Every time I see that unused shot of the Enterprise and Botany Bay together, it gets my blood boiling. That's an amazing and ground-breaking view, more interesting and complex than the ones that wound up in the final episode.
I'm constantly amazed at how clean these shots are and how many really good ones didn't make it into any episodes. If the Enterprise's appearance had been more consistent over those 3 years of TOS, most If not all of this footage could've easily been used for some of the Remastered episodes. It's also worth noting how detailed those models actually were even if it wasn't always visible in the aired episodes. You can really see the weathering on the Botany Bay here
Audio issues aside, always great to see these unused shots. You can tell why a few are used: the model is jittering, tech's head is behind the model and unexplained shadows.
Thanks Brian. I've actually decided to stop using the background music after listening again to this video. It sounds good on my master, but I'm pretty sure that somehow the tracks were equalized at some point in the editing and post processing renderings. I love the concept of the low music in the background.... But in reality, it is kind a jarring when I listen to it directly from RUclips. Thanks for reaching out to me on this.
Something (or someone) dropped the Voice-Over track volume to near-nothing on the second-half of this video. The Music/VO Mix was fine at the beginning half of the presentation.
At 8:30 the Film Effects slate indicates L Dunn. That would be Linwood Dunn, the inventor of the optical printer. Lin worked on King Kong, Citizen Kane and many other great films.
I absolutely LOVE behind the scenes effects footage, the raw stuff before the garbage mattes are applied to cover up the people and the studio and everything but the ship and the blue screen. I especially love seeing the people lying on the floor turning a simple lever to turn the ship, or turning to look at camera to ask " are we done? ", and seeing the shadow of the support or the camera slide over the model to explain why this shot or that had to be redone. Question: where did that unpainted shuttle 173 ( 9:58- 10:06 ) come from?
For some reason, when the smaller miniature was delivered by AMT, they had painted the 173 on the side. The shown here was immediately filmed to give Desilu the chance to work on how they would process the opticals without having to wait until Richard Datin did the final detailing that we all now know and love. Due to time constraints, when they filmed the "wrap around" footage for the Menagerie they chose to use the earlier 173 footage. Resulting in it not being correct in the Menagerie. Other than that, we never saw the 173 numbers again.
I could swear the shot beginning at 3:02 was used in the outro segment (just before end credits) of at least one episode. "The Savage Curtain" perhaps? It may have been a different episode but, it always stuck with me because the angle made for such a majestic shot of the Enterprise leaving orbit near the planet's northern pole. Maybe I am misremembering. 🤔
The combination of geometric shapes, circles, cylinders, etc, created a dynamic ship, creating interest in any viewing angle. I had a model in the 70’s of this ship. Now, I have a new ST-TOS Enterprise in my “stash,” that I want to paint and decal much closer to the original, 11 foot model.
The visual effects and model work of ST were a cut above most TV shows of that era anyway. This is interesting footage, thankyou. I had no idea the models were controlled by a technician on the ground moving wheels and gears. I had assumed it was a totally static model and the cameraman and dolly crew were the ones moving around the model. Also interesting the technician wasn't required to wear a blue bodysuit against the bluescreen background.
Wouldn't be surprised if bluescreen reflection was the main reason why some of the shots went unused. 5:27 - Oh, man, that looks so cinematic. Too bad CGI team behind "remastered" version didn't used that as a ref...
Loved the video. But, no mention was made of Cinema Research, another visual effects provider to the original Star Trek series. It was located just down the block and around the corner from Linwood Dunn's Film Effects studio.
The rear of the Botany Bay should have been shot as the 'front' of that ship. Much more interesting, more futuristic design and you don't see the submarine looking end of the model.
I think it's a combination of things... since the model is fixed and the camera is on dolly, it could be partly the camera wobbling as it rolls along the track, but it could be in part misalignment of the film during compositing.
so, in "the old days" they didn't do multiple passes? (one for lights one for a matte, etc.) was this the limit of editing , or cameras or some combo I didn't think of?
No because they couldn’t replicate the pass since it was done by hand. It was Star Wars that we first started to see computer controlled motion control. Which then allowed multiple passes
Back in the 60s, the whole "chroma key" compositing was still being worked out as there were man different people doing many different versions, and some of those versions were better than others. Just look at the effects in TOS, the space 1999, and then the Gerry Anderson stuff. They are all using different techniques and have a very different look and feel to them. The multipass mastering that they used in TNG was exactly the kind of thing you are referring to. It's just that almost 2 decades had passed between TOS and TNG.
@@cbspock1701it was actually 2OO1: A Space Odyssey that first used a very crude motion control system involving a worm gear that allowed for multiple passes (these were actually done in camera, for Star Wars they were composited in an optical printer). Star Wars motion control was computer controlled which allowed for complex moves of the camera that simulated the models moving which were actually stationary.
