Two guys walk into a bar. They sit right at the bar proper in front of the big screen television to watch a football match of note. The subject, other than what is happening on the view-screen in front of them, beyond their pints of beer, is the state of film and television in Toronto. The business has really changed, especially for my mate and former coworker who works in post-production here in the city. The technology is scary; how it is redefining job positions -- often dissolving what used to be job positions -- and general reconfiguring the way 'we' do things.
Since my buddy and I go back more than a few years now we talked about something that has come up in the past more than a few times. The original Star Trek television series. The discussion was fairly brief but focused on the visual effects redos done via digital imaging: CGI. To be honest I've never had a problem with the replacements -- whatever turns one on -- but, the few times I have watched the 'new' show, it is the "popping out of the viewing experience" and feeling that I'm watching a live-action show inter-cut with clips from a computer game, that does not impress me... or my technical friend: "The CG isn't even particularly good."
As I staggered home from that bar on College Street last week, I got thinking; remembering: Years ago I read a magazine article recounting an exhibition featuring the original U.S.S. Enterprise studio model. In April of 1972, three years after Star Trek was terminated by NBC, the "eleven-footer" (actually 134 inches) was put on display at Golden West College, in Huntington Beach, California. The magazine profiling the model's profiling had a few pictures from the event. One showed a snaking lineup of folk waiting to get their glimpse. What made an impression on me when I saw that photograph was the vast age range in the visitors; from children right up to seniors.
The event was organized by Craig O. Thompson, whom had worked as an "office manager" in post-production on Star Trek, and in 1971 became staff at Golden West College; which is how he was able to 'swing' borrowing the studio prop and display it at the school.
That fictitious space vessel, the original, is my favourite, bar none.
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Have a flash-back: here
And another: here
Get drunk: here
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