In March 1978, Paramount assembled the largest press conference held at the studio since the 1950s to announce that Wise would direct a $15 million film adaptation of the original television series. [18], The original Star Trek television series ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1969 on NBC.
[54]:7989 The crew encountered difficulty in transferring the quarter-inch (0.64cm) tapes used for creating the sounds to the 35mm film used for the final prints; while the film was to be released with Dolby sound, Serafine found it was easier to mix the sounds without regard to format and add the specific format after, during the later transfer to 35mm. As Paramount executives' interest in the film began to wane, Roddenberry, backed by fan letters, applied pressure to the studio. [10]:232 Issues with the wormhole sequences caused further delays. [15]:87, The Enterprise engine room was redesigned while keeping consistent with the theory that the interior appearance had to match the corresponding area visible in exterior views of the starship. Visitors included the press, fan leaders, friends of the cast and crew, and actors such as Clint Eastwood, Tony Curtis, Robin Williams and Mel Brooks. Trumbull was confident that he could get the work done without a loss of quality despite a reputation for missing deadlines because of his perfectionism. "We begged to be fired."
Ambient noise such as the buzz of bridge controls were added to enhance certain scenes. Transparencies of the film's sets were inserted behind some windows, and as jokes, some featured Probert, other production staff members, and Mickey Mouse. The paintings were combined with live action after a selected area of the frame was matted out; the blue Earth sky over Yellowstone, for example was replaced with a red-hued Vulcan landscape. [15]:85, Wise asked Harold Michelson to be the film's production designer, and Michelson was put to work on finishing the incomplete Phase II sets. Industrial designer Syd Mead was hired to visualize a new version of the mammoth craft.
[15]:193. Even better maybe. The seller was convicted of stealing a trade secret, fined $750, and sentenced to two years' probation. A 2ft model spaceman created for the shot was used in the drydock sequence and Spock's spacewalk.
Or if it really is great, will we like those humans who do defeat it? By October 1976, Robert Silverberg had been signed to work on the screenplay along with a second writer, John D. F. Black, whose treatment featured a black hole that threatened to consume all of existence. In contrast, almost every action on the Klingon bridge made noise to reflect the aliens' harsh aesthetic[54]:797 While much of the effects were created using digital synthesizers, acoustic recordings were used as well. [6]:6870, The planet Vulcan setting was created using a mixture of on-location photography at Minerva Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park and set recreation. Diller planned on a new Star Trek series forming the cornerstone for a new television network. [56]:9 Barrett suggests that with the Star Trek feature films this attitude of not addressing religious issues shifted. Magicam also produced the orbital dry dock seen during the Enterprise's first appearance in the film. The bottom part of the statue miniature was represented by a 16-foot-high (4.9m) fiberglass foot. Starfleet Command assigns Enterprise to intercept the cloud entity, as the ship is the only one within range, requiring its new systems to be tested in transit. [102] Godfrey called the effects "stunning", but conceded that they threatened to overpower the story two-thirds of the way into the film.
Editor Todd Ramsay and assistants spent principal photography syncing film and audio tracks. Securing permission for filming the scenes was difficult in the middle of the summer tourist season, but the Parks Department acquiesced so long as the crew remained on the boardwalks to prevent damage to geological formations. Collins described Khambatta as very patient and professional while her scalp was shaved and treated for up to two hours each day. [34] Trumbull had completed Close Encounters but his plan for a full feature had been canceled by Paramount, possibly as punishment for passing on Star Trek. Cole and Povill rented an oscilloscope for a day and filmed its distortions.
[40], Goldsmith was influenced by the style of the romantic, sweeping music of Star Wars. [15]:177, The computer console explosion that causes the transporter malfunction was simulated using Brillo Pads. Other loops came from Long Beach Hospital, the University of California at San Diego, and experimental computer labs in New Mexico. A few small ceremonies were performed before photography began; Roddenberry gave Wise his baseball cap, a gift from the captain of the nuclear carrier Enterprise. Roddenberry had insisted that the technology aboard the Enterprise be grounded in established science and scientific theories. [87] Overall, the film grossed $139 million worldwide. [9][31] The models were filmed in multiple passes and composited together in post-production; multiple passes with only the model's lighting running were added to the original pass for the final look. Minor also made a trip and returned to create a large painting depicting how the scene might look. Filming began that August and concluded the following January. Though Paramount was loath to abandon its work on the film, Roddenberry wanted to bring many of the production staff from the original series to work on the new show, titled Star Trek: Phase II. Rawlins, production manager Lindsley Parsons Jr., and Katzenberg were all tasked with keeping things moving as fast as possible and keeping the budget under control; every hour on stage cost the production $4000. The designer began with the bridge, which had nearly been completed. [49], The score to Star Trek: The Motion Picture went on to garner Goldsmith nominations for the Oscars, Golden Globe and Saturn awards. Wise, who had worked with the composer for The Sand Pebbles, replied "Hell, no. Effects artist Richard Yuricich acted as a liaison between Abel and Paramount. I wanted everybody to buy into the beauty of space, and the beauty of their mission, and the beauty of the Enterprise itself, and just have everybody get out of their way and let that happen, which is something I really learned with Kubrick and 2001: Stop talking for a while, and let it all flow. At the same time, the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind showed Paramount that Star Wars' success at the box office could be repeated. Everyone realizes humans are the Creator.
