Star Trek TOS fan film Exeter

[spcglider]

Okay everybody,

This is a shameless plug for the guys over at Starship Exeter (www.starshipexeter.com)

PLEASE go there and watch the teaser and Part One of "The Tressaurian Intersection".

I think it is possibly the BEST ST TOS fan film ever made. And that's not just because I did a lot of model and prop work for them. This is really head-and shoulders above... a real cool thing. The production values are amazing.

Like all fan films, the acting could be better and the lighting is always suspect, but the rest is absolutely stunning.

While your'e there, gander at their first show as well... "The Savage Empire". They did an excellent job with a next to nothing budget and managed to keep the feel of the old show.

The next segment for "Tressaurian Intersection should be up in the next few weeks.

Thanks for looking!!!

-Gordon

[Fragmentary]

I'm a huge fan of their work, and I guess yours by extention
The teaser looks great... and did way back in July as well. Any chance you can shed some light on why they're having this incredible delay. I've noticed that in their forum they talk about not talking about it for professional reasons. The words they use to not talk about it makes it sound like some juicy behind the scenes issues.

For those who haven't seen it. Watch the teaser. It may be one of the best hooks on any Trek teaser ever. Real or fan made.

[spcglider]

Here's the REAL poop.

1) There were inter-personal issues with the person who was building all the miniature interiors for the effects shots. He decided he didn't want to play and picked up all his toys and went home, leaving the production in a pretty big lurch.

2) David Weiberg, the guy who volunteered to fill the gap (and was supremely qualified to do so) ended up as a new father in recent months and so his efforts were understandably limited. He's back up and running now, the baby is settled in and all is well with Mom and such.

3) Minnefex took on the job of basically re-creating all of the miniatures that the original fellow now no longer will lend to the show as well as creating a few more to film some unforseen but necessary gap-filling shots (ligatures as george Lucas calls them). So it was starting literally from scratch. For free. I am in the middle of building the LAST of the miniatures for the show... a Starfleet shuttlecraft interior. It is slow going, even for a simple miniature set like this one as I have work getting in the way and real life after that. I expect to be completed on the shuttle interior by the end of the month and then Dave can get the last of the climax insert shots for Part 3.

I'm really sorry that it has taken this long to get the next part posted, and the reason they are being vague about the situation is that they are trying to handle the rift in a professional and courteous manner. No bad-mouthing, no foul play. Just pick up the pieces and keep moving.

That all having been said...

a) The rest of the episode really IS on it's way. I absolutely promise.

b) It WILL be worth the wait. I absolutely promise that too.

-Gordon

[gmd3d]

I love their and your work spcglider .. look forward to watching the episodes when released

[rjandron]

Thanks for the encouraging news Gordon. I've been eagerly waiting for the next installment of Exeter and it's good to know that its worth the wait.

[Darrell Lawrence]

Gordon, a bit of trivia for you.

Dennis Bailey, the CG guy that did the CG Exeter model, runs the Subspace forums, where much Exeter discussion takes place.

Subspace (and Dennis' CG learning skills) originated at my site- 3DG. the same original home to this site

(and for other trivia buffs- Dennis wrote the original "First Contact" episode on TNG)

[spcglider]

Dave sez that Dennis wrote "Tin Man" for TNG and contributed to "First Contact".

So, yep...we know Dennis!

Just had a conversation with Dave about act 2. Its still several weeks away. He says that act 2 is super heavy with CG suff. The rough cut is complete but there's alot of tweaking left to make it right as well as inserting all the CG properly.

I'll keep on him about it. Promise.

-G

[spcglider]

but until then...and I mean this... GO ENJOY ACT ONE!!! Its freakin' GROOVY!!!

trivia: all of the hallway shots that feature no living actors are miniature. I'm so proud!

-Gordon

[Darrell Lawrence]

[Compass]

I love the sets on "Tressaurian Intersection." Also, I really like the acting of the guy who plays the Captain.

P.S. I'm hearing lots of enthusiasm for the episode on a couple of big Star Trek websites.

[spcglider]

The bridge is complete in 360. I cast all the buttons! The rest of the sets were built by Dave with volunteer help. He put those sets together during the day and then they shot at night. He assembled 4 sets in 5 days... can you believe it? If he hadn't decided to drive to Texas for the shoot, they wouldn't have had any other sets than the bridge. He did a lot of pre-production work laying out plans for all the hallways, transporter room, conference room, and that little engineering room up above main engineering. He drew the line at actually building sick bay for them overnight! He said, "you 'll just have to re-write... get rid of sick bay."

Evidently one of the guys who was working on the show decided that he wanted the exeter legacy to ive on , so he's building a permanent space for the bridge set.

And hey, I'm not above telling you to spread the word! Help us keep the excitement going!

There will be a "making of" DVD available for sale at a later date. They obviously can't sell the actual episode since that would be copyright infringement. But they CAN sell a DVD all about them making the fan film! That'll help re-coup production costs.

Thank you for the compliments! I'll be sure to pass them on to Dave!

-G

[Fragmentary]

Thanks for update spcglider.

It's makes the long wait just a little bit easier knowing some of the reasons for it. Not that I ever doubted that they were real or being handled in a very professional way. It's clear just watching what's being done that there is a very unique and talented group of people working on this show. And it really is amazing that it's being done as quickly as it is.

Its fantastic work by everyone, and knowing now exactly what you contributed, I have to say your work may be some of the best of all. And considering all the other projects you have going on and work and real life, you might just win the award for hardest working fan right now.

Feel free to take a weekend off sometime. Well maybe just a Sunday. Or part of the afternoon at least.

[Gemini1999]

Okay....

That was just fantastic! (and a bit frustrating....)

I remember watching the first episode of Exeter and really liking it - I think that it captures the TOS Trek feel perfectly.

From there, I discovered New Voyages and Hidden Frontier (TNG era Trek). I was blown away by the production style of New Voyages, but some of the updated material and effects pulls you out of the "moment" of watching the show. I also admire Hidden Frontier for their CGI VFX and sets, not to mention their excellent use of the green screen filming process.

"The Tressaurian Intersection" was a wonderful re-visit to the world of Exeter and TOS-Style Trek. I think that the production methods are first rate and it really makes you feel right back in 1966 watching TOS Trek. I thought that the sets, VFX, original soundtrack and the production efforts are flawless. I think that my only critique would be some of the costumes - most looked really good, but some, not so much. I will say that the costumes have come a long way since the first episode though.

I can't wait for the rest of this episode to come out! That's the frustrating part....

Best,
Bryan

[spcglider]

TIME OFF??? Who wants to take time off?

The only reason to do that is to rest... and I can do plenty of that when I'm dead.

But seriously... the reason for me to take time off is that I get to work on my own stuff. Exeter is a favor. A very complex and involved one, but a favor nonetheless. Its not really my project.

I work all day long building junk for art directors at advertising agencies that I could give a rat's arse about. When I finally do get time ot myself (like this evening for example) I work on classic Galactica stuff and enjoy the hobby. I have to. Not only am I obsessive-compulsive about building things, I have to keep reminding myself that I REALLY DO like the hobby. It tends to get tarnished by the ad stuff.

Thanks for the kind words about Exeter! I'll be sure to pass it on to the cast and crew!

-Gordon

[Senmut]

I have not been able to get the teasers to open, for over 3 years, now. Different computers, different browsers, same results.
Any cluse?