STAR TREK The Motion Picture 1979 miniature effects (part 2)

[@MrRandomcommentguy]

Star Trek The Motion Picture is the most criminally underrated science fiction film ever made

[@kentallard8852]

the problem is it is overlong and glacial in its pacing, more like motionless picture

[@MrRandomcommentguy]

@@kentallard8852 TMP haters only have one joke...

[@RWSCOTT]

I wouldn't call it criminally underrated, just hard to love if you're not deep into Trek. And even then it created enough goodwill to spawn 5 more films. Kind of a hat trick, that.

[@nel1962]

@@kentallard8852 A agree some of the sequences drag on but it's very much like a lot of science fiction of the '70s which was more cerebral and experiential. But it really is full of thoughtful ideas. After decades of zippy, quick edit, action-oriented space operas I've come to just love this movie for the very things many felt were weaknesses at the time of release. It allows you to really take in its scale and vastness. No other Star Trek movie since really captures the sense of mystery and grandeur of space the way ST TMP does.

[@futuristica1710]

I love the pace of that film. Visually stunning and great plot.

[@absarakaprime5449]

I truly believe the TMP Enterprise is the most beautifully designed spaceship in all science fiction. Love this so much.

[@soveren1335]

RIP Greg Jein, you made such magic!

[@GNeuman]

The most beautiful spaceship to ever grace the screen. What fantastic talent on show. Beyond iconic.

[@mysoulwanders]

My sincere thanks for posting all this extra footage. It’s fascinating to hear and see from these people whom created some of my most fondest movie and tv memories.

[@bergfruehling]

There must be extra material for another 3 or 4 movies.

[@esecallum]

enterprise incidents with scott on yt podcasts. are u aware?

[@markpayne6436]

Star Trek the Motion Picture is an incredible, unprecedented work of art IMO. It still holds up today!!! Amazing story also.

[@robd1329]

....it does Nott hold up. Its reallyy outdated

[@michaelmiller3012]

Not gonna lie - have been looking forward to this ever since Part 1 popped into my KZbin recommendations link. Was not disappointed.

[@christophermitchellsr9492]

i have been a big fan of star trek for years an seeing how they went about the builds an lighting the ships an other set works is great fun . had to pass it along to a star trek group on facebook an model/diorama miniature's for movies an tv shows on facebook as well

[@jeanmalo7173]

All this extra footage should be part of the director's edition blu ray...it's facinating!...stay safe and thanks for sharing!

[@piercefilm]

Thanks for watching!

[@Kurtiscott]

“Don’t get enthralled with the technology” -still a common pitfall in VFX to this day. Plus all-nighters and seven day work weeks at the end of many production schedules. Fantastic post! Thank you again

[@Lumibear.]

Brilliant. Thank you so much.

[@gatordoorlatchrestorer7416]

Thanks to all these super dedicated professionals for helping create one of the greatest science fiction films of all time.

[@permiek]

Really appreciate being able to hear from these legends

[@James-rn7dx]

Thank God that AC unit leaked on the model otherwise we wouldn't have had the bridge and B deck design we ended up with.

[@CaminoAir]

The work that these talented men and woman did (under very tight schedules) was amazing to see in the cinema in 1979/1980 and it still holds up to a very high standard today.

[@imagesh1]

Expectations for part 2 exceeded! I was a high school freshman reading the articles on ST:TMP in Cinefex 1 & 2 over and over in a rural community, dreaming of miniatures and motion control...

[@SeanWickett]

Your interviews are historical documents for an entire generation. Thank you and please keep doing it!

[@piercefilm]

Thanks for watching! Still a few more coming up.

[@HobbyView]

I demand that all these rare pictures be compiled into a book so that I can buy it!

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

Delighted to see that you've sorted out the KZbin problem that prevented you from uploading, thanks for another excellent video.