After the show's cancellation, owner Paramount Pictures hoped to recoup their production losses by selling the syndication rights.
Each costume had the shoes built into the pant leg to further the futuristic look. Before transmitting all its information, V'Ger insists that the "Creator" come in person to finish the sequence. More than 100 such paintings were used. [63] The marketing was part of a coordinated approach by Paramount and its parent conglomerate Gulf+Western to create a sustained Star Trek product line. [71] It added roughly 12minutes to the film. [15]:934, Another large construction task was the V'ger set, referred to by the production staff as "the Coliseum" or "the microwave wok". To save money, construction coordinator Gene Kelley struck sets with his own crew immediately after filming, lest Paramount charge the production to have the sets dismantled. The Motion Picture likewise received technical consultation from NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at California Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as individuals such as former astronaut Rusty Schweickart and the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
A total of 15 of the devices were made for the film. [15]:130, Fred Phillips, the original designer of Spock's Vulcan ears, served as The Motion Picture's makeup artist. On August 8, the day after production began at Paramount, an 11-person second unit left for Yellowstone.
The Klingon cruiser's lighting was so dim that there was no way to make them bright enough on film. It is the first installment in the Star Trek film series, and stars the cast of the original television series. The Class A designs were double-stitched in gabardine and featured gold braid designating rank.
While the team planned on compositing multiple passes to provide physical movement to the cloud shots, Trumbull felt that it detracted from the sense of scale, and so small animations were subtly introduced in the final product. [23], The first draft of the completed script was not finished until March 1, 1977, and it was described as "a script by committee" and rejected by the studio a few weeks later. [43][44] It was created by musician Craig Huxley, who played a small role in an episode of the original television series. On film the engine room appeared hundreds of feet long, but the set was actually only 40 feet (12m) in length. The authorship of the book was debated for a time, with incorrect rumors in the 1980s that it was actually. [36]:90[46] The rush to finish the rest of the film impacted the score. As new effects were added, Abel increased their bid by $750,000, and Roddenberry suggested that the effects costs and schedules be reexamined.
[29]:8 Dykstra and his 60-person production house Apogee Company were subcontracted to Trumbull. Weldon hid steel wool inside the console and attached an arc welder to operate by remote control when the actor pulled a wire. Feeling it was "physically impossible" to produce a script that satisfied all parties, they left the project by mutual consent on March 18, 1977. )[34] Creative differences grew between Abel and Associates and the Paramount production team;[15]:204 Wise reportedly became angry during a viewing of Abel's completed effects, of which the studio decided only one was usable. [54]:796, As all the sound elements such as dubbed lines or background noise came together, they were classified into three divisions: A Effects, B Effects, and C Effects. [n 1] Weldon was planning on retiring after 42years of effects work, but his wife urged him to take on Star Trek because she thought he did not have enough to do. [19]:1647 He added a sealed control room that would protect operators from the powerful forces at work. The first step of preparation involved analyzing the script in the number, duration, and type of effects.
Stowmar's footage was exhausted only a few weeks into filming, and it became clear that new monitor films would be needed faster than an outside supplier could deliver them. Released in North America on December 7, 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture received mixed reviews, many of which faulted it for a lack of action scenes and over-reliance on special effects. One of the ships was NASA's own Enterprise, added per Roddenberry's request: Some fans have suggested that our new Enterprise should carry a plaque somewhere which commemorates the fact it was named after the first space shuttle launched from Earth in 1970s. Canby wrote that the film "owes more to [Trumbull, Dykstra and Michelson] than it does to the director, the writers or even the producer". [15]:160 The seats were covered in girdle material, used because of its stretching capacity and ability to be easily dyed. [88] The Motion Picture earned $17 million within a week. [47] The edition runs 136minutes, about four minutes longer than the original release. Citing his experience, Kirk uses his authority to take command of the ship, angering Captain Willard Decker, who has been overseeing the refit as its new commanding officer. [29]:11 The torpedo effects were simulated by shooting a laser through a piece of crystal mounted on a rotating rod after experiments with Tesla coils proved insufficient. I loved it, but it's a fairy tale of princes and knights in another galaxy. The prop came with a hefty $4000 price tag; to save money, the lights were dropped, reducing the size of the phaser by a third. Events such as Enterprise bridge viewscreen activation were kept silent to provide a more comfortable atmosphere. "When you stop and think about it, space is a very romantic thought. ""You have the guts to tell me that?!