Looks that way, doesn’t it? Lol. Actually, I’m one of the very few Star Trek content creators who get CBS/Paramount/Skydance to approve my video packages before they are opened to the public. In this particular case, I got their approval of this entire video so that I couldn’t be hit with any potential copyright issues. They are remarkably efficient at approving my fair use request. This video took them only about 8hrs. It’s usually much longer than that.
Absolutely not! I also preferred the grill version of the end caps. The sphere made no sense to me as it implies that there was some kind of dedicated device contained in the sphere.
Jim I just called your phone number, got no answer. I love your content. Let me know if you ever want an extra editor to put together your videos. Also you have incredible access to a really great library of vfx. My question is, does the original film of this stuff still exist?
Yes. These scenes were released on this bluray amzn.to/4jSnQuX. And there is literally a ton more raw film that they have. But I am not sure what plans they have to release any of it. Maybe at the 60th anniversary next year?
Its interesting that all the shots of the 11 foot model are credited to various companies but are all in the same stage. Thats because only one of these companies, Film Effects of Hollywood had a large stage for filming models. Lin Dunn told me that in the 60s there was no one company that could do that many different kinds of effects every week for a TV series on a regular schedule. They also all had their specialties and so there would be one main company and then the work would be subcontracted out. That’s why you see just one credit in the series.But it was being farmed out all over town and it was always a mad dash to get things done on time. Which is why sometimes there are missing phaser beams, etc..
Very true. The only footage ever shot at Anderson was the flyover the saucer shot for The Cage. That’s also the only time she was filmed against a black background I don’t think that any shooting footage was ever done after that by anyone other than Film Effects. But the other folks were also farmed out to in order to complete the post process once the model footage was done. And as a result, each house was recognized in the credits; even though the model itself wasn’t filmed by anyone other than Film Effects. I also have seen some of the various small object shots (bouys, etc) against a black background… Which leads me to believe that Anderson may have done some smaller object-related shots. Jim
Gorgeous iconic model, but typically bland for the time?. Meanwhile kit-bashing techniques were being developed big time on Gerry Andersons productions that would be taken on to 2001 ASO and StarWars later..
The model isn't bland. If you've never seen it up close, it was actually more detailed than you can see as a lot of it got washed out by the studio lights and post-production processes. Also, the smooth hull is an actual DESIGN feature by Matt Jefferies. His thinking being that everything important would be on the inside where the crews could service in a shirt sleeve environment. Gene Roddenberry and Richard Datin (model builder) pushed back against that by adding detail to the 3 foot and 11 foot models, to make them more believable and interesting for weekly audiences.
@@Starshipsforever I take your point but it was atypically at the time with the Irwin Allen models and Japanese sci-fi movie miniatures.. A detailed panelled paintjob would have added more scale as in STTMP..
@ The 11 footer had as part of the Production Version, among other things, grid panels stenciled in on the upper and lower saucer, multiple shades on the hull and other features, such as the blue leading edge on the dorsal, individual segments on the hanger bay doors, and a weathering effect paint job. Oh and the iconic spinning domes and power lights in the nacelles. There's other details, like the inspection door and vent panels. The Pilot and 2nd Pilot versions did not have these features, and the footage of them was used interspersed with the Production version throughout the series.
The smoothness of Star Trek was always a visual element that I LOVED that set it apart from the garbage 'steampunk' look - JJ Abrams did no favors and brought in way too many SW's elements. Can you imagine the Grey Lady all greebled out with tank and battleship towers and tracks? Yuck.
I think that was part of the design esthetic meant to represent the future. Consider also the design esthetic of the interiors and starfleet uniforms... also very clean.
Every time I see that unused shot of the Enterprise and Botany Bay together, it gets my blood boiling. That's an amazing and ground-breaking view, more interesting and complex than the ones that wound up in the final episode.
Amazingly well preserved and clear shots.
I'm constantly amazed at how clean these shots are and how many really good ones didn't make it into any episodes. If the Enterprise's appearance had been more consistent over those 3 years of TOS, most If not all of this footage could've easily been used for some of the Remastered episodes. It's also worth noting how detailed those models actually were even if it wasn't always visible in the aired episodes. You can really see the weathering on the Botany Bay here
Audio issues aside, always great to see these unused shots. You can tell why a few are used: the model is jittering, tech's head is behind the model and unexplained shadows.
Hey Jim, love your videos. Hard to hear your voice over in the second half of the video. Music is drowning it out.
Thanks Brian. I've actually decided to stop using the background music after listening again to this video. It sounds good on my master, but I'm pretty sure that somehow the tracks were equalized at some point in the editing and post processing renderings. I love the concept of the low music in the background.... But in reality, it is kind a jarring when I listen to it directly from RUclips. Thanks for reaching out to me on this.
