Drex Files – Orbit One!

I’m gathering stuff for tomorrow. A few fun things too!

I’ve enjoyed The “When Andy Weighed In” thread. Some wonderful observations, and wow… some are just dripping with sarcasm! Sarcasm is an art form! It makes me realize how much I’ve really enjoyed all of you! It’s almost a full year of the drex files now, and man, there is just a giant well of stuff for us lovers to wade into. It feels great. Orbit one!

Be here tomorrow, ’cause the drex files bathysphere just came up from about 9000 feet, and daddy-o, there is some bonafide rarefied coolness!

(Above) Doug and Dorth fighting dinosaurs in the Palm Desert.

Symphony of Science

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Thanks for sending this Maria! Really wonderful!

Especially love seeing Richard Feynman.

SOTL Flashback

“Shoreleave” – SOTL – 2008

SOTL 2010 – On Sale Now – From Simon & Schuster

When Andy Weighed In

I think it’s safe to run this now. Remember back when we were just catching glimpses of the JJ Enterprise (top)? I ran this revision Andy Probert  sent me. To his eye, the movie ship was off balance, and he illustrated what he would do to correct that (bottom). The image created quite a stir, and I took it down. Fascinating.

Taped

Once in a while the graphics department would host a special guest tape worm. The legendary Greg Jein couldn’t resist, and taped up these props we were prepping for set. Taping for tech is an art form all it’s own. These were executed with Okudian precision.

Calling Dick Tracy! 90 – New Case Sunday Double Header!

Master storyteller Chester Gould opens our third Dick Tracy case with Tracy and Sam called to the police bomb disposal range. A suspicious package has been found in a bus station locker, but as you might expect in a Dick Tracy adventure, this is no ordinary bomb…

Steve Canyon – 29

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/the-return-of-steve-canyon/

http://stevecanyondvd.blogspot.com/

A Boy and his Starship

Me and my NX model built especially for me by The FX Company in Ocala, Florida. Pic snapped last night by Mike Okuda.

Dorth and I were lucky enough to partake in our favorite pizza last night with our favorite peeps, Mike and Denise, at Little Tony’s Bella Vista in beautiful downtown Burbank. Some of you know that Little Tony’s was Matt Jefferies favorite Italian joint in the Valley (Didja’ know that whenever you saw the crew on “Enterprise” having pizza, it was always from Little Tony’s?). Afterwards Mike and Nezee dropped over for desert, say hi to Beaky Boy, and to snap this photic sonar reflection of me and the FX Company’s NX model (http://thefxcompany.com/index.html). They did a stunningly great job. The paint is spectacular. I’ll be sure to run some shots of it in the near future.

(Below) Gooch just sent me this shot he took yesterday. That’s mi maestro, makeup master Dick Smith who stopped by for a visit. Since Dick Smith gave me my start in the business, he’s a sort of grandfather to the NX. What a thrill. If you aren’t familiar with Dick Smith, discover what you have been missing here -  http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/dick-smith-retrospect/

Bouncy Banners By Boardman

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Masterful Matt Boardman surprised the old man this week with these banners for the drex files.

Matt! These are freakin’ shiny!

Borg Tactical Cube – Design Phase

On the skids.

It was during my tenure at Foundation Imaging as part of the Voyager VFX team. I remember Rob Bonchune came to me with an assignment. Our producers wanted some design ideas for a new Borg Cube… a battle-cube.  “Rob! It’s a cube!” I laughed. “That’s like being asked to restyle a basketball!”  As much as we enjoy having a laugh at the expense of our masters, it does make you stop and think. I figured that I couldn’t go too wrong, you know what I mean?

Remember Spock on “Spitting Image” with the Rubik’s Cube?

What do you do with a cube? You can armor it. The Borg had just had their collective asses handed to them by Species 8472, so I’d design a flak jacket for a Borg cube. Personally I felt adding anything to the cube that gave it personality was a mistake. I happened to love the idea that the design said absolutely nothing about them, while at the same time, everything. “Doug,” said Rob..”You’re the only guy here who wields a pencil, and the bosses are looking for a few sketches, so have at it!”

Borg Tactical Cube

The Borg Tactical Cube  from Voyager. Variations on a theme.

The Tac Cube was the result of Species 8472 teaching the Borg the meaning of humility. I remember that after so many years of watching the Borg’s relentless advance across the Universe, it was shocking to see them fleeing before an unknown assailant. Who would have thought that one of Trek’s best spaceship designs would be  a cube? A stroke of genius that says it all.

“Mr. Five by Five” -  With the introduction of the Borg, TNG caught fire.

Jörg’s LA Away Mission – Part 4

(Above) Bronson caves… hard to believe that this remote looking cave\canyon combo is just a few minutes from the Paramount main gate.  (Above) Bev and Picard egress the Trek side of the cave.

LA trip – day four

My last day in LA. My plane would leave at 2.30 PM so I had until noon to visit one more shooting location. Originally, I had planned to visit the MTA building and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Monday morning, but as I had squeezed that in on Sunday, I had some spare time for yet another location. But where to go? In comes Larry Nemecek to save the day. He offered to take me to Bronson Canyon to see more than just Batcave. I had always thought Bronson was too far away and that I wouldn’t have enough time to go there, so I never took any screenshots with me. I would have to do this one without any research – this made the experience much more memorable, though.

(Below) This location has literally appeared in hundreds of movies and TV shows.