot look different from the flyaway in the main title. Even if it was not a specific choice, I think it made the shot look like it wasn't an exact repeat. In such cases, we are usually trying to preserve the original decisions.

I understand people wanting it to look different from the main title shot, but why would anyone decide to make it blue? It's a specific room that the audience sees all the time and it's not blue, it doesn't have blue curtains etc., you could make it black like the lights are out, it's an easy way to differentiate it from the main title shot and it makes sense.

This is one of the situations where I really think you guys should not preserve the original, because even if it was a deliberate decision and not just a mistake it still looks like someone forget to fill in the blue nothingness.

 

[Sho]

^ It was disco night.

 

[bullethead]

My impression of that particular shot was that the blue was a deliberate choice to make the shot look different from the flyaway in the main title. Even if it was not a specific choice, I think it made the shot look like it wasn't an exact repeat. In such cases, we are usually trying to preserve the original decisions.

I understand people wanting it to look different from the main title shot, but why would anyone decide to make it blue? It's a specific room that the audience sees all the time and it's not blue, it doesn't have blue curtains etc., you could make it black like the lights are out, it's an easy way to differentiate it from the main title shot and it makes sense.

This is one of the situations where I really think you guys should not preserve the original, because even if it was a deliberate decision and not just a mistake it still looks like someone forget to fill in the blue nothingness.

I dunno, I think they could just tweak the hue so it's darker and it wouldn't look so out of place.

It seems that the Okudas are trying to preserve the directoral decisions (shot composition, lighting, and which takes were used), a decision I wholeheartedly agree with, but what I would like to know is whether or not art department choices are being evaluated on a case by case basis, such as the reuse of a certain ship model. I only ask because The Next Level seemed to have some experimentation with CGI and digital mattes in Sins of the Father and there are a few instances I know of where the art department wanted to do something but they didn't have time or money to do it back in the 80s/90s, but TNG-R could do it now (The Pegasus springs to mind as the most obvious one - I have a scan of Rick Sternbach's original design for the Pegasus).

And Mike, if you are reading this, send my regards to the TNG-R team. They are doing a great job and doing stuff that I would never have even dreamed of (Measure of a Man extended cut, primarily). And I hope you and Denise find things to be a lot easier once you get past the hump of Yesterday's Enterprise and BOBW .

 

[trekker670]

Here's an article from StarTrek.com with a closer look at the extras, especially the aforementioned animation: http://www.startrek.com/article/a-closer-look-at-an-extra-special-tng-blu-ray-extra

 

[Salinga]

So no commentary tracks as it seems. Thats a shame, since the great chemistry of the cast and especially the commentary talent of Wil Wheaton would provide some highlights. I remember some Simpsons episodes that became double entertaining just because of the commentaries on the DVDs... and there EVERY episode got one.

 

[Maxwell Everett]

My impression of that particular shot was that the blue was a deliberate choice to make the shot look different from the flyaway in the main title. Even if it was not a specific choice, I think it made the shot look like it wasn't an exact repeat. In such cases, we are usually trying to preserve the original decisions.

Well, I respect whatever choice you and the team make. As I alluded to before, my preference would be to use a single frame from the pencil animation with the people removed to provide a difference to the main title shot. It'll just look like no one's in there... which makes sense, because the very first scene after that is the crew all assembled on the bridge.

The way I see it, it's no more significant a change than when you correctly repositioned the energy beam in "Farpoint."

 

[Rarewolf]

I remember some Simpsons episodes that became double entertaining just because of the commentaries on the DVDs... and there EVERY episode got one.

Many of the contributors are still on staff though aren't they? Harder to get Trek people back in. Still most of the Doctor Who releases manage it.

It would be good if most of the main cast could do a few each though.

 

[TheSeeker]

My impression of that particular shot was that the blue was a deliberate choice to make the shot look different from the flyaway in the main title. Even if it was not a specific choice, I think it made the shot look like it wasn't an exact repeat. In such cases, we are usually trying to preserve the original decisions.

Well, I respect whatever choice you and the team make. As I alluded to before, my preference would be to use a single frame from the pencil animation with the people removed to provide a difference to the main title shot. It'll just look like no one's in there... which makes sense, because the very first scene after that is the crew all assembled on the bridge.

The way I see it, it's no more significant a change than when you correctly repositioned the energy beam in "Farpoint."

That makes perfect sense to me too.

 

[MacLeod]

I don't see anything wrong with correcting minor FX shots.

Nor am I totally against extended cuts of episodes, in some respects it's like an extended cut of a film. Sometimes an episode of TV has to have cuts made to it so it doesn't overrun the slot it has on the Network.

It does not mean that is what the director wanted the final product to look like, rather it was forced on them. So a directors intended vision of an episode might run to 47mins but it has to run to 43m for the TV slot. So the director has to cut 4mins from it.

 

[RAMA]

WOW I just read what some of the new bonus materials are going to be!!!! This is going to be the best Bluray release of anything...ever!

RAMA

 

[Maxwell Everett]

WOW I just read what some of the new bonus materials are going to be!!!! This is going to be the best Bluray release of anything...ever!

RAMA

Speaking of that, Ian Berriman, Reviews Editor of SFX magazine (who has the Season 1 set to review) tweeted these early camera tests of a pink-hued Data (with yellow and orange contacts) and a Geordi stand-in with early VISOR as mentioned in the press release at TrekCore:

With never-before-seen makeup and screen test footage of ... Burton and Spiner trying multiple versions of their iconic design elements such as the VISOR and Data’s makeup.

 

[bullethead]

Wow, that stand-in's hair is horrible.