The object turns out to be a super-advanced computer, the remains of a scheming race who were cast out of their dimension. Who is the story's hero anyway? Wise, Kline, and Abel had been unable to agree on how to photograph the sequence, and the result was a poorly designed and ungainly effect that Trumbull was convinced was disruptive to the plot and would have cost millions to fix. When Ellison presented his idea, an executive suggested that Ellison read Chariots of the Gods? Gene Siskel felt the film "teeter[ed] towards being a crashing bore" whenever Khambatta was not on screen,[19]:155158and Jack Kroll of Newsweek felt that she had the most memorable entrance in the film. Goldsmith heard it and immediately decided to use it for V'Ger's cues. From 1976 until the completion of the film Puttkamer provided the writers, producer, and director with memos on everything technical in the script;[15]:1503 the scientist reviewed every line in the script, and was unpaid for his assistance. The technology was improbable, the science impossible. Working from sketch artist Maurice Zuberano's concepts, Wise would judge if they were on the right track.
[6]:845 The next bridge scenes to be filmed after the wormhole sequence, Enterprise's approach to V'Ger and the machine's resulting attack, were postponed for two weeks so that the special effects for the scene could be planned and implemented, and the engine room scenes could be shot.
Most of the models in The Motion Picture were created by Magicam, a Paramount subsidiary. The set was 24 feet (7.3m) high, decorated with 107 pieces of custom-designed furniture, and packed with 300 people for filming. "[30], During the rewrite of the final scenes, the studio executives clashed with Roddenberry about the script's ending, believing that the concept of a living machine was too far-fetched. Below a large viewing screen on one end of the set was a series of art panels containing illustrations of previous ships bearing the name Enterprise. Weldon prepared an ammonia and acetic acid solution that was touched to Koenig's sleeve, causing it to smoke. [15]:159 When Weldon was hired, many of the effects had already been started or completed by Rugg; it was up to Weldon to complete more complex and higher-budgeted effects for the motion picture. [19]:56. [27], By August 9, the production was already a full day behind schedule. Despite being relieved of nearly half the effects work, it became clear by early 1979 that Abel and Associates would not be able to complete the remainder on time. Godfrey's only concern was that the reunion of the old cast threatened to make casual viewers who had never seen Star Trek feel like uninvited guests. The completed model could be supported at one of five possible points as each photographic angle required. [101] Conversely, Arnold felt that the acting of the main cast (Shatner in particular) was poor; "Shatner portrays Kirk as such a supercilious old twit that one rather wishes he'd been left behind that desk", he wrote. [29]:5964, Even after the change in effects companies, Yuricich continued to provide many of the matte paintings used in the film, having previously worked on The Day the Earth Stood Still, Ben-Hur, North by Northwest and Logan's Run. To recreate the appearance of the swirling eddies of water in the real Yellowstone, a combination of evaporated milk, white poster paint, and water was poured into the set's pools. The same effect was recolored and used for the Klingons and the Enterprise; the aliens' torpedoes glowed red while the "good guys" had blue-colored weaponry. [15]:856 The wattage of the light bulbs beneath the plastic console buttons was reduced from 25watts to 6watts after the generated heat began melting the controls. Star Trek and The Black Hole were the only feature films to use an overture from the end of 1979 until 2000 (with Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark). Each ear was made of latex and other ingredients blended together in a kitchen mixer, then baked for six hours. [15]:36 When the television series was cancelled and plans for a film put into place, new sets were needed for the large 70 mm film format. A plywood base was built on metal platforms to create stone silhouettes, reinforced with chicken wire. The set was designed and fabricated in four and a half weeks, and was filmable from all angles; parts of the set were designed to pull away for better camera access at the center. [15]:51 Wise had seen only a few Star Trek episodes, so Paramount gave him about a dozen to watch. Double shifts around the clock were required to finish the effect on time. [79], The Director's Edition was far better received by critics than the original 1979 release, with some considering the edit to have subsequently turned the film into one of the series' best. [20] This first draft, The God Thing,[7]:62 featured a grounded Admiral Kirk assembling the old crew on the refitted Enterprise to clash with a godlike entity many miles across, hurtling towards Earth. Cole, Minor, and another production designer, Rick Sternbach, worked together with Povill to devise faster ways of shooting new footage. In the film, the bottom third of the frames were composed of miniature stairs, rocks, bits of red glass and a Vulcan statue. The director carried the fresh print of the film to the world premiere,[47][9] held at the K-B MacArthur Theater in Washington, D.C. Roddenberry, Wise, and the principal cast attended the function, which also served as an invitational benefit for the scholarship and youth education fund of the National Space Club.
