SOTL: Active Duty! The Collection!

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I had to think about it for a minute, but as incredible as it may seem, the Ships Of The Line calendar is fifteen years old!

We’ve shared some incredible vistas, and marveled at some awe-inspiring starships, and somehow the excitement has not faded. It’s hard to pinpoint precisely what it is that makes the erstwhile saucer\nacelle configuration so endlessly fascinating. The embodiment of humankind at it’s best, the genetic need to explore the unknown, to push that upper right hand corner of the envelope, and in doing so, discover what it means to be human.

 A couple of years back it struck me that we had a storehouse of incredible starship pages that were demanding to be lifted to that next level of cool. So was born Ships Of The Line: Active Duty! The SOTL gang responded enthusiastically. They shook out their files, wound up their starships, and warped us out of orbit. The result was breathtaking. I began posting them on my blog, The Drex Files, and not surprisingly, they were a big hit. 

 About six months back, Matt Boardman assembled a number of these animations, and I posted them for the enjoyment of fans everywhere. When Ian Spelling called me last week about featuring Active Duty! on startrek.com, Jack Marshall and I sat down and expanded on that compilation.

 The fascination surely goes beyond the obvious fun and entertainment of Star Trek, but for now, let’s just bask in that magic “I don’t know what”, which Matt Jefferies first conjured almost fifty years ago. Enjoy Ships Of The Line: Active Duty!

 Doug Drexler

North Hollywood

* Special thanks to our friend, Margaret Clark of Pocket Books, for making it all happen

DTV-05

DTV05

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Shameless

http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/letter-from-lois-lane-to-time-warner-boss/#more-107966

TIME TUNNEL COMPUTERS aka ANSF-Q7 of Air Force SAGE Radar Systems Today

Probably the most beloved bank of TV computers ever, the Time Tunnel’s are alive and well after 44 years of almost constant Hollywood duty. Not only that, they reside at a Hollywood electronic  prop house one quarter mile from my home. Have Camera – Will Travel – Wire Palladin – Hotel Carlton.

Trailer For Trumbull’s 2001 Doc

Can’t wait.

2011 SOTL Closeup – Mark Rademaker– “Enterprise XCV – The Great Experiment”

(Above) Mark Rademaker brings an unrealized classic to life. Click for a good rez!

When Andrew Probert suggested to me that I should create the “Ringship” for the calendar I could only say yes. While I’m used to flashy 24th century stuff, I wanted to prove that no matter the shape it still can look futuristic. My goal from that moment on was to bring this almost 50 year old design of Matt Jefferies back in 2010. I collected a lot of reference material and studied the blueprints until I had the general idea and feel, then I started the modeling work:

Phase 1: Modeling the basic shape:
This was pretty straight forward work, this is also the part where I thought: well this is going to be an easy ride. (Ha! I was so wrong there!)

Phase 2: Modeling the Enviropod:
The “Enviropod” or “command module” is probably one of the more complex shapes that I have done. I created a placeholder for it, and later redid it from scratch. I spent as much time on this single part as I did on the entire basic shape. The fact that there is a modular sensor dome on one side added to the challenge.

Phase 3: Modeling the details:
I always love to add details and because this was a rather “small” ship (approx. 120 meters) I  felt that I really could push this a bit. When I decided to model the panel lines, I knew that I would also need to model the slots that keep the panels onto the ship.
This is the point where you realize that the “easy ride” is not so valid anymore. I added about 2000 slots all over the ship. They are 1×3 centimeters in size, but still visible on the calendar image. Andrew once again gave lots of feedback on all these tiny parts, and that really helped.

Phase 4: Applying paint and texture:
With the modeling phase done it was time to add paint and textures. I asked Mike Okuda if I could use his XCV-330 insignia on the side of the ship and before I knew it I had a new blue version of it in the mail! Thanks Mike, that really made my day! Doug was kind enough to sent me an early Starfleet pennant that I could add onto the neck, it really is a finishing touch. I wanted the rest of the ship to be mainly white and glossy, like porcelain. I also decided to avoid using too much contrast, with exception of the sub light engine. I made it a very dark color to make it look heavy, that way it could counterbalance the long neck.

Phase 5: Environment and post processing:
I have been experimenting with 2 different idea’s for the calendar. One that actually showed the deflector pushing away a lot of tiny debris or a beauty shot near an asteroid. I picked the second option because it would give a better view of the ship itself. The asteroid is 100% artificial, it’s a challenge to create a piece of rock on a computer and make it look good at the resolution of the calendar. Most rocks loose there sense of “crispness” on these formats. I think I experimented for 8 hours to get it the way I wanted. After the final render was done I added some post effects to boost realism a bit.

(Above) Wireframe view of Enterprise XCV, and the Lord of the Rings.

