What Do Directors Do?
Tim Russ, Director of Star Trek: Renegades
Tim Russ, who played Tuvoc in Voyager and Deep Space 9, is also a director. He is now working on the pilot of a Star Trek web series, Star Trek: Renegades. He chatted about this with The G & T show and mentioned some fascinating considerations and constraints about directing Star Trek: http://www.gandtshow.com/?p=1944
He mentions that it is the director of the pilot who sets the “look” of the series – that each series has it’s own look that instantly conveys which one you’re seeing. Aha! I have noticed that, but didn’t think about it. In flipping channels, I’d never even briefly mistake a Hawaii Five-O episode for an Star Trek episode. Tim Russ mentions some factors in creating this look. For example, in directing “Living Witness” for Voyager, he had to be careful about camera angles – there were angles that the executive producer hated and would not let into the show!
Tuvoc
Star Trek: Renegades takes place 11 years after Voyager, which lead to some interesting discussions about how things might have changed in those 11 years. Russ said they wanted to look more modern without losing the audience’s understanding of what was happening. You can’t make a weapon look so different that the audience doesn’t realize it essentially is a phaser.
I also wasn’t aware that Paramount, as owner of Star Trek, insists on approving everything using the name or concept. That includes books, graphic novels, toys and other products, the fan-produced movie Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, and the proposed Renegades web series. I found that Lucas does the same with Star Wars. Renegades could have been developed as a separate Sci Fi story line, but as Russ points out, anything Star Trek has such a large built-in fan base.
Wow! It seems directors do a lot more than tell actors where to stand!
CGI or Make-up?
Remember the OB nurse in the beginning of Star Trek 2009? The one with the big eyes?
Are her eyes make-up or CGI?
I wondered how they did that. A friend found an interview with the actress in which she talks about it. Check it out! http://totalscifionline.com/interviews/3512-sonita-henry-doctor-in-space
Spock’s Ears
Getting my own ears at STLV 2009
I’m a sucker for Spock. And for Spock’s ears. Even got a pair of my own at a Star Trek con.
I was delighted to find out more about them from the SFX person who made them for the Star Trek movie, Sam Neill. On his site,Sam talks about first getting asked to do the ears. “You want to make Spock’s ears?” http://sneillfx.com/page4
Sam still makes ears from his original mold! You can even buy your own from him! (I may have to do this.) He shows how they are made and how to apply them. http://sneillfx.com/page10