Something (or someone) dropped the Voice-Over track volume to near-nothing on the second-half of this video. The Music/VO Mix was fine at the beginning half of the presentation.
At 8:30 the Film Effects slate indicates L Dunn. That would be Linwood Dunn, the inventor of the optical printer. Lin worked on King Kong, Citizen Kane and many other great films.
Fun video! I was surprised at the quality of the clips. Thanks for sharing.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing.
Keep that History alive and Keep On Trekkin’!
Great footage, Jim. Well done. Wasn't a portion of the element at the 4:16 mark used in "Tomorrow is Yesterday?"
I absolutely LOVE behind the scenes effects footage, the raw stuff before the garbage mattes are applied to cover up the people and the studio and everything but the ship and the blue screen. I especially love seeing the people lying on the floor turning a simple lever to turn the ship, or turning to look at camera to ask " are we done? ", and seeing the shadow of the support or the camera slide over the model to explain why this shot or that had to be redone. Question: where did that unpainted shuttle 173 ( 9:58- 10:06 ) come from?
For some reason, when the smaller miniature was delivered by AMT, they had painted the 173 on the side. The shown here was immediately filmed to give Desilu the chance to work on how they would process the opticals without having to wait until Richard Datin did the final detailing that we all now know and love. Due to time constraints, when they filmed the "wrap around" footage for the Menagerie they chose to use the earlier 173 footage. Resulting in it not being correct in the Menagerie. Other than that, we never saw the 173 numbers again.
I could swear the shot beginning at 3:02 was used in the outro segment (just before end credits) of at least one episode. "The Savage Curtain" perhaps?
It may have been a different episode but, it always stuck with me because the angle made for such a majestic shot of the Enterprise leaving orbit near the planet's northern pole.
Maybe I am misremembering. 🤔
The combination of geometric shapes, circles, cylinders, etc, created a dynamic ship, creating interest in any viewing angle.
I had a model in the 70’s of this ship. Now, I have a new ST-TOS Enterprise in my “stash,” that I want to paint and decal much closer to the original, 11 foot model.
The visual effects and model work of ST were a cut above most TV shows of that era anyway. This is interesting footage, thankyou. I had no idea the models were controlled by a technician on the ground moving wheels and gears. I had assumed it was a totally static model and the cameraman and dolly crew were the ones moving around the model. Also interesting the technician wasn't required to wear a blue bodysuit against the bluescreen background.
That was a beautiful miniature.
Wonderful, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Single pass blue screen shots without multi-pass motion control. Crazy!
Wouldn't be surprised if bluescreen reflection was the main reason why some of the shots went unused.
5:27 - Oh, man, that looks so cinematic. Too bad CGI team behind "remastered" version didn't used that as a ref...
I'd rather watch just scenes of them filming the old Enterprise a dozen times over, rather than the last 15 years of "Star Trek."
Very cool! Lost your VO half-way thru, but visuals are excellent!
Sorry about that. I seriously underestimated the volume adjustments during the post production mixes.
I love the Roddenberry Vault Blu-ray set
I do too, I wish that they would continue on to release more. There's literally a TON more of these clips in their possession.
There really should be a "U.S.S. Roddenberry".
1:50 anyone else ever notice before this that the 2 windows go out near the shuttle bay?
Loved the video. But, no mention was made of Cinema Research, another visual effects provider to the original Star Trek series. It was located just down the block and around the corner from Linwood Dunn's Film Effects studio.
I see that Cinema Research went defunct in 2000, after its founder and CEO died. But it was big-time when it was going.
Those spheres on the end look lit
are these shots from the Roddenberry Vault set that was released eight years ago?
Did anyone else notice the “Fonz” working next to the enterprise?
.
.
.
@2:48
I do think they needed to update the left to right ENTERPRISE flyby and the flying away to the void of space after the model was updated
Awesome!! Thanks!!
The rear of the Botany Bay should have been shot as the 'front' of that ship. Much more interesting, more futuristic design and you don't see the submarine looking end of the model.
At 2:55, I’ve always notice that the enterprise “sways” as it moves away. Never knew where the mistake came from
I think it's a combination of things... since the model is fixed and the camera is on dolly, it could be partly the camera wobbling as it rolls along the track, but it could be in part misalignment of the film during compositing.
07:00 That guy is now and forever known as "hand crank guy". Uncredited no more.
Kind of funny how many of these shots feature a stage technician manipulating the model in some way.
so, in "the old days" they didn't do multiple passes? (one for lights one for a matte, etc.) was this the limit of editing , or cameras or some combo I didn't think of?