I loved to work on this ship and I want to dedicate this image to Matt Jefferies because without him our universe would not have been the same.

- Mark

Designing for Science Fiction

(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.

Apple knocks it out of the park with the almost alive iPad.

(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?

Propworx Trek Auction Unveiled

Almost three years in the organizing, Alec Peters and his Propworx team have released the auction book for their upcoming  Star Trek Prop and Costume auction.

Regular readers of the drex files know that I turned my collection, acquired after nearly two decades of working on Star Trek, over to Alec  to be made available to fans of the show. That’s a lot of dumpster diving folks! The auction also includes amazing memorabilia from the collections of Mike and Denise Okuda, Rick Sternbach and Marc Zicree. As usual, the Propworx auction book is a collectors item in its own right, and is now available for free download at their site http://startrekauction.blogspot.com/. The book will also be available as an impressive high quality hard copy collectors edition. In the meantime, go to the Propworx site and download your free copy! It’s a fantastic document that all Trek fans will want to add to their archive of Star Trek data! Congrats to Alec and his team (a shout out to graphic designer Damaris Degan) for another great job!

Steve Neil – Submarine Building for Dumb Asses

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Another thing for me to be thankful to this blog for is  rehooking me up with my old friend Steve Neil.

Steve has done it all… makeup artist, CG artist, physical model builder, and RC submarine madman. The above clips from Steve are two of the coolest things I have ever seen.  Steve took the Polar lights 1\350 Enterprise-A kit, and converted it to an RC submarine http://www.sneillfx.com/page16. You’ll be mesmerized. Next is Steve’s astonishing Moebius http://www.sneillfx.com/page12 RC Seaview from “Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea” – WOW! The Seaview looks amazingly at home running submerged!

Be sure and check out the entirety of Steve’ site! It’s a great Sunday afternoon, chock full of fascinating stuff from the mind of Steve Neil! Plus a lot of behind the scenes tidbits I know you guys love! Of particular amusement:  the section entitled “Submarine Building For Dumbasses”. www.sneillfx.com

Dick Smith Update – 01- We Visit Bob and Cathy Burns

(Above) Dick standing in front of the original George Pal’s Time Machine from the 1960 classic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine_%281960_film%29

Last weekend, Dick and I dropped in to visit Bob and Cathy Burns at their home\museum in the San Fernando Valley.  I was aghast that Dick had never visited the science fiction\horror and fantasy Mecca, and delighted to be the one to introduce him to it.  It goes without saying that Bob and Cathy were thrilled to have the makeup master visit them. We had a wonderful afternoon hob knobbing and reminiscing.

By the way, you may remember an early entry where I recount Mike Okuda’s 40th birthday bash held at Bob and Cathy’s house. If not, check it out – http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/mikes-40th-b-day-spectacular/

Story behind The Time Machine – In the early 1970′s, MGM had an auction of their props. Bob attended with $1000 he’s scraped together, with every intention of going home with the Holy Grail, the Time Machine. The price shot up to $4000, way out of his league. Bob was heartsick, and left before the final bid. He later heard it was sold to a traveling show for between 8-10 thousand dollars. In 1975, a friend of Bob’s was in an Orange County thrift shop looking for interesting items when he caught sight of the familiar big dish in the back of the store. The machine was in rough condition, and was missing the chair. Bob made an offer, and finally had the Time Machine. George Pal had given Bob a set of plans of the machine years earlier, and with the help of Dennis Muren, Tom Scherman, Mike Minor, Dorothy Fontana, TV producer Mark Richards, and Lynn Barker, the machine was restored.

(Below) Kindred spirits,  Dick and Bob,  smile for Doug’s drex files roving eye.

Andy And His fabled Delorean Time Machine – On A Mission.

Roads? We don’t need roads, but we could use a helping hand fighting Parkinson’s disease.

One morning, designer Andy Probert woke to find the fabled DeLorean Time Machine in the driveway of his home…

Meet Terry and Oliver Holler who are traveling  through all 50 states to raise awareness and funding for Parkinson’s Research. Their mission is called, ‘To The Future’ and they need our help to find a cure for Parkinson’s disese. 100% of the donations collected will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, through Team Fox. Six years ago, a doctor gave Oliver six months to live, with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. As he tells it, “The news inspired me to accelerate my “bucket list” and within a very short time (and Terry’s support), we did something crazy and impractical. We built our dream car: A DeLorean Time Machine from the movie “Back To The Future.” I’m happy to say that the doctor’s time table was incorrect, (I’m still around, and quite blessed) and we’re sharing the joy the car has brought us with the rest of America and helping cure a disease along the way.”

http://www.tothefuture.org

http://www.michaeljfox.org/

(Below) Terry and Oliver have taken their time machine, and their cause, to the streets.

Jayne – The Hero of Canton.