[6]:57 The shoot dragged on so long that it became a running joke for cast members to try and top each other with wormhole-related puns.
The script prescribed a heavy emphasis on lighting, with spiraling and blinding white lights. The writers began to adapt "In Thy Image" into a film script, but it was not completed until four months after production commenced. Khambatta had no qualms about shaving her head at first, but began worrying if her hair would grow back properly. [19]:155158.
[55]:142 When Apollo suggests that humans need a new pantheon of gods, Kirk dismisses the idea with the words, "We find the one quite sufficient." Kirk wins out, the entity returns to its dimension, and the Enterprise crew resumes their voyages. [106] Kroll, Martin, and Arnold agreed that the effects were not able to carry the film or gloss over its other deficiencies: "I'm not sure that Trumbull & Co. have succeeded in pulling the philosophic chestnuts of Roddenberry and his co-writers out of the fire", Arnold wrote. [85] A 4K version of the directors cut was released on the Paramount+ streaming service, and will later release in 2022 on physical media. Should be hired now while he is cheap and humble." Its final production cost ballooned to approximately $44 million, and it earned $139 million worldwide, short of studio expectations but enough for Paramount to propose a less expensive sequel. [102] David Denby of New York magazine, wrote that the slow movement of ships through space was "no longer surprising and elegant" after films such as 2001, and that much of the action consisted of the crew's reacting to things occurring on the viewscreen, which he considered to be "like watching someone else watch television". He thought that Enterprise should self-illuminate when traveling years from any source of light. [101][107][109], James Berardinelli, reviewing the film in 1996, felt that the pace dragged and the plot bore too close a resemblance to the original series episode "The Changeling", but considered the start and end of the film to be strong. [54]:846, According to Michele and Duncan Barrett, Roddenberry had a decidedly negative view of religion that was reflected in the Star Trek television series episodes; in the episode "Who Mourns for Adonais? Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley delivered their final lines at 4:50 pm. Adam hired artist Ralph McQuarrie, fresh off the yet to be released Star Wars. A piece of aluminum foil was placed around Koenig's arm, covered by a protective pad and then hidden by the uniform sleeve.
[15]:211, Trumbull said that Wise and the studio gave him "a tremendous amount of creative freedom"[31] despite being hired after the completion of nearly all the principal photography. Spock would save his friend, and the two would proceed through V'ger. Fletcher's first task was to create new, less conspicuous uniforms. McDonald's sold specially designed Star Trek Happy Meals. The bridge, for example, was lit with a low density of light to make the console monitors display better. [84] The Motion Picture was remastered in 1080p high definition. Dennis Clark (Comes a Horseman) was invited to rewrite the script and to include Spock, but he disliked Roddenberry, who demanded sole credit. [36]:89, Goldsmith scored The Motion Picture over a period of three to four months, a relatively relaxed schedule compared to typical production, but time pressures resulted in Goldsmith bringing on colleagues to assist in the work. "Into the V'Ger maw with Douglass Trumbull", "Star Trekking at Apogee with John Dykstra". [8] With the studio's acceptance of this treatment, Roddenberry immediately stopped work on other projects to refocus on Star Trek, and the screenwriters and Isenberg were deluged with grateful fan mail. This is an intriguing idea. [19]:155158 The popularity of the syndicated Star Trek caused Paramount and Roddenberry to begin developing the film in May 1975. His list included Edward Anhalt, James Goldman, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Ernest Lehman, and Robert Bloch. [64] The Motion Picture novel started Pocket Books' Star Trek book franchise, which produced 18consecutive bestsellers within a decade. The result was a list of 34 names, none of whom were chosen to pen the script. The scene was finally completed on August 24, while the transporter scenes were being filmed at the same time on the same soundstage. [61][62] Toys included action figures, ship models, and a variety of watches, phaser mockups and communicators. Scenes were rewritten so often it became necessary to note on script pages the hour of the revision. [5] The Motion Picture was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Art Direction (Harold Michelson, Joseph R. Jennings, Leon Harris, John Vallone and Linda DeScenna), Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Score. [109] "[Khambatta] is sympathetic enough to make one hope she'll have a chance to show less skin and more hair in future films", Godfrey wrote. Assistant director Danny McCauley was responsible for collaborating with unit production manager Phil Rawlins to finalize shooting orders and assigning extras. [15]:163, On January 26, 1979, the film finally wrapped after 125 days. All six films in the set have 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio. [20] The studio decided to turn the project over to the television division, reasoning that since the roots of the franchise lay in television, the writers would be able to develop the right script. Probert also replaced the Phase II ship weapons tube with a twin launcher torpedo deck and added elements such as features for a separating saucer and landing pads that were never utilized on any film featuring the model.
