My pals at Quantum Mechanix just sent me the DRADIS screen for their upcoming and mind-blowing 18″ Viper Mk II miniature. These guys do the best stuff out there. Be sure to visit their web site!
This DRADIS screen is an enhanced OLED display that measures just .79″ wide (20mm) and can display 65K colors at 96×64 pixel resolution.
Because that’s when we return with another full day of posts! Back during the construction of Enterprise, and the departure of Voyager, Mike and I video documented set construction. Next time around, Jack and I will be editing the footage down into video-bytes for the drex files. Don’t miss it! – Doug
“Enterprise NX-01 – Back and Packin’” – Drexler\Drolet
2011 Ships of The Line Calendar from Pocket Books – On Sale August!
Sketches I provided to our mad modeler, the internationally handsome Pierre Drolet, to finish off the NX-01. Pierre built the original final hero model for the series at Foundation Imaging. For the last five years we’ve had the fun of working together on BSG\Caprica.
(Above) The always impressive Malachi Throne. Don’t you love this guy? My god, what a voice, what a presence!
On Memorial Day, Dorth and I threw a BBQ in the backyard and invited three of our favorite people, who incidentally are three of our favorite actors… and three of yours as well… Malachi Throne, BarBara Luna, and Mike Forest. You know, I always thought I had a pretty decent eye, but when you have faces like these to work with you just can’t take a bad picture. Enjoy a few of my snaps…
(Below) Two of my favorite obsessions, Luna and Dorth shine for the camera.
Thanks to John Ellis for keeping these scans coming! Get caught up on John’s efforts to restore the classic “Steve Canyon” television show -
http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/the-return-of-steve-canyon/
(Above) Caprica City at dusk from Graystone Industries.
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A few months after Caprica premiered, we caught the attention of “Rum”, Sweden’s leading design and architectural magazine. Writer Nicklas Alicki was fascinated with the science fiction mindset that it takes to design shows like Trek, Galactica, and Caprica. What follows are our thoughts on the subject, illustrated with stunning matte paintings created by our genius Davey Morton.
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Gary Hutzel – Visual Effects Supervisior – Battlestar Galactica\Caprica\Star Trek
What were the biggest influences in the design of the starships in Battlestar Galactica?
For the Cylon ships such as the Resurrection ship, the Hub, and now (in Caprica), Greystone Industries headquarters, Santiago Calatrava was a principle inspiration. The colonial fleet was obviously very strongly based on the original series designs from the 70′s, and in some cases, were exact duplicates of the originals.
New designs such as the Basestars, Raiders, and Mark 7 Vipers had their own unique heritage each stemming from a different source. The Basestars were based on two idea’s – one was that the ship’s shape should be an easily recognized “logo” representing the Cylon millitary. In this case an “X” and “Y”. As originally conceived by the Mini-Series Director (Michael Rymer), the Cylons represented the feminine aspect of the conflict (sensitive and artistic), while the Colonists represented the male (war like and brutish). My idea was that the Basestar is the military symbol of the X and Y chromosomes. Continue reading ‘Designing for Science Fiction’
(Above) Our friend Jane Lynch burst onto the scene in the hit movie “Best in Show”. Lately she is just a smash on the television phenomenon “Glee”. Dorothy and I first met Jane ten years ago at Becky Bonar’s birthday party (some of you will remember Becky as Dr. MacGregor in the New Voyages episode “In Harm’s Way”). I was official party videographer and was asking everyone what it is that makes the Goddess Becky so special. Check the above clip of me putting the question to Jane, and see the sparkle that has made her a hit. By the way, the fellow Jane is talking to at the head of the clip is Jerry Houser. Some of you may remember Jerry from “The Summer of 42″, and “Slapshot”. Jerry is also the voice of teenaged Bam-Bam from “The Flintstones”.
(Above) It was at Becky’s party that Dorth and I began our friendship with Robert David Hall and his wife Judy. Dave had just gotten the part on CSI, and here he is explaining to me his character does on the show. What a sweet guy. He has no idea what a big hit he is about to become a part of. That’s Becky introducing Dorth and I to Dave and Judy.
