Gary Hutzel prepares to shoot Meinenger’s DS9 mid-ring bay model at Image G. Note C stand with gangway set up to meet the arriving shuttle.
The Romulan shuttle images drex files ran last month were an unexpected hit. Rooting through the archives last night, I came across a cache of shots that had been lost in a temporal whirlpool. Standby to receive data…
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I snapped this off of Amazing Gary’s video assist. The hangar was an impressive model, with promenade-like balcony, a large lift for conveying small craft, and DS9’s cog-ish airlock doors.
Eureka! What can be better than a good top view to pull templates from?
Having good top shots AND good bottom shots is my vote.
Aft end, and more shots of that crazy standin wall. “Es good for cameera, Jeemy?”
Thanks for these great shots. For some reason I´ve always had a special place in my heart for that design.
As Peter Griffin from Family Guy would say, “That’s freakin’ sweet!”
On a side note, you guys used an awful lot of foam-core models, didn’t you?
>>On a side note, you guys used an awful lot of foam-core models, didn’t you?<<
You only pulled out the big models once you pretty much knew what you needed – Doug
I just love the rear view, making it reminescent of the warbird, intentional I suppose?
Brilliant! That must be the first view we’ve ever had of the underside. Is the model now stored away somewhere or lost? I don’t recall it being auctioned off or put on display in the traveling exhibits like most of the other models have been.
I guarantee you that model is not “lost”… it is sitting in some former Trek producers home. There are several Trek models that were not accounted for and were neither in the Christies auction of 2006 or in the current traveling display, doubt we will ever hear about them again.
You really know how to make a man go moist! That’s just freaking awesome!!
Yah baby! LOVE IT. This is great. Thank You so much for posting these.
Impressive find, thanks for posting it. Great model.
Thanks … really nice. Since I first saw this shuttle I’ve wanted to get a better look at it. This made my day!
Doug, did this shot require any compositing other than the decloaking effect? It looks as if the setup would allow everything to be achieved in camera. Also, what type of camera is that? It seems small enough to be 16mm, but the magazine is pretty wide.
>>Doug, did this shot require any compositing other than the decloaking effect? It looks as if the setup would allow everything to be achieved in camera. Also, what type of camera is that? It seems small enough to be 16mm, but the magazine is pretty wide.<<
Hi LM! It did require compositing. Gary shot every element as it’s own layer… engine lights, cockpit lights, hangar bay lights… everything. That way, when you get into comp, you can adjust any element you want. I’m nearly certain it’s 35mm. The smaller camera would make it easier to get in close – Doug
Shame that model didn’t get used more. It’s a real looker.
Doug: could you clarify the rationale for using miniatures and motion control for such a brief shot? I know that Gary Hutzel preferred motion control at that time and was using it pretty much through season six (as opposed to David Stipes, who alternated with him and preferred CGI), but was it a mere artistic choice (it looked better than CGI), or were there other factors involved? After all, he did use CGI for the Chaffee.
I much prefer the miniature work in DS9, especially for simple shots, but I’m curious about the cost/benefit involved in the choice between CGI and motion control at that time.
Hi Boris! Actually, this shot was not motion control, the camera is on a tripod.
I’ll tell you why Gary held out on CG for so long. When you hire a CGI facility to create your visual effects, it represents a loss of control for the VFX supervisor. Especially for someone like Gary, who is a card carrying DP, and accustomed to shooting his own footage.
When your shots are being created at a facility, you tell them what you want, and when you come back, you hope it looks like what you are expecting. Not only that, the bureaucracy at the facility can be slow moving, and if you need a change, it could take days to get the wheels turning.
That is why The visual effects for Battlestar Galactica, which is Gary’s show, are in house. Gary runs the CGI from top to bottom, without the middleman. Gary Hutzel is one damned amazing guy. Now he get’s his CGI exactly the way he wants it, without any bureaucracy, egos, facility overhead or games. Gary did use some CGI on DS9, but it was always a struggle for him to get what he wanted.
Ultimately, CGI… if you have a set up like Gary… is faster, cheaper, and can look better. The models never wear out, internal lighting never needs to be changed, alterations are a snap, you don’t need a teamster to pick it up from the warehouse and drive it to the stage either. I can go on.
- Doug
>>Gary shot every element as it’s own layer…<<
So each element resides on its own strip of film? That must have required a lot of footage even for such a short shot. How would the compositing have been done? Would the footage have been telecine’d and then composited digitally, or done some other way?
Oh man, you crack me up dude, with the lingo use and quips, Jeemy!
Oh this is JUST TOO COOL! Would you look at that birdie and hanger set! Look at it!
OK. Now look at it some more. 
Again. 
Annnnnd, once more. 
So cool. Thanks dude! And thanks for the follow up info about Gary and his tactics in VFX. Very interesting. Now resume looking at it.
OK.
LLP,
deg
PS.
I have started making a series of 16:9 desktops called STAR TREK HISTORY IN THE MAKING. The top two shots make up my 2nd one. John posted a pic of Datin and gang on the street with E, and that was the first. I thought that would be a one-off, but then i saw these shots, and decided to keep going. Thanks for the great pics Doug!
Text Link: STHITM_01
Text Link: STHITM_02
LLP,
deg
Mighty cool deg! By the way, that shot with Datin was on the wall in the art department. One day Laura Richarz found the spot and took a polaroid of the spot as it looked today (well, today on DS9)
Thanks Doug. And ah cool dude, post ‘em if ya gots ‘em, pretty please eh.
LLP,
deg
always loved this romulan ‘runabout’ if u will. never seen the rear view b4, looks a little like a B5 whitestar. would love o have seen the cockpit.