[54]:7989 The crew encountered difficulty in transferring the quarter-inch (0.64cm) tapes used for creating the sounds to the 35mm film used for the final prints; while the film was to be released with Dolby sound, Serafine found it was easier to mix the sounds without regard to format and add the specific format after, during the later transfer to 35mm. As Paramount executives' interest in the film began to wane, Roddenberry, backed by fan letters, applied pressure to the studio. [10]:232 Issues with the wormhole sequences caused further delays. [15]:87, The Enterprise engine room was redesigned while keeping consistent with the theory that the interior appearance had to match the corresponding area visible in exterior views of the starship. Visitors included the press, fan leaders, friends of the cast and crew, and actors such as Clint Eastwood, Tony Curtis, Robin Williams and Mel Brooks. Trumbull was confident that he could get the work done without a loss of quality despite a reputation for missing deadlines because of his perfectionism. "We begged to be fired."
Ambient noise such as the buzz of bridge controls were added to enhance certain scenes. Transparencies of the film's sets were inserted behind some windows, and as jokes, some featured Probert, other production staff members, and Mickey Mouse. The paintings were combined with live action after a selected area of the frame was matted out; the blue Earth sky over Yellowstone, for example was replaced with a red-hued Vulcan landscape. [15]:85, Wise asked Harold Michelson to be the film's production designer, and Michelson was put to work on finishing the incomplete Phase II sets. Industrial designer Syd Mead was hired to visualize a new version of the mammoth craft.
[15]:193. Even better maybe. The seller was convicted of stealing a trade secret, fined $750, and sentenced to two years' probation. A 2ft model spaceman created for the shot was used in the drydock sequence and Spock's spacewalk.
Or if it really is great, will we like those humans who do defeat it? By October 1976, Robert Silverberg had been signed to work on the screenplay along with a second writer, John D. F. Black, whose treatment featured a black hole that threatened to consume all of existence. In contrast, almost every action on the Klingon bridge made noise to reflect the aliens' harsh aesthetic[54]:797 While much of the effects were created using digital synthesizers, acoustic recordings were used as well. [6]:6870, The planet Vulcan setting was created using a mixture of on-location photography at Minerva Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park and set recreation. Diller planned on a new Star Trek series forming the cornerstone for a new television network. [56]:9 Barrett suggests that with the Star Trek feature films this attitude of not addressing religious issues shifted. Magicam also produced the orbital dry dock seen during the Enterprise's first appearance in the film. The bottom part of the statue miniature was represented by a 16-foot-high (4.9m) fiberglass foot. Starfleet Command assigns Enterprise to intercept the cloud entity, as the ship is the only one within range, requiring its new systems to be tested in transit. [102] Godfrey called the effects "stunning", but conceded that they threatened to overpower the story two-thirds of the way into the film.
Editor Todd Ramsay and assistants spent principal photography syncing film and audio tracks. Securing permission for filming the scenes was difficult in the middle of the summer tourist season, but the Parks Department acquiesced so long as the crew remained on the boardwalks to prevent damage to geological formations. Collins described Khambatta as very patient and professional while her scalp was shaved and treated for up to two hours each day. [34] Trumbull had completed Close Encounters but his plan for a full feature had been canceled by Paramount, possibly as punishment for passing on Star Trek. Cole and Povill rented an oscilloscope for a day and filmed its distortions.
[40], Goldsmith was influenced by the style of the romantic, sweeping music of Star Wars. [15]:177, The computer console explosion that causes the transporter malfunction was simulated using Brillo Pads. Other loops came from Long Beach Hospital, the University of California at San Diego, and experimental computer labs in New Mexico. A few small ceremonies were performed before photography began; Roddenberry gave Wise his baseball cap, a gift from the captain of the nuclear carrier Enterprise. Roddenberry had insisted that the technology aboard the Enterprise be grounded in established science and scientific theories. [87] Overall, the film grossed $139 million worldwide. [9][31] The models were filmed in multiple passes and composited together in post-production; multiple passes with only the model's lighting running were added to the original pass for the final look. Minor also made a trip and returned to create a large painting depicting how the scene might look. Filming began that August and concluded the following January. Though Paramount was loath to abandon its work on the film, Roddenberry wanted to bring many of the production staff from the original series to work on the new show, titled Star Trek: Phase II. Rawlins, production manager Lindsley Parsons Jr., and Katzenberg were all tasked with keeping things moving as fast as possible and keeping the budget under control; every hour on stage cost the production $4000. The designer began with the bridge, which had nearly been completed. [49], The score to Star Trek: The Motion Picture went on to garner Goldsmith nominations for the Oscars, Golden Globe and Saturn awards. Wise, who had worked with the composer for The Sand Pebbles, replied "Hell, no. Effects artist Richard Yuricich acted as a liaison between Abel and Paramount. I wanted everybody to buy into the beauty of space, and the beauty of their mission, and the beauty of the Enterprise itself, and just have everybody get out of their way and let that happen, which is something I really learned with Kubrick and 2001: Stop talking for a while, and let it all flow. At the same time, the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind showed Paramount that Star Wars' success at the box office could be repeated. Everyone realizes humans are the Creator.