(Below) Dave is also a wonderfully talented musician. Here he is performing on “The Late Late Show” with Craig Ferguson”. By the way, Ken on the harp is none other than Ken Deifik of “Ken and Becky”, or as Jane likes to say: “Kecky”.
(Above) The Enterprise J was a throw-away, but in spite of only being seen briefly on a monitor, it has developed it’s own cult following.
I was digging around looking for something else, when I found my very first concept sketches of the Enterprise J. There is nothing as immediate as picking up a stick with a piece of graphite embedded in it, and pulling the trigger on an impulse. With two days before a production meeting you have to think fast and not obsess… especially since I wanted Herman to be able to show a rendered animation of the ship in flight. So! On you mark, get set…
(Above) Bang! The J cracks out of quantum warp dwarfing the NX. This was the very first sketch. There are so many ways to interpret a loose drawing like this. Looking at it years later, it creates a cascade of new ideas about how to finish the model. If we had a few weeks, it would have finalized differently. As it was, the model was bashed out in a matter of hours. I really like this sketch and it’s energy.
(Below) A slightly different study of the underside, with warp engines arching upward. It’s very organic, and once again, energetic.
(Below) Top view. There is often a sense of whimsy to my sketches. I see that in the foreshortened primary hull. The faster the ship the more foreshortened.
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For more on the J -
http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/enterprise-j-search-redux/
http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/enterprise-j-search/
2007-2008 BSG Visual Effects Department Swag
Gary loves to hand out posters and stuff to visitors. It’s almost impossible to find anything BSG oriented out there, so folks are always delighted. Here is a poster I put together using one of Pierre’s cool renders of the “Razor” original Cylon, facing off with it’s towering descendant.
Click for the full deal.
We just can’t help it.
Voyager always drove us nuts. At the end of 7 years of hell, the ship always looked it just pulled out of dry dock. On BSG, Gary and the team were given a lot of latitude by Ron Moore and David Eick, so Galactica wore every scar of every battle. The ship, just like the characters, was ground down without mercy. What we’re looking at here is the Galactica at the end of the third season. We always thought that the Voyager should have sprung apart like the “Bluesmobile” at the end of the “Blues Brothers”… just holding on long enough to complete it’s mission. We got to do that on Galactica. When the ship makes it’s final jump it nearly comes apart at the seams… sexytime.
(Above) Samples of Andy Probert’s new ap for the Apple iPad.
I am not a Mac evangelist, nor am I a PC evangelist. No platform is perfect, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I use the platform that works best for what I’m up to. When I am at work at the visual effects office we use PC’s, as they deliver more bang for our buck, but lately when I am reading a book, the newspaper, or just surfing the web, you will find me with an iPad. Talk about futuristic. Who needs flying cars when you can have one of these? It’s the living incarnation of our Star Trek PADD. The iPad is sleek, smart, fast, clever, and stacked. There are thousands of aps, many of them free at the Apple ap store. If you are a lover of science fiction design, search “Andy Probert” and download the amazing one’s new E-book, “Concept 101 – The Worlds of Probert”. In addition. I found an astonishing program called “Star Walk” and had myself an epiphany.
Watch the quicktime below and see Drexler babble like a fool over “Star Walk”. Anyone have a Taser?
(Above) Looking very much like the tip of a nasty barbed spear, the Kriosian warship from “Enterprise”
Welcome back for another full day of posts! Plenty of interesting stuff ahead, including BSG\Caprica, the full reveal of the NX-01.5, newly discovered Enterprise J concept sketches, and more. For the kickoff: the Kriosian Battlecruiser from “Precious Cargo”. It is another re-use of the Akritirian ship from “The Chute” and even still features the Akritirian logo on its hull. The hull color was changed this time and blue hull markings were added. I can let you have it for 60,000 solar credits.
My testimonial for TruFocal glasses. So simple, so clever, so sci-fi\steampunk. Glasses with adjustable focal length like a camera! Bonus! Hear Beaker in the background “urking”.
Dayton Ward waxes nostalgic about the “Great 70s Trek Drought”, and his monthly ration of fan musings found in our first of it’s kind publication, the Star Trek Poster Book.
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