The Star Trek Thread, 3.0

I think I'm going to start calling them Dick Berman and Dick McCallum. It's not inaccurate.

TNG's third season screencap comparison between SD and HD: http://trekcore.com/blog/2013/03/exclusive-tng-remastered-season-3-blu-ray-hd-preview-stills/

I can't wait to view these episodes.

Never much cared for blu-ray or at least not rushing towards it until seeing these TNG remasters. Looks very good.

Peter Duryea (Jose Tylor) has passed, 1939-2013.

I watched the fan-made PHASE II for the first time ever, with the two-parter BLOOD AND FIRE. Seriously, this would be a pretty awesome series to watch if only the hired real actors. There's so much I like about these projects, and you can tell they're made by people who love their work, but the acting nearly crashes it to the ground. I've never felt so conflicted over a fan project more than this. :shock:

I would agree with that. It's just atrocious given how much is put into production value.

I've been having long conversations with local filmmakers in Louisville about this kind of thing. A number of people around these parts know how to make something that looks good, but it's very hard to find good actors. Good acting training is hard to come by. I'm lucky to have found someone to work with while I'm here in Louisville, and he's also my co-writer and director. It's gotta be really fucking tough in upstate New York.

I point you to Brothers Barbarian, a webseries which I've been in two seasons of so far. It looks great. They have professional people invovled with technical stuff and makeup. They have volunteers who love fantasy so much they come from out of state, and they have Larry Elmore in it, too. And the acting is fucking shit. It's supposed to be a comedy for fuck's sake. These guys are really funny when the camera isn't rolling, and when "action" is called they become robots.



My acting ain't so hot in this because I didn't get a script until very late the night before. No one pays any attention to the acting in these local productions and they don't recognize good acting when they see it. It drives me nuts. The acting is what makes or brakes this stuff, not the fucking orc makeup or the weapons that they spend 10,000 times the amount of attention on.

I don't want to become this:



I just want to do good stuff. Anyway, that's my rant.

It's something I've noticed that amatuer filmmakers are so concerned with just MAKING the movie, just getting shots DONE that they don't think to do second takes or coax better performances out of their actors.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

It's something I've noticed that amatuer filmmakers are so concerned with just MAKING the movie, just getting shots DONE that they don't think to do second takes or coax better performances out of their actors.

In my experience, they don't know how to. I don't want to sound self-important, because it's not like that at all, but acting is just as much a craft as anything else. It's not just saying lines and making facial expressions, but I've worked with precious few low budget filmmakers who appreciate that. Their films would be so much better and get noticed with good acting, but a lot of actors in the town I'm in don't have good training either, especially for naturalistic film acting.

Now I watched their first video, "In Harm's Way", which features William Windom, Malachi Throne, and BarBara Luna. Figured it would be amusing to see them. This feels like true Ed Wood territory where they bring in these actors and write stuff around them so their scenes really don't have much relevancy in the story, they're just thrown in because these filmmakers managed to get them in it but have no clue what to do with them. At least "Blood and Fire" was by David Gerrold, so it was more focused and felt like a true TOS story as opposed to a fan product, despite the acting. I don't think I can watch more unless I get some bourbon.

I could see how that would happen. It's a big reason to go to a good film school -- really learn how to direct actors. The second any director says "okay, on this line I need you to raise your eyebrow and cry", fuck you're in a lot of trouble.

Okay, a plug for the company I'm in: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cramm-Creek-Creations-LLC/237149659643615 Just click "like". They put me as admin on our Facebook page. The head guy, Keith (smart man, Method actor and teacher, worked with Ed Pressman, etc.) and I are really trying to get shit done. Trying to write a genuinely good short film (and wrap up a feature) in a town where most every indie filmmaker wants to make stupid horror movies. I want to make a few shorts to act in, and to make a reel out of, in time for my return to LA. And practice my hand at filmmaking. I'm already going slightly Hitchcock with my first script.

Speaking of "In Harm's Way", I've got a DVDrip of the actual movie and plan to watch it.

Back to Trek, I really do wish I had the complete TOS scores. I hope the PHASE II peeps will be smart enough to use the music. Shit, they should move to Louisville and let me play Chekov.

They made some really good use of music in "Blood and Fire" (though I think some of it was from the rerecorded soundtracks, which was okay). As I said elsewhere, I'm just hoping they release volumes like they did for Ron Jones music. I think they waited a whole year before doing that, hopefully pretty soon for TOS. Earlier today I was jogging, listening to the first three volumes of the soundtracks that got released in the 90s. Great stuff, would be nice to get some great Trek music again.

Jogging to "Amok Time" must be cool.

I know when I get the complete TOS music someday I'll jog for a couple of hours covering a good amount of music. I did that with the first five volumes of Ron Jones music awhile back, four hours straight. Need to do that more often. More TOS music would be a delight.

TOS had a great score. I have always especially loved Spock's bass guitar theme.

My favorite cues are probably from "The Naked Time", such as "Party Time" and especially "Captain's Wig".

Can't find any uploads of the soundtrack alone, but it's in this scene: https://youtu.be/S-S4JpRkvUE?t=1m37s

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

TOS had a great score. I have always especially loved Spock's bass guitar theme.

From "Amok Time"? I love that.

I also love the score to "The Empath".

And this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMT2vZm2tbc&list=PL1A59A5F6B62AF4E1

http://trekcore.com/blog/2013/03/tng-s3-blus-david-rappaport-the-most-toys-footage-will-be-included/

The news of S3 blu just keeps getting better. I was always curious to see the Rappaport footage. I like the final version of the episode just fine and thought Saul Rubinek did a great job as Fajo, so it will be interesting to see the Rappaport footage finally revealed.

New interview with Ron Moore, in which he says he's open to the idea of returning to Trek. It would really be a great time if he was ever given a shot to showrun a new Trek TV series. Abrams can keep doing what he wants with the movies, but I'm more interested in the return to TV, as Moore says it's embedded in Trek's DNA.

http://www.startrek.com/article/you-ask-the-qs-ronald-d-moore-answers-part-1
http://www.startrek.com/article/you-ask-the-qs-ronald-d-moore-answers-part-2

TrekCore review on S3 blu-ray: http://trekcore.com/blog/2013/04/review-star-trek-the-next-generation-season-3-blu-ray/

I have finished my chronological run of All Trek and can say with certainty that I have seen every episode of every show.

Nemesis review up in the morning but I will say it was better than I remembered it and fucking Shakespeare compared to Abrams Trek.

TNG Season 4 blu-ray ad, emphasizing the family stories.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

I have finished my chronological run of All Trek and can say with certainty that I have seen every episode of every show.

Nemesis review up in the morning but I will say it was better than I remembered it and fucking Shakespeare compared to Abrams Trek.

I'm starting to look upon it more favourably with every passing day. Though always primarily through Goldsmith's score.

The score is doing some really heavy lifting to sell it.