Star Trek Main Titles

It's the last day of the month. Let's see how my site's BW allotment holds out.



I've posted one version of a recreated first season main title sequence for the original Star Trek series. It's an avi using the DIVX 5.03 codex, and is about 12 mb in size. It's here.

I rendered this at resolution for DVD, so it has a .9 pixel aspect ratio -- it's properly proportioned when I play it back in Premiere, but slightly wide when played on Media Player (maybe there's a setting I'm missing). I'm still learning all of these compression thingies and output formats, so I'm sure that I'm making some basic mistakes somewhere.



There are some things I'm going to go back and re-render, I think -- this is a first assembly, and I can see where certain things don't cut together as well as I'd expected.

Anyway, if you have a fast internet connection or just a lot of patience, I'd appreciate any comments and feedback.

Thanks.

Hey Dennis, I think you did a really wonderful job, there, the first pas toward the planet was spot on, animation wise! I think the orbit seemed a little off, but otherwise you really captured the feel beautifully!

[Andy M]

Great work, I think you've got the feel right,

Andy

Great job!

Something about it seemed off, though... probably because the passes seemed too perfect compared to what we're already familiar with.

Still, this definitely gets a in my book.

[seanr]

That is FABULOUS!!! Nice work!

Thanks.

Here's a new version of the opening starfield -- two actually, one with a different nebula based on an astronomical photo, and one with no nebula. Nebula-free seems to me to be the way to go:

http://www.subspacebbs.com/downloads/starspin.avi

Hmm... I actually like it better with the nebula. It would just be nicer if you'd use the nebula throughout more of the credits instead of just the opening shot. IMHO, of course.

Nebulae are popular these days in space art for several reasons, but they certainly aren't as accurate as the TOS-era portrayal of interstellar space as mostly empty and dark. I kind of don't want to violate TOS' aesthetic beyond a certain point...while the idea of exactly duplicating the original effects and look of the show may not be the way to go, I don't think that making it look too much like everything else being done now is what I want, either.

[General Phoenix]

I like it without the nebula myself - if you use that effect in the beginning, it will look odd that it's not present in the rest of the credit sequence.

Keep it simple but elegant, I say.

Dennis, I checked out your new test avi where you're trying to decide between a nebula and stars. I think the stars work best.

If I may add one tiny little trick, when I've worked with star fields in the past, to deflect attention away from the static starfield background I always find making the background move extremely slowly, or even zooming in on the background extremely slowly, gives just enough of an edge to fool the eye into thinking that absolutely everything is in motion.

That's a good thought, thanks.

Folks have also pointed out problems with the Purple Planet. I was trying to emulate the look of the planet in the original credits -- just in terms of overall color values, rather than detail -- but it comes off looking quite flat and "painted" (someone at TrekBBS said that it looked like a cutout of Talos IV).

So, I've tried to work up something more plausible for the revised version. Here's the version used in the current animation and "Purple Planet 2.0" which I plan to use in the next version for comparison:




If someone wants to link this to the TrekBBS Trek Art topic on this subject, feel free.

I can't dl the video's Dennis (56k modem), but the stills looked GREAT.

Personally, I wouldn't've minded seeing your Phoenix varient Connie in those scenes!

I liked the "old" planet even if it does look painted. I guess it reminds me of something that might've appeared in TMP or Star Wars. The atmophere edge does look better on the second one though. Let me also add another vote for the stars only. Lastly, the Enterprise looks a little cartoonish (rather than reading as a real model or starship) with that lighting it has in the original animation. Are you doing to do anything a little more complex or is that intended? Just curious.

I've uploaded a new version of the first planet fly-in. It's about four seconds, a little under a meg:

http://www.subspacebbs.com/downloads/newflyin.avi

[scaramanga]

Thank god, TOS lives

*notes to self
- model kick ass tos starship in vacation
- create a kick ass movie
- annoy dennis with movie questions :p

[shadowprey]

I think the file centre is down - I so badly want this movie

That's true! I also got an error when i tried it

[Darrell Lawrence]

Thread is only two years old...

[General Phoenix]

It's not in OUR filecenter anyway. Perhaps Dennis could direct you to it over at Subspace BBS.

The enterprise at top of page looks great

Are the links down ? What I can see so far in the images you posted it looks great
I hope to see the AVIs

Originally Posted by inky_pens

Are the links down ? What I can see so far in the images you posted it looks great
I hope to see the AVIs

I second that statement. I have not been able to view any links in two days.