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Rangers Final Cut

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Dylan Neal

VIP
Well at long last I got to see the final cut just submitted to the studio and network. Let's see where do I start...

I would have to say that Rangers is much more of a thrill ride than Enterprise, so all those that found the new trek a little boring will certainly get their adreneline fix. The pace is quick and I did not find my attention wandering (of course being an actor in the thing has a little to do with that as well I think
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).

I think for the most part the CGI is extremely good, particularly some exteriors. Personally I prefer models when it comes to spacecraft but I understand budget constraints and the tradition of B5. I know Joe and Doug are very, very pleased with the work of GVFX, there's some very good work here.
I'm sure there will be nominations.

In regard to performances you guys are the barometer of that. It's already been mentioned how performers grow into their roles over time, so all I can say is if you don't like something we did, just give us time. Personally I think we did a great job and I'm a very tough critic.
You all can let the spoo fly after you've seen it.
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If you like B5 music I can't imagine how you would be disappointed. Christopher does a great job and we've even got a neat opening montage sequence.

I guess I could keep going on but that would spoil the fun. Overall I am very pleased. The only things that caught my eye are actor things about myself which is what all actors do anyway. Andreas by the way is amazing as always, what a fun performance.

Michael did a great job of directing and the editing was terrific, a film is always made or broken in the editing room. I think everyone will enjoy the pace and excitement this movie brings. I've already heard the rumors down here in L.A. about how some studio people think this show blows the doors off of Enterprise - I'm no longer worried, they're very different shows.

So that's it for now. I'm sure Oct 8th will have some fun eye candy for us, get the vcr's revved up.
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Cheers,

Dylan

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*Slips Dylan a C-Note*

I'd appreciate it if you'd send me that copy we talked about...
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Sheridan: Are you trying to cheer me up?
Ivanova: No sir, wouldn't dream of it.
Sheridan: Good, I hate being cheered up. It's depressing.
Ivanova: So in that case we're all going to die horrible, painful, lingering deaths.
Sheridan: Thank you, I feel so much better now.
 
I eagerly await.
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"No, they never end as tales," said Frodo. "But the people in them come, and go when their part's ended. Our part will end later - or sooner." - Frodo to Sam in "The Stairs of Cirith Ungol" The Two Towers, The Lord of The Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
 
Thanks for the run down Dylan...
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"When it is time, come to this place, call our name, we will be here" -Walkers of Sigma957
 
Thanks for the tip! There has been speculation about what will or won't be the "special announcement" on Monday Oct. 8th.
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Hope it's good news.

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"I do not believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense,
reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."-- Galileo
 
Sweet... thanx alot Dylan, can you tell us how the new ships look?
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A proud member of the Wind Swords.
"War Is Life And Death Is The Only True Peace"
 
Thanks for the info, Dylan.

One of the difference between Rangers and Enterprise is that Enterprise doesn't really have to prove anything. It's almost guaranteed a seven year run, sight unseen. "So what if the first ep is slow? We know we have time to develop the show later." Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, if you have that luxury.

Rangers, on the other hand, has to really impress viewers right off the bat. I'm glad to hear it grabbed your attention.

You heard the new music, too??? Oh, the torment!
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Sounds promising, overall. Can't wait!
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"We are all Kosh."
 
Thank you Dylan, my fears, although far fetched as they may be, have been overcome. I am happy to hear that the cutting room floor does not include the best scenes.

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Aye Captain! Thanks for the heads up.
I was a little worried when you posted that message last week about Enterprise. I forgot that you missed the screening a few weeks ago.

So I take it that it looks a little better on film than it did when you on the set?

And conventional ship models are cool, but they're becoming obsolete. Enterprise, by the way, is completely CGI, as were the last few years of Voyager, and Star Trek: Insurrection.

But Ron Thornton and JMS really got the ball rolling until it was safe for those Trek slackers to come on in (of course "The Last Starfighter" was REALLY REALLY first).






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"When something we value is destroyed, we rebuild it. If it's destroyed again we rebuild it again. And again, and again, and again. Until it stays. "
~Jeffrey Sinclair
 
I'm glad that you liked it, Dylan. Now I really can't wait to see it!

What to do until January...what to do...
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Tammy

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"We're in here! Can anyone hear us?"
"I hear you." [giggle, laugh]
"In here!"
"We are here." [giggle, laugh]
-- Londo and G'Kar in Babylon 5:"Convictions"

Tammy's Station
http://community.webtv.net/gkarfan/TammysStation
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Sweet... thanx alot Dylan, can you tell us how the new ships look? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well I can't spoil the surprise. You already know the Liandra is a small ship and that the ship David Martell does not get is much larger. I have to admit I'm not particularly fond of the new enemy ships, part of that model vs. cgi debate. On the other hand, some of the coolest FX involve following ships while travelling in the jumpgates (I don't know what to call it since they don't say warp speed in B5 do they?)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>I am happy to hear that the cutting room floor does not include the best scenes. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

In MOW's you never lose whole scenes because there's not that much material and money to fool around with. At most it's little snippets here and there for the sake of pace or helping a performance.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>So I take it that it looks a little better on film than it did when you on the set? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The sets always looked good and the dailies proved how good the final cut was going to be. My earlier comments were about how much more money Enterprise had. I will say that Doug knows how to stretch a dollar for for every cent it's worth, I think the results are impressive for the budget if nothing else.

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Dylan-

Hyperspace.
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"Blows the doors off of Enterprise," you say? Which studio execs? The ones that can get you a series, hopefully?
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I always say that it's not the budget you have, but the brains behind the budget. That's the rule in community theater, and it seems to be the rule in things where money actually is lavished upon projects in amounts that would feed small Third World countries...

Right, since I have to work all day tomorrow, who's going to forward me a copy of the stuff they're going to show on Rangers?

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Channe, Freelance Writer Extraordinaire, the next JMS, neo-academic, President of the Unofficial Society For The Appreciation Of Captain Martel, and keeper of the Sacred Flame Of The Madrecasa.
 
Woo!!!!!!
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Thanks for the good news Dylan!
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I am eagerly awaiting seeing you and the othe cast members in action!
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If you say the movie is kick-ass, than I believe you. Plus I am a big fan of Franke's B5 music, so I am looking forward to the music for the movie as well.
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**Watches the purple wombats do showtunes around his salad bar.** Visit my salad bar forum at www.b5rangers.net
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by channe:

Right, since I have to work all day tomorrow, who's going to forward me a copy of the stuff they're going to show on Rangers?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You seem to be getting a little ahead of yourself.
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The Rangers announcement is on Monday, not tomorrow (Sunday).


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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dylan Neal:
I have to admit I'm not particularly fond of the new enemy ships, part of that model vs. cgi debate.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I've always prefered CGI to models... On tight budgets, neither look particularly real, but CGI allows for much more interesting and complex scenes. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>On the other hand, some of the coolest FX involve following ships while travelling in the jumpgates (I don't know what to call it since they don't say warp speed in B5 do they?)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hyperspace - a strange and voletile dimension where all distances are much shorter than in normal space. It's hard to navigate though, and most ships need to stay on narrow signal "beacons" that lead from one gate to another, or they risk getting premanently lost.

You'll be saying a lot of "Jump to hyperspace" / "Jump to normal space" if the series is ordered
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.

(And, no, Star Wars didn't invent it. As far as I've been able to tell, it's actually mathematical term dating back mid 1800s.) <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>I will say that Doug knows how to stretch a dollar for for every cent it's worth, I think the results are impressive for the budget if nothing else.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>That's alway's been one of B5's strenghts... Most people would never have guessed that it had nearly half of the average Trek budget (not countig the extra expense Trek gave it's pilots).

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You are not entitled to your own opinion. You are only entitled to your own informed opinion.
-- Harlan Ellison qouting Gustave Flaubert


[This message has been edited by drakh (edited October 06, 2001).]
 
Sounds like it will be a good movie.
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Now how do we get to see the trailer in the UK.
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Andrew Swallow
 
Well, Drakh...Since I am the Navigation officer of the "Liandra" (also communications/translations)...I can assure you that my expertise really comes into play when I make my calculations for the jump to light-speed, either by travelling through open space or...via epsilon jump gate!

I like to refer to my job (Navigations) as a chess game player...always needing to be a few steps ahead of the game...calculating what obstacles may be directly ahead of the Liandra's path...and adjusting the course accordingly...I am constantly adjusting the Liandra's course...never taking my eyes off the control console...

The last thing I want happening is making a wrong calculation, and piloting the ship into an asteroid or some large object...infact...at the speed that I normally navigate the Liandra...a small penny sized object can do alot of damage to the hull...

The Liandra does have an auto-pilot mode...and can manoeuvre through small distances on its' own...(if I have to take my eyes off the controls briefly) but for the most part...I helm the navigation controls and guide it through whatever decisions my calculations materialize...and of course relative to the Captain's orders...

Another feature of the Liandra is that I can also pilot the ship from remote control...for example, when we touch down on a planet to do some exploring...I can navigate the ship from where-ever I am on the ground...(similiar to the ship seen in 'ALIENS')...this allows me to keep with the group on foot...and keep the Liandra incognito...

The ship is designed to get in and out of situations efficiently...stealth...convert...

Cheers! -Kitaro Sasaki-



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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dylan Neal:
Well at long last I got to see the final cut just submitted to the studio and network. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lucky bastard
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And that goes for the widescreen remark as well
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A lil' question that depends on how much you've seen of the original B5 series. In the new flick, is the lighting improved contra the old series? I saw the first trailer and did see an improvement but there wasn't enough shots enough for me to conclude anything. Personally I've never really liked the sets' lighting except for certain scenes in which it looked good. In the pilot they used Vera lights but they are about the most expensive lighting rigs you can get because not only do you have to rent the equipment but you also have to hire a specialist who knows the equipment in and out and to make sure it is used properly due to the extremely costly lights -which BTW are incredible. Anyway, they used that in the pilot but could not use it in the series because of the enourmous costs and a low budget and you could clearly see a difference in the quality of the sets used once the series started. So I'm wondering if attention was put on the lighting of the movie's sets and should it get the go ahead for becoming a series if they're gonna use the same lighting for the series as the movie?

I know, it's not the ordinary question but something I pay a lot of attention to in movies and television productions so I'm asking since I'm actually excited about a silly thing as lighting in the show
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No matter, I'm looking forward to this flick a lot just like everyone else!!
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And thanks for the heads up!
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Thomas Banner
Diverse 3D
 
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