Dea kept on me until I finally watched Joss Wedon’s “Firefly”. I admit, I kicked and screamed, and squirmed all the way! Cowboys and horses! Bah! Now I am hopelessly hooked. One of the funnest episodes is “Jaynestown”.  Here, Adam Baldwin (Jayne) sings the Ballad of “A Man Called Jayne”. Note the “cunning” hat.

Rest In Peace Ellie Frazetta

Frank Frazetta was known for the raw energy of his work, which defined the field of fantasy art. Ellie Frazetta was his muse. (Above right) Frank and Ellie – Brooklyn, 1954.

I can barely hold a tear back writing this. I am sad and crushed to report that Ellie Frazetta passed away on July 17th after a year long battle with cancer. Ellie was Frank’s life long love. She was as much a part of what made Frank’s work volcanic as Frank himself.

Eleanor Kelly was born in Massachusetts and moved to New York where she married Frank in November, 1956. She acted as his business partner as well as his lifelong companion. Known for her feisty personality as well as her intuitive business acumen, she was instrumental in successfully establishing record prices for Frank’s work throughout her life.

I met Ellie in Stroudsberg, Pennsylvania at a showing of Frank’s work. I couldn’t believe my good fortune to be invited back to the house to meet the master. Although it was life changing to sit and talk with Frazetta himself, Ellie  left an even bigger impression. Strong and beautiful, I knew that this was Frank’s muse. 

She is survived by her husband Frank, her four children, Frank Jr.,Billy, Holly and Heidi, numerous grandchildren, and many friends.

(Below) Ellie painted by Frank, and posing for one of his paintings. 

Fallen Art

Pacal just sent this to me. Mind bendingly strange, disturbing, and amazing. Watch at your own risk.

Movie Magic, Models, and Miniatures

Sent in by denizen Kip!

A Certain Location In The San Fernando Valley

I stay pretty far from Star Wars, but this is when it was still grassroots. Go look at this before George Lucas makes them take it down. This is film history right here (takes a bit to load so be patient!).

http://www.vimeo.com/5494280

Thanks to our buddy John Ellis for this. Show your appreciation by ordering his awesome Steve Canyon DVD : ) 

http://stevecanyondvd.blogspot.com/

Keep In Delorean

Click for a better look.

The BSG CIC

The Combat Information Center.

Here is a change of pace. You’re looking at Galactica’s Combat Information Center, or CIC. What an impressive set to explore with it’s many levels and stations! It is a  sexy conglomeration of newly fabricated items and cleverly implemented WWII-ish surplus, and It really took my breath away the first time that I stood there.

I’ll never forget getting the bad news about Enterprise. We had just gotten the word it had been cancelled. It had been a remarkable run for me.  Constant employment for nearly 17 years! Unheard of in this business. I drove home thinking that maybe this was it. That maybe I wouldn’t work again for years… maybe never. Who knows in this game?

Mike Okuda, The Phaeton, and Nuclear Pulse Propulsion

NASA concept for a nuclear pulse spacecraft. A nuclear pellet is fired from the aft end of the craft and detonated, yielding far more thrust than conventional chemical rockets.

Last week I had mentioned the upcoming Ron Moore pilot “Virtuality”, set to air on June 26th, just a few short weeks away. That thread lead to a spirited discussion as to what might be the propulsion system of the show’s spacecraft, the Phaeton, a NASA style interstellar craft. In fact the Phaeton uses nuclear pulse propulsion, and I’ve asked my good friend Mike if he would explain how it works. Mr. Okuda has seen the Phaeton and witnessed the ship’s propulsion system in action, and he is delighted to elaborate on it for us. Take it away Mike…

Zefram Cochrane notwithstanding, most fans know that real scientists have very little idea how faster-than-light “warp drive” or “hyperdrive,” could actually work, or even if they’re possible.   A lot of slower-than-light technologies seen in stories and films for reaching the stars are more grounded in scientific reality, like lightsails, ramscoops, and generation ships.  Unfortunately, most of them involve extremely long travel times, miniscule payloads, or near-magical breakthroughs in engineering.  (Sometimes all three!)  Present-day rockets are amazing machines, but they have only a tiny fraction of the performance that would be needed to travel to the stars on anything approaching a human timescale.

But there was one incredibly audacious proposal for a propulsion system, using (relatively) off-the-shelf technology that would have been able to send massive payloads to the outer planets, and maybe even to nearby stars.  Nuclear pulse propulsion.

Red Dwarf – Dave Teaches Kryten to Lie

 

Kryten – Oh sir! Don’t you think I’d love to be deceitful, unpleasant and offensive? Those are the human qualities I admire the most!

On one of the other threads we got into talking about the BBC series Red Dwarf. It came to my attention that many of you have never seen the “Small Rouge One”. I’m a Red Dwarf fanatic. Back when I was on DS9, RD was not available in the U.S., and Greg Jein was my source. They found their way to Greg through the RD underground of fans. Some of the funniest moments in science fiction are Red Dwarf moments. I’ve embedded a clip of one of my favorite routines. Enjoy!

Wally Wood’s “My World”

Many of you may not be aware, but MAD Magazine used to be part of a line of comic books in the 1950′s, known as EC. They were among the best comics ever illustrated, and IMO they’ve never been equaled.

When comic books came under fire in the 1950′s during the communist witch hunts, EC’s publisher William M Gaines refused to allow his company’s work to be censored. He discontinued his popular line of comic books… except for one… MAD. Gaines then turned Mad into a magazine so that it would not fall under the jurisdiction of the comics code censorship board. EC fights for freedom of speech! In the 30 odd years Bill published MAD magazine, there was never a single outside advertisement in it. MAD magazine would not be influenced by advertisers in any way shape or form, and it went on to become one of the most hilariously revolutionary publications ever, and with some of the best humorists, and artists in the world. 

Of the EC line, the science fiction comics were my favorites… incredible art, and incredible stories. Ray Bradbury was such a fan of EC, that he allowed the boys to illustrate his stories for something like 50 bucks a pop. He was just delighted to see his work so beautifully realized. What I’ve been dying to show you folks for weeks is one of my all time favorite EC comics drawn by the supernaturally talented Wally Wood. Wally’s name became synonymous with 50’s sci-fi illustration. He was best known for his tenure as a staffer at EC. Some of you already know Wally for his classic Mad stories such as Superduperman, Little Orphan Melvin, and Batboy and Rubin.

Bill Gaines, and Al Feldstein wrote all of the EC science fiction comics. Bill was the “springboard” guy who would fire off ideas until Al got excited, then go off and write it in a matter of hours. Stories were written with specific artists in mind, and Wood was a natural for their science fiction line. “Woody”, as he was known by the EC staffers, would always knock it right out of the park. My all time Wood work is the all time iconic “My World”, written by Al and BIll for Wally.

“My World” has inspired me many, many, many times over the years, and I am delighted… nay, thrilled… to bring it to you. Welcome to ”My World”.

 

Supersize Those Fries! Buckaroo Banzai!

That Buckaroo project was a whole lotta fun. For a while, it seemed like everyone in the graphics department was a volunteer member of the Banzai Institute! Doug did those great sketches, as well as a bunch of cool CGI renderings of Buckaroo’s new underground headquarters (built in an abandoned missile silo) and World Crime League central. Anthony built a miniature Jet Car. Our friend and colleagues at Foundation Imaging did an amazing CGI demo with glimpses of future adventures of Dr. Banzai. Other friends built some amazing props, including a couple of great oscillation overthrusters and a series of potato-energy guns designed by Doug for Dr. Lizardo.

(Above) John Litgow as Dr. Emilio Lizardo, determined to make the “monkeyboys” pay, and  Buckaroo prepares to drive the famous Jet Car through a mountain.

Buckaroo Banzai’s Complex 88

When Mike first approached me about doing some developmental work for a proposed Buckaroo Banzai TV series, he had me at hello. I was stoked. Banzai is offbeat, irreverent, and one of a kind. Once I read the wacky script, “Super Size Those Fries!”, I was nuts for it. Dr. Emilio Lizardo plans to steer the Earth out of it’s orbit like a big sailing ship, powered by the combined energies of the world’s potato fields (remember science class? Getting electricity from a potato? No kidding!). This is Banzai at it’s best. There is no money, says Mike, we’re just trying to give Rick (W.D. Richter) all the ammunition he needs to sell the series. Count me in, Mike! I’m there!

(Above) Buckaroo and his famous oscillation overthruster driven Jet Car. 

For those of you in the know, The Banzai Institute is in New Jersey, but  what most don’t know is that there is a Banzai West, and it inhabits several abandoned missile silos in the Arizona desert. That’s about one of the coolest things I ever heard! let me at it! I checked it out on line, and anyone can buy an abandoned missile silo! Not so crazy!

Click for a better look at the Banzai institute West.

For more Buckaroo at  drex files -

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/the-banzai-trek-connection/

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/the-buckeroo-banzai-that-never-was/

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/supersize-those-fries-buckaroo-banzai/

The Proteus – Rare Shots

Nomenclature: U-91035 Proteus, Experimental Oceanographic. An ocean going research sub miniaturized and pressed into surgical service.

Continuing the fascination with the Proteus, from Fantastic Voyage.

Digging through my archives I came across a studio contact sheet of the full scale sub being built at 2oth Century Fox. You are there as studio construction guys wrestle with the sets distinctive bay windows! I don’t think I’ve r ever seen these anywhere else. Enjoy!