Project Profile: Page (1) of 1 - 05/11/07

email article

print page

The original science fiction Star Trek® television series aired more than 40 years ago in 1966. Though the 79 shows that aired ultimately attracted a huge cult following, the initial broadcast of the series was not very well received and was cancelled after a short run. Ultimately, the success of the original series spawned five additional TV series and 11 movies.  The Guinness Book of Records lists Star Trek as having the largest number of spin-offs for any TV show.

Back in the 60s, artists used every trick in the book to bring this Sci-Fi classic to life, but by 2007 technology and the enhanced ability to track shots have provided new opportunities to improve upon the original footage. These days, I work with a team of exceptional artists to apply 2007 technology to this classic series that has ultimately stood the test of time better than anyone could have imagined. Recently, CBS Digital began re-mastering all 79 of the episodes that aired with new visual effects and music. That includes the space ship exteriors, the show opening, galaxy shots, exteriors and background scenes.

© 2007 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved

An ambitious restoration undertaking

One of the primary challenges of recreating all the Star Trek CGI/VFX shots is organizing enormous volumes of detailed information as well as coordination with the 30 people involved on the project. There is a lot to keep track of because we?re creating so many shots. The space ship Enterprise and the other Starships are being replaced with state of the art CGI-created ships. The Enterprise and planets seen in the main title sequence are all being redone, giving them depth and dimension. All the graphics of the galaxy, frequently seen through the window on the Enterprise?s bridge, are revamped. The battle scenes, planets, and ships from other cultures (notably the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers) are being updated. Some of the iconic, flat matte paintings used as backdrops for the strange, new worlds explored by the Enterprise crew are getting a CGI face-lift with atmosphere and lighting.

With all of this work to do, information changes minute-by-minute. Plus, we are tracking huge volumes of very detailed shots.  In TV we don?t have a lot of time.  We?ve created a shared FileMaker Pro 8.5 database for both Mac and PC users on the team, so we can make changes instantly and deal with a huge volume of material and miniscule level of detail. The database is artist-friendly, so there is no need to memorize a manual.

© 2007 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved

We have to manage all the shots to bring the series to life. We?ve created more than 1,800 shots to date for the series?a huge amount considering that the average ?big? movie uses, on average, 400 shots. This literally cannot be done without advanced technology that can track and manage the information on each shot. That?s where FileMaker enters the picture.

Staying organized

Creative producers provide a visual effects breakdown, noting what they want done with each episode. They import this information into the database we created. All artists have the database software on their computers. From there, a shot list is created that becomes the anchor point for each redo of a VFX shot.  Each shot request becomes a record that is added to the database. People add details such as crew assignments and notes about the shot. In the database, there is a master shot list with a thumbnail view of the shot, a description and breakdown, client notes from the breakdown, process notes that detail how to approach the shot, client feedback, and where the shot is in the pipeline (animation, modeling, lighting, etc.).

Things are constantly in flux, and when necessary I can create a new database layout and have it online in minutes. The need to tweak the database occurs frequently so it?s great to have something that?s flexible and easy to use. We have a master shot layout delivery log that goes to our editorial coordinator. When the coordinator wanted a different view of information that was more useful, I created a new, more convenient layout in 10 minutes and had a report on everyone?s desk in 15 minutes. Our database is essential to our ability to keep up in our fast-paced environment.

For me, it?s exciting being part of such an ambitious restoration project, especially for a classic like Star Trek. It is also rewarding working with the exceptionally talented team of artists at CBS Digital. With our database, we can work together as a highly coordinated team and get done what we need to without an elaborate, long learning curve. Our database has made a big difference in the success of this project.

Page: 1