After the show's cancellation, owner Paramount Pictures hoped to recoup their production losses by selling the syndication rights.
Each costume had the shoes built into the pant leg to further the futuristic look. Before transmitting all its information, V'Ger insists that the "Creator" come in person to finish the sequence. More than 100 such paintings were used. [63] The marketing was part of a coordinated approach by Paramount and its parent conglomerate Gulf+Western to create a sustained Star Trek product line. [71] It added roughly 12minutes to the film. [15]:934, Another large construction task was the V'ger set, referred to by the production staff as "the Coliseum" or "the microwave wok". To save money, construction coordinator Gene Kelley struck sets with his own crew immediately after filming, lest Paramount charge the production to have the sets dismantled. The Motion Picture likewise received technical consultation from NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at California Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as individuals such as former astronaut Rusty Schweickart and the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
A total of 15 of the devices were made for the film. [15]:130, Fred Phillips, the original designer of Spock's Vulcan ears, served as The Motion Picture's makeup artist. On August 8, the day after production began at Paramount, an 11-person second unit left for Yellowstone.
The Klingon cruiser's lighting was so dim that there was no way to make them bright enough on film. It is the first installment in the Star Trek film series, and stars the cast of the original television series. The Class A designs were double-stitched in gabardine and featured gold braid designating rank.
While the team planned on compositing multiple passes to provide physical movement to the cloud shots, Trumbull felt that it detracted from the sense of scale, and so small animations were subtly introduced in the final product. [23], The first draft of the completed script was not finished until March 1, 1977, and it was described as "a script by committee" and rejected by the studio a few weeks later. [43][44] It was created by musician Craig Huxley, who played a small role in an episode of the original television series. On film the engine room appeared hundreds of feet long, but the set was actually only 40 feet (12m) in length. The authorship of the book was debated for a time, with incorrect rumors in the 1980s that it was actually. [36]:90[46] The rush to finish the rest of the film impacted the score. As new effects were added, Abel increased their bid by $750,000, and Roddenberry suggested that the effects costs and schedules be reexamined.
[29]:8 Dykstra and his 60-person production house Apogee Company were subcontracted to Trumbull. Weldon hid steel wool inside the console and attached an arc welder to operate by remote control when the actor pulled a wire. Feeling it was "physically impossible" to produce a script that satisfied all parties, they left the project by mutual consent on March 18, 1977. )[34] Creative differences grew between Abel and Associates and the Paramount production team;[15]:204 Wise reportedly became angry during a viewing of Abel's completed effects, of which the studio decided only one was usable. [54]:796, As all the sound elements such as dubbed lines or background noise came together, they were classified into three divisions: A Effects, B Effects, and C Effects. [n 1] Weldon was planning on retiring after 42years of effects work, but his wife urged him to take on Star Trek because she thought he did not have enough to do. [19]:1647 He added a sealed control room that would protect operators from the powerful forces at work. The first step of preparation involved analyzing the script in the number, duration, and type of effects.
Stowmar's footage was exhausted only a few weeks into filming, and it became clear that new monitor films would be needed faster than an outside supplier could deliver them. Released in North America on December 7, 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture received mixed reviews, many of which faulted it for a lack of action scenes and over-reliance on special effects. One of the ships was NASA's own Enterprise, added per Roddenberry's request: Some fans have suggested that our new Enterprise should carry a plaque somewhere which commemorates the fact it was named after the first space shuttle launched from Earth in 1970s. Canby wrote that the film "owes more to [Trumbull, Dykstra and Michelson] than it does to the director, the writers or even the producer". [15]:160 The seats were covered in girdle material, used because of its stretching capacity and ability to be easily dyed. [88] The Motion Picture earned $17 million within a week. [47] The edition runs 136minutes, about four minutes longer than the original release. Citing his experience, Kirk uses his authority to take command of the ship, angering Captain Willard Decker, who has been overseeing the refit as its new commanding officer. [29]:11 The torpedo effects were simulated by shooting a laser through a piece of crystal mounted on a rotating rod after experiments with Tesla coils proved insufficient. I loved it, but it's a fairy tale of princes and knights in another galaxy. The prop came with a hefty $4000 price tag; to save money, the lights were dropped, reducing the size of the phaser by a third. Events such as Enterprise bridge viewscreen activation were kept silent to provide a more comfortable atmosphere. "When you stop and think about it, space is a very romantic thought. ""You have the guts to tell me that?!
The object turns out to be a super-advanced computer, the remains of a scheming race who were cast out of their dimension. Who is the story's hero anyway? Wise, Kline, and Abel had been unable to agree on how to photograph the sequence, and the result was a poorly designed and ungainly effect that Trumbull was convinced was disruptive to the plot and would have cost millions to fix. When Ellison presented his idea, an executive suggested that Ellison read Chariots of the Gods? Gene Siskel felt the film "teeter[ed] towards being a crashing bore" whenever Khambatta was not on screen,[19]:155158and Jack Kroll of Newsweek felt that she had the most memorable entrance in the film. Goldsmith heard it and immediately decided to use it for V'Ger's cues. From 1976 until the completion of the film Puttkamer provided the writers, producer, and director with memos on everything technical in the script;[15]:1503 the scientist reviewed every line in the script, and was unpaid for his assistance. The technology was improbable, the science impossible. Working from sketch artist Maurice Zuberano's concepts, Wise would judge if they were on the right track.
[6]:845 The next bridge scenes to be filmed after the wormhole sequence, Enterprise's approach to V'Ger and the machine's resulting attack, were postponed for two weeks so that the special effects for the scene could be planned and implemented, and the engine room scenes could be shot.
Most of the models in The Motion Picture were created by Magicam, a Paramount subsidiary. The set was 24 feet (7.3m) high, decorated with 107 pieces of custom-designed furniture, and packed with 300 people for filming. "[30], During the rewrite of the final scenes, the studio executives clashed with Roddenberry about the script's ending, believing that the concept of a living machine was too far-fetched. Below a large viewing screen on one end of the set was a series of art panels containing illustrations of previous ships bearing the name Enterprise. Weldon prepared an ammonia and acetic acid solution that was touched to Koenig's sleeve, causing it to smoke. [15]:159 When Weldon was hired, many of the effects had already been started or completed by Rugg; it was up to Weldon to complete more complex and higher-budgeted effects for the motion picture. [19]:56. [27], By August 9, the production was already a full day behind schedule. Despite being relieved of nearly half the effects work, it became clear by early 1979 that Abel and Associates would not be able to complete the remainder on time. Godfrey's only concern was that the reunion of the old cast threatened to make casual viewers who had never seen Star Trek feel like uninvited guests. The completed model could be supported at one of five possible points as each photographic angle required. [101] Conversely, Arnold felt that the acting of the main cast (Shatner in particular) was poor; "Shatner portrays Kirk as such a supercilious old twit that one rather wishes he'd been left behind that desk", he wrote. [29]:5964, Even after the change in effects companies, Yuricich continued to provide many of the matte paintings used in the film, having previously worked on The Day the Earth Stood Still, Ben-Hur, North by Northwest and Logan's Run. To recreate the appearance of the swirling eddies of water in the real Yellowstone, a combination of evaporated milk, white poster paint, and water was poured into the set's pools. The same effect was recolored and used for the Klingons and the Enterprise; the aliens' torpedoes glowed red while the "good guys" had blue-colored weaponry. [15]:856 The wattage of the light bulbs beneath the plastic console buttons was reduced from 25watts to 6watts after the generated heat began melting the controls. Star Trek and The Black Hole were the only feature films to use an overture from the end of 1979 until 2000 (with Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark). Each ear was made of latex and other ingredients blended together in a kitchen mixer, then baked for six hours. [15]:36 When the television series was cancelled and plans for a film put into place, new sets were needed for the large 70 mm film format. A plywood base was built on metal platforms to create stone silhouettes, reinforced with chicken wire. The set was designed and fabricated in four and a half weeks, and was filmable from all angles; parts of the set were designed to pull away for better camera access at the center. [15]:51 Wise had seen only a few Star Trek episodes, so Paramount gave him about a dozen to watch. Double shifts around the clock were required to finish the effect on time. [79], The Director's Edition was far better received by critics than the original 1979 release, with some considering the edit to have subsequently turned the film into one of the series' best. [20] This first draft, The God Thing,[7]:62 featured a grounded Admiral Kirk assembling the old crew on the refitted Enterprise to clash with a godlike entity many miles across, hurtling towards Earth. Cole, Minor, and another production designer, Rick Sternbach, worked together with Povill to devise faster ways of shooting new footage. In the film, the bottom third of the frames were composed of miniature stairs, rocks, bits of red glass and a Vulcan statue. The director carried the fresh print of the film to the world premiere,[47][9] held at the K-B MacArthur Theater in Washington, D.C. Roddenberry, Wise, and the principal cast attended the function, which also served as an invitational benefit for the scholarship and youth education fund of the National Space Club.
[6]:57 The shoot dragged on so long that it became a running joke for cast members to try and top each other with wormhole-related puns.
The script prescribed a heavy emphasis on lighting, with spiraling and blinding white lights. The writers began to adapt "In Thy Image" into a film script, but it was not completed until four months after production commenced. Khambatta had no qualms about shaving her head at first, but began worrying if her hair would grow back properly. [19]:155158.
[55]:142 When Apollo suggests that humans need a new pantheon of gods, Kirk dismisses the idea with the words, "We find the one quite sufficient." Kirk wins out, the entity returns to its dimension, and the Enterprise crew resumes their voyages. [106] Kroll, Martin, and Arnold agreed that the effects were not able to carry the film or gloss over its other deficiencies: "I'm not sure that Trumbull & Co. have succeeded in pulling the philosophic chestnuts of Roddenberry and his co-writers out of the fire", Arnold wrote. [85] A 4K version of the directors cut was released on the Paramount+ streaming service, and will later release in 2022 on physical media. Should be hired now while he is cheap and humble." Its final production cost ballooned to approximately $44 million, and it earned $139 million worldwide, short of studio expectations but enough for Paramount to propose a less expensive sequel. [102] David Denby of New York magazine, wrote that the slow movement of ships through space was "no longer surprising and elegant" after films such as 2001, and that much of the action consisted of the crew's reacting to things occurring on the viewscreen, which he considered to be "like watching someone else watch television". He thought that Enterprise should self-illuminate when traveling years from any source of light. [101][107][109], James Berardinelli, reviewing the film in 1996, felt that the pace dragged and the plot bore too close a resemblance to the original series episode "The Changeling", but considered the start and end of the film to be strong. [54]:846, According to Michele and Duncan Barrett, Roddenberry had a decidedly negative view of religion that was reflected in the Star Trek television series episodes; in the episode "Who Mourns for Adonais? Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley delivered their final lines at 4:50 pm. Adam hired artist Ralph McQuarrie, fresh off the yet to be released Star Wars. A piece of aluminum foil was placed around Koenig's arm, covered by a protective pad and then hidden by the uniform sleeve.
[15]:211, Trumbull said that Wise and the studio gave him "a tremendous amount of creative freedom"[31] despite being hired after the completion of nearly all the principal photography. Spock would save his friend, and the two would proceed through V'ger. Fletcher's first task was to create new, less conspicuous uniforms. McDonald's sold specially designed Star Trek Happy Meals. The bridge, for example, was lit with a low density of light to make the console monitors display better. [84] The Motion Picture was remastered in 1080p high definition. Dennis Clark (Comes a Horseman) was invited to rewrite the script and to include Spock, but he disliked Roddenberry, who demanded sole credit. [36]:89, Goldsmith scored The Motion Picture over a period of three to four months, a relatively relaxed schedule compared to typical production, but time pressures resulted in Goldsmith bringing on colleagues to assist in the work. "Into the V'Ger maw with Douglass Trumbull", "Star Trekking at Apogee with John Dykstra". [8] With the studio's acceptance of this treatment, Roddenberry immediately stopped work on other projects to refocus on Star Trek, and the screenwriters and Isenberg were deluged with grateful fan mail. This is an intriguing idea. [19]:155158 The popularity of the syndicated Star Trek caused Paramount and Roddenberry to begin developing the film in May 1975. His list included Edward Anhalt, James Goldman, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Ernest Lehman, and Robert Bloch. [64] The Motion Picture novel started Pocket Books' Star Trek book franchise, which produced 18consecutive bestsellers within a decade. The result was a list of 34 names, none of whom were chosen to pen the script. The scene was finally completed on August 24, while the transporter scenes were being filmed at the same time on the same soundstage. [61][62] Toys included action figures, ship models, and a variety of watches, phaser mockups and communicators. Scenes were rewritten so often it became necessary to note on script pages the hour of the revision. [5] The Motion Picture was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Art Direction (Harold Michelson, Joseph R. Jennings, Leon Harris, John Vallone and Linda DeScenna), Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Score. [109] "[Khambatta] is sympathetic enough to make one hope she'll have a chance to show less skin and more hair in future films", Godfrey wrote. Assistant director Danny McCauley was responsible for collaborating with unit production manager Phil Rawlins to finalize shooting orders and assigning extras. [15]:163, On January 26, 1979, the film finally wrapped after 125 days. All six films in the set have 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio. [20] The studio decided to turn the project over to the television division, reasoning that since the roots of the franchise lay in television, the writers would be able to develop the right script. Probert also replaced the Phase II ship weapons tube with a twin launcher torpedo deck and added elements such as features for a separating saucer and landing pads that were never utilized on any film featuring the model.