[@gigteevee6118]

Such an amazing couple of videos, my favourite ST film for style and direction that evokes pure sci-fi

[@DeickFranfan]

I am simply saying how wonderful it is when human beings exude immense amounts of imagination to create unique scale things.🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩👌👍🤗🤗🤗💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎

[@kellymartin8090]

Those models hold up after 40 plus years. In fact, those models give the best CGI of today a good run for its money!

[@ianrotten4453]

Hell, I'm still waiting (maybe until I die), when practical FX and model making has a comeback. I'm truly tired of GCI. I'm so glad I've been collecting physical media with all the great bonus features that were included back in the day. God, I wish I'd gone into that field. I'd still be doing it today!

[@sonnyburnett8725]

I hope you guys got paid a million for all this incredible sci-fi model work. BTW, I still think these scenes are the best looking movie spacecraft scenes even today! CGI can’t compare.

[@thestorm99]

I've watched all of these segments, so far, and wanted to thank you for rounding up all these fantastic artists and producing this content. It is invaluable to preserve the analog work that was done on these legendary films. Not to promote another channel, but Boyd at Trek Works interviewed several of these guys, recently, and they concluded the video by saying that the refit Enterprise model needs to be restored and that, if anyone is gonna work on it, it should be the people who did the original work while they are still around. Somehow, someway, that needs to happen soon.

[@triskellian]

Agreed. It seems that more and more iconic sets and miniatures are lost as the years go by. As a Star Trek fan, the refit Enterprise is second to none in terms of design. I remember that interview Boyd did a few years ago. It was interesting to learn which studios and people were responsible for different miniatures and effects. I was a member of his SciFi Model Action Forum for all the years it was up. We got to learn behind the scenes information about other scifi shows through more knowledgeable members. It was a blast being a frequent contributor too!

[@thechest77]

Absolutely love this. These guys worked tirelessly to bring these incredible shots to life. And I agree, the E refit is the premiere model ship to ever come out of Hollywood IMHO. Keep these coming! Like Netflix's 'Movies that made us' series.

[@thomasschmidt7649]

This stuff is amazing, thanks for posting it. Observation, man they lucky that entire VGER set didn’t go up in flames!

[@kentallard8852]

When the prints for the film arrived at the premier they were still wet, they had come straight from the developers lab as they had been working on effects shots right up until the very last possible moment

[@marmaly]

Just an expression. They weren't literally wet

[@christopherthorkon3997]

I believe the last sequence to be filmed and inserted was the first one -- the Klingon footage.

[@armorer94]

As George Lucas once said: "Films aren't released, they escape".

[@jamesabernethy7896]

I know I've said this same compliment before but it needs to be said again. I have no artistic talent which is why i find these types of videos fascinating. Ever since we entered the age of Digital and the age of Blu-ray these sorts of special features are sadly lacking. You do some amazing, short and medium length, videos that showcase the skills and passions of these people. As well as learning fascinating little tricks and techniques, what I find most enthralling is the personal stories. Personal experiences, hardships and successes. Models can beautiful, but each of them was dreamed by a human mind, drawn by hand, cut, machined, glued, welded, wired and painted. The human perspective is heart-warming to see when the team spend so much time speaking about each other and not just the work itself.

[@piercefilm]

Thanks! That was what I was after with this documentary.

[@matthayward7889]

Another superb interview !

[@RWSCOTT]

tesla coil + laser scanning for the V'ger 'scan'? whooooaaaaa, I'm geeking out. :D

[@Commandamanda]

THANK YOU sooo much for sharing this! (Now I have to go back and look at everything that was shown here!) I have a new appreciation for all the artwork done for STMP!

[@christopherthorkon3997]

01:42 Even by today's standards, this still looks absolutely amazing.

[@jibicusmaximus4827]

i would dream of doing that job as a kid, these guys were like magicians too me, this is a great insight in to a by gone era, i always think today's cgi is not even close, plus, it seems to be at the expense of, other aspects, that are now, sadly, lacking, it's not just nostalgia, things were better.