No because they couldn’t replicate the pass since it was done by hand. It was Star Wars that we first started to see computer controlled motion control. Which then allowed multiple passes
No motion control available in those days.
Back in the 60s, the whole "chroma key" compositing was still being worked out as there were man different people doing many different versions, and some of those versions were better than others. Just look at the effects in TOS, the space 1999, and then the Gerry Anderson stuff. They are all using different techniques and have a very different look and feel to them.
The multipass mastering that they used in TNG was exactly the kind of thing you are referring to. It's just that almost 2 decades had passed between TOS and TNG.
@@cbspock1701it was actually 2OO1: A Space Odyssey that first used a very crude motion control system involving a worm gear that allowed for multiple passes (these were actually done in camera, for Star Wars they were composited in an optical printer). Star Wars motion control was computer controlled which allowed for complex moves of the camera that simulated the models moving which were actually stationary.
Great video, but music to loud can't hear what you're saying
Ahhh, seems like you stole a VHS 25th Annivetsary Star Trek Add for your intro.
Looks that way, doesn’t it? Lol. Actually, I’m one of the very few Star Trek content creators who get CBS/Paramount/Skydance to approve my video packages before they are opened to the public. In this particular case, I got their approval of this entire video so that I couldn’t be hit with any potential copyright issues. They are remarkably efficient at approving my fair use request. This video took them only about 8hrs. It’s usually much longer than that.
Am I in the minority that loves the original grill engines? Never really liked the "bulb" version..
Absolutely not! I also preferred the grill version of the end caps. The sphere made no sense to me as it implies that there was some kind of dedicated device contained in the sphere.
Never liked those “bubbles” added
Jim I just called your phone number, got no answer. I love your content. Let me know if you ever want an extra editor to put together your videos. Also you have incredible access to a really great library of vfx. My question is, does the original film of this stuff still exist?
Yes. These scenes were released on this bluray amzn.to/4jSnQuX. And there is literally a ton more raw film that they have. But I am not sure what plans they have to release any of it. Maybe at the 60th anniversary next year?
Its interesting that all the shots of the 11 foot model are credited to various companies but are all in the same stage.
Thats because only one of these companies, Film Effects of Hollywood had a large stage for filming models. Lin Dunn told me that in the 60s there was no one company that could do that many different kinds of effects every week for a TV series on a regular schedule. They also all had their specialties and so there would be one main company and then the work would be subcontracted out. That’s why you see just one credit in the series.But it was being farmed out all over town and it was always a mad dash to get things done on time. Which is why sometimes there are missing phaser beams, etc..
Very true. The only footage ever shot at Anderson was the flyover the saucer shot for The Cage. That’s also the only time she was filmed against a black background I don’t think that any shooting footage was ever done after that by anyone other than Film Effects. But the other folks were also farmed out to in order to complete the post process once the model footage was done. And as a result, each house was recognized in the credits; even though the model itself wasn’t filmed by anyone other than Film Effects. I also have seen some of the various small object shots (bouys, etc) against a black background… Which leads me to believe that Anderson may have done some smaller object-related shots. Jim
Excellent comment. I wasn't aware of that. Thanks.
Gorgeous iconic model, but typically bland for the time?. Meanwhile kit-bashing techniques were being developed big time on Gerry Andersons productions that would be taken on to 2001 ASO and StarWars later..
The model isn't bland. If you've never seen it up close, it was actually more detailed than you can see as a lot of it got washed out by the studio lights and post-production processes.
Also, the smooth hull is an actual DESIGN feature by Matt Jefferies. His thinking being that everything important would be on the inside where the crews could service in a shirt sleeve environment. Gene Roddenberry and Richard Datin (model builder) pushed back against that by adding detail to the 3 foot and 11 foot models, to make them more believable and interesting for weekly audiences.
@@Starshipsforever I take your point but it was atypically at the time with the Irwin Allen models and Japanese sci-fi movie miniatures.. A detailed panelled paintjob would have added more scale as in STTMP..
@ The 11 footer had as part of the Production Version, among other things, grid panels stenciled in on the upper and lower saucer, multiple shades on the hull and other features, such as the blue leading edge on the dorsal, individual segments on the hanger bay doors, and a weathering effect paint job. Oh and the iconic spinning domes and power lights in the nacelles.
There's other details, like the inspection door and vent panels.
The Pilot and 2nd Pilot versions did not have these features, and the footage of them was used interspersed with the Production version throughout the series.
The smoothness of Star Trek was always a visual element that I LOVED that set it apart from the garbage 'steampunk' look - JJ Abrams did no favors and brought in way too many SW's elements. Can you imagine the Grey Lady all greebled out with tank and battleship towers and tracks? Yuck.
I think that was part of the design esthetic meant to represent the future. Consider also the design esthetic of the interiors and starfleet uniforms... also very clean.