Crimson Tide Filming Miniatures

[redboat219]

David weren't you involved in the production of the subs?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Yeah. Torpedo design. Some choreography consultation. And all of the propellers -- some marathon building sessions in the shop to meet a ridiculous dead-line... the kind of **** that will test any marriage.

Me thinks some of the video's narrative was bull-**** and heavy on the spite. That 'painter' obviously had some scores to settle with the senior behind-the-camera people.

[JHapprich]

Sooo...didn't they break the cardinal rule on painting?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Sooo...didn't they breake the cardinal rule on painting?

During our brief job-hunting effort in Burbank oh, those so many years ago, Ellie and I were told one very important and lasting thing from one of the effects masters of the time, Bob Skotak: "Can't work with you guys, your standard is to please the eye, not the less critical lens of the camera... sorry". Effects guys (most of them, some are indeed masters of the Craft) are good Carpenters but only fair exhibit builders.

To your question (if I'm guess your intention correctly): Painters over-state their work by necessity. If they don't the camera may not pick out the time consuming detailed work, and that's production money down a useless hole.

Ellie and I over the years have restored effects miniatures. We've seen a lot of quick, so-so work. And we've been treated to the very rare example of an effects miniature produced with loving care, by true Artists of the Craft. I'll sum it up here: 'Museum quality' and 'effects miniature' are mutually exclusive terms.

[JHapprich]

Understood, Sir!

Thank you, David!

Jörg

[SubSteve]

A great quote: "I'll sum it up here: 'Museum quality' and 'effects miniature' are mutually exclusive terms."

[Das Boot]

During our brief job-hunting effort in Burbank oh, those so many years ago, Ellie and I were told one very important and lasting thing from one of the effects masters of the time, Bob Skotak: "Can't work with you guys, your standard is to please the eye, not the less critical lens of the camera... sorry". Effects guys (most of them, some are indeed masters of the Craft) are good Carpenters but only fair exhibit builders.

To your question (if I'm guess your intention correctly): Painters over-state their work by necessity. If they don't the camera may not pick out the time consuming detailed work, and that's production money down a useless hole.

Ellie and I over the years have restored effects miniatures. We've seen a lot of quick, so-so work. And we've been treated to the very rare example of an effects miniature produced with loving care, by true Artists of the Craft. I'll sum it up here: 'Museum quality' and 'effects miniature' are mutually exclusive terms .

The exception was the refit Enterprise in STTMP.

• The Aztec Pattern: The surface was covered in a complex geometric grid. Individual panels were sprayed with interference paints—transparent pigments that shift color depending on the viewing angle.
• Interference Colors: Four specific shimmering shades were used for these panels: Blue, Green, Gold, and Red.

The paint was supposed to dazzle the fan, but unfortunately, the complex paint scheme was lost in most of the beauty shots. Instead of getting by, they went out of their way to try to dazzle the enterprise, but it really didn’t work.

[Das Boot]

No rebuttal? Amazing.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

No rebuttal? Amazing.

Paint colors and finishes are a subjective thing -- I prefer not to joust at Windmills.

[Das Boot]

Paint colors and finishes are a subjective thing -- I prefer not to joust at Windmills.

I was passing judgement on the fool who told you that he couldn’t work with you guys, and that your standard was to please the eye. The model makers of STTMP were doing just that.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I was passing judgement on the fool who told you that he couldn’t work with you guys, and that your standard was to please the eye. The model makers of STTMP were doing just that.

That 'fool' was the most grounded, thoughtful, talented, straightforward, and honest guy we ever encountered in the game.

He gave it to us straight! I was crushed; Ellie could hardly contain a squeal of glee (she wanted the security of a Navy retirement check, not the hectic nomadic life of a free-lance effects miniature maker).

That 'fool' spent an hour leafing through our portfolio and grilling us on our experience and expectations. We got the best hearing of any of the effects houses we pitched our services during our one-week trek up and down Burbank and Venus Blvd.

As Lead Man in the Effects Department at New World Pictures, it was Mr. Skotak's job to hire the best hands who could work fast and work cheap. Ellie and I never worked fast, or cheap. Our brand of quality was more than required by the effects houses, and our participation would have cost any employer too much for work that would never present as built, when seen through the gauze of grainy film emulsion. We were square pigs for round holes.

Bob Skotak is nobody's fool. He cut through the bull-**** and gave it to us straight! I like that. Not the answer. I liked the CLARITY!

On the long, three-day drive home, Ellie did her best to mask her relief, and comfort me with words of understanding. Yeah... she was a keeper. A real Trooper.

David

[redboat219]

Yeah. Torpedo design. Some choreography consultation. And all of the propellers --

Didn't "The men in black" pay you a visit?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Like people tell me about my wife, I always said Ellie was too good for you. But anyway, I was just trying to convey, that the special effects teams were not always rush, rush, rush, get things done, cheap and quick. That was the only movie I can think of, that they really put a lot of work into a model. Now, what you’re saying, was prevalent in movies like Alien, Aliens, and so forth. They didn’t have to be precise. One thing I’ve noticed, and please give me your opinion, movies that are bright in color, and have more close-ups, have to be more precise in their paint effects. Star Wars ships were dirty, and that showed up in the movie SF itself. But I go back once again to STTMP. Watch when the Enterprise pulls out of space dock, and all the colors come out and catch the eye. The rest of the movie, not so much, but it was there to see. My bad for calling the man a fool, I thought he was dissing you and Ellie for being too good. Now that I read between the lines, I see what he was getting at, and why you appreciated his candor. I guess you could call it fate, because your life turned out the way it was supposed to. You got your retirement, and you got to play with models too. I’m always amazed at your ability to make a silk purse of a sows ear. I would never have the patience to paint, or the talent, for that matter, the way you do. But I am trying my best, to get this Blueback together, if my stupid hands will just cooperate, and not hurt for three days after I work on stuff.

Fair enough. The movie ENTERPRISE was specifically detailed and painted for exceptionally large format film stock -- film that would capture much more image defining features than stock 35mm stuff. Same was the case with 2001 and a few other big-buck productions. Otherwise, so-so miniatures filled the bill.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Didn't "The men in black" pay you a visit?

Not on that flick. And we were never 'visited'.

But, one of the propellers we built for the DALLAS (the Red October movie) was rejected by the productions 'technical advisor' because of it's sensitive feature (seven-blade, skew-back type). We had to burn the midnight oil to get a five-blade screw to them in time for the second-unit shoot.

Here is some of that work:

[Albacore 569]

Port holes? Never let a Hollywood director near an WW2 or cold war suspense story, except maybe Steven Spielberg or Ron Howard. Let hrits do it. Anyone but. Americans.

I had a man come to my shop to see what rc subs I had to show in a film being filmed with Keanu Reeves in San Francisco. Im sure Keanu is a great cool guy. But the scout or prop agent liked my models, but he said it would be filmed in salt water. (The SF Bay.) I said my models wouldn't do well or may not even function at all in salt water. I said No thanks. Best decision I ever made not to help. Ass holes they are rabid it's all money and tight schedules. and it you're not union forget any name in the credits. **** them.