[@BearbearbearbearbearbearRarrrr]

These guys are amazing.

[@rdavis7114]

I've always thought that this movie is a very beautiful work of art. It looks like CGI with all the detail but amazingly it isn't. The critics were too harsh on this movie too. I like the slow pacing and the interior sets are stunning.

[@esecallum]

tick toks hate it. they want it in 15 seconds

[@willdecker4630]

Ace vid, Thanks

[@goaway152]

its so sad that this line of work is all but gone. nothing compares to hand made models crafted by human hands.

[@piercefilm]

Luckily a few directors still push for miniature effects in their films. Wes Anderson, Tarantino, Christopher Nolan etc...

[@goaway152]

i know that the imperial command cruiser on mando season 2 was a real model. i was happy to see it. @@piercefilm

[@terrylecroix4745]

Thank you for posting these amazing videos. And giving us a look into this little bit of film history. Keep it up! I need a cheat sheet to keep up with who is who. Have considered doing lower thirds with names occasionally? I know its extra work.

[@J.S.3259]

I love how them-17 year old Phil Joanou got a “special visual consultant” credit on this. He’s had a remarkable career, particularly with his very high-profile Super Bowl commercials

[@piercefilm]

The director of Three O´Clock High?

[@J.S.3259]

@@piercefilm yep. and State of Grace

[@kentallard8852]

@@J.S.3259 great movie very underrated

[@GatchamanG4]

Classic, Patrick McClung rocking that awesome 70’s hair and a Tab cola!!!!🖖🏻😃

[@fktx3507]

It's amazing to see how many women were working on these sets. Movie production was always presented as a very male-dominant environment.

[@andrewp.8406]

Thank you so much for posting these videos. Happy New Year.

[@piercefilm]

Thanks for watching. Happy New Year!

[@yokoreia]

Majestic film

[@cesarriquelme9487]

okay piercefilm guys is biurifore yeeees absolubly fantastic the miniature efects and dedication congratulations tanks you very much okay bye bye 👍👍👍👍♥️♥️♥️♥️👌👌👌👌😘😘😘😷😂😁🙏🙏🙏

[@cesarriquelme9487]

okay piercefilm guys tanks you very much okay bye bye 👍👍👍👍♥️♥️♥️♥️👌👌👌👌😘😘😷🙏🙏🙏😂😁

[@cesarriquelme9487]

okay piercefilm guys tanks you very much okay bye bye 👍👍👍👍♥️♥️♥️♥️👌👌👌👌😂😁😀😷😘😘🙏🙏

[@pixelforge4858]

love the channel

[@silvereagle2061]

Great video.

[@johnnyc.31]

RIP Greg Jein

[@tomwilson1006]

Such a terrible loss of a gifted artist.

[@blacktronpavel]

Amazing. 17:40, it's a damn shame the Studio ordered set and model pieces destroyed after use. They had no idea how valuable that would have become. Imagine seeing V'Ger on display.

[@hmichaelkraut7968]

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!

[@piercefilm]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@doktor_ghul]

It still bashes my heart to hear about physical models that people put hours and hours and hours into being SLEDGE-HAMMERED by studio orders, so nobody else can have them. I know that most studios tend to look at the material that survives the filming as waste that has to be junked...but damn it, that's a heartless and cruel attitude to have.

[@tsarbomba1]

Bezos has the Enterprise in the Amazon lobby office - at least that's the last thing I heard.

[@aliensoup2420]

It becomes a problem of storage expense and maintenance I suppose. One solution is to rely upon the fandom to fulfill these roles - make the capable fans legal caretakers of the assets. This has been done in some capacity today, either by accident or design. The fans will put more love and devotion into the preservation of the properties, at little to no expense to the studios, while making them accessible to the adoring public, and available to the studios if needed.

[@mattalki]

@@tsarbomba1 It's actually at his Blue Origin lobby. You can see it during the 'William Shatner in Space' documentary on Amazon Prime.

[@richardjohnson9543]

@@mattalki You can also see Spacedock in there. I wish he'd at least have them restored and lit like the TOS model. I have to admit if I'd had his kind of money during the auction Spacdock and the Refit would've been my first two choices as well

[@jasonkoestner4630]

Thank god for the new 4K version director’s version

[@richardjohnson9543]

It just blows my mind how huge the Vger models were! Today they'd do the whole thing with CGI

[@ghostviggen]

They did a CGI Vger for the directors cut.

[@dE3Lov]

❤ Ron Gress. RIP.

[@stephenkissane4268]

Some of these like the travel pod got used again on star trek IV . The space office was used in Star trek II

[@andyvranich1496]

I’m fan of Star Trek both and tv shows and movies 🎥 videos games too

[@gustonzimasheen]

4:04: "When I said "Warp Drive", I didn't mean LITERALLY!!!!"

[@cbspock1701]

The enterprise looked her best in TMP

[@michaelhall2709]

People often say that, and I get it, with the spectacular paint job and increased detail. But I’m still partial to Matt Jeffries’ original. 😊

[@martinevans9757]

Wonderful to hear these amazing magic-makers telling their stories. So much V'ger model work, so little of it discernible on screen because it was shot so dark!

[@chrisddawson]

WOW!

[@mcapps1]

Studio executives ordering destruction of models is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard.

[@piercefilm]

A lot of directors and producers don't want props and models from their films showing up again in smaller low budget movies. Luckily, most props are kept by the model makers or fans.

[@michaelhall2709]

Stanley Kubrick did the same thing after ‘2001’ was completed, fearing that the models might be used in subsequent productions. Only the Aries moonship survives to today.

[@formulamanyformulafun7497]

Beautiful work, and it's too bad that some of this stuff got replaced by CG in the 2022 4K re-release from Paramount.

[@michaelhall2709]

Not really. CGI was used only when the original shots really needed replacing (the saucer-walk near the end) or had never been completed at all due to time constraints. All of the best work is still in the film.

[@MrLeeziebee]

10:40 J.S. Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor = the dracula music

[@Corbomite-ei1ty]

🖖🏼🖖🏼Thank you!!

[@geekzakidd]

This is fantastic. Is there any way currently to see the full documentary?

[@piercefilm]

I am uploading everything on this channel in segments. There is no full doc because it would be around 20 hours long! Also, many of the interviews are new and not on my old DVD.

[@geekzakidd]

@@piercefilm Wonderful. Thank you! This stuff is invaluable.

[@makeupmaster1]

Greg Jein RIP.

[@simonRTJ]

I own the snorkel lens (35mm) used on STMP. owned by EEG. the only image i found was a BTS shot of the Enterprise model in dock with the snorkel poking at it. i can't be sure its the same lens. I would love to find out for sure what it was used on...it has Future general written on the box and and Boss film inside, i believe Edlund came into possession of some of Trumbull's equipment. Trumbull is a hard man to track down and he just doesn't respond.

[@rewind1960]

Amazing what use to be done by craftsmen with these models. Now movies are done with CGI and computer nerds. The past was much better as it took talent and people that really cared.

[@michaelhall2709]

You really think those ‘craftsmen’ back then were considered any less nerdy, or that the computer nerds today care any less about the quality of their work? You’re just mythologizing a lost past that never was. That’s fine, I guess, if you want to be an old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn, but it’s sure not for me.

[@thegodofhellfire]

Wild stories.

[@Swanlord05]

Hollywood needs to go back to model making asap

[@j.aaronkambeitz9848]

I want to hear more about these 'luminous discharges' mentioned. What could have caused them? That being said, in the photo that looks like a blue flame is emerging from the model I think the blue glow is actually just part of the lens flare from the lights at the top of the image.

[@piercefilm]

Since nobody films miniatures in heavy smoke anymore, it may never be explained...

[@peterisnardi1197]

Probably the fumes from all the oil and smoke and chemicals lit up and burned off in little blue flashes...they're probably lucky the who thing didn't go up...

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@piercefilm >>> Great video...👍

[@peterisnardi1197]

Funny that what I thought V'ger looked like when I first watched the VHS version of the movie is what that One-Panel prop of V'ger pretty much looked like...kind of like a long mutated manta-ray type shape...when I saw the 2001 DVD version I was almost confused when they out and out show V'ger in it's entirety...I was like "Wait...WHAT? THAT'S what it looks like???"...but it made sense, the repitition of 6's and all...

[@freelancenerd4804]

I wonder what the ship yard model with enterprise in it is worth? 🤯

[@chesterbeals116]

Anyone have any insight into the UNCLE pattern in the window panels at 1:51? That can't be random...

[@CycolacFan]

I’d be interested to know how a lot of these modellers got started in the business, were they model makers as kids?

[@piercefilm]

Some of my segments include how the model makers got started. Usually, they had to work as production assistants sweeping floors of model shops etc. Or started on low budget movies. Many made models in their youth. Having good contacts in the business and perseverance helps.

[@CycolacFan]

@@piercefilm thanks, I’m still working my way through your videos. Really enjoying them.

[@desktorp]

Is this kind of work starting to become a lost art? I know there are still model makers but how much of it gets done at this scale anymore?

[@piercefilm]

There are still a few model shops working today. But CGI has killed the profession overall. Luckily, directors like Tarantino and Wes Anderson still use miniatures in their films.

[@HailAnts]

Funny thing about the V’ger model, it was so big and ethereal that it just turned into a huge amorphous blob. Ask any Star Trek fan to draw what the whole V’ger ship looked like and they won’t be able to..

[@MaunderMaximum]

10:32 Nitpick- Voice of the Theater speakers were made by ALTEC Lansing, not JBL.

[@bobannon7799]

Where's Andy Probert? Would have been great to see him sharing some stuff. Ah well.

[@piercefilm]

I focused mainly on film industry model makers. This doc is about them. It just happened that many of the model makers I interviewed started in the industry on Star Trek TMP. The doc encompasses many films, not just Star Trek. I believe Andy Probert was more of a designer than model maker although he helped paint some.

[@kirk09100]

I read somewhere that cameramen were swearing shooting the enterprise because of its small scale. It could have been at least 1.5 times larger. Even at 20 something feet it would have not been so big of a shooting model. For example, the model of the spaceship Event Horizon was way over 30 feet and aside from the paint job was far more complex than the Enterprise. (and I don't talk about the sixty feet model of James Cameron's Titanic). They had to film the Enterprise with special periscope retrofitted on old Mitchell cameras always worrying about depth of field. Knowing they used the model for six films, it would have been way better to shoot vfx with a bigger scale model. But don't get me wrong. Aside from the scale those guys are my heroes. They were the best of their profession. So talented people.

[@daleflannery7667]

I'd like to tell these people they drove me crazy as a child

[@FabulousFab72]

Where can we buy the full documentary ?

[@piercefilm]

There is no full doc. The old DVD is sold out now. But I am uploading everything here in segments. Plus new interviews not seen on the DVD.

[@thumperjdm]

I love these videos, but I wish the names of the people could be superimposed, to give us some context of who's who.

[@piercefilm]

I do list everyone in the text under the photo above. Here they are in order. Pat Mcclung, Lisa Morton, Greg Jein, Ron Gress, Mark Stetson, Pete Gerard, Mike Joyce, Les Ekker.

[@keithmurray5791]

Imagine the years taken off these folk's lives from all that wonderful exposure to paint and oil fumes.. Union jobs too eh...

[@piercefilm]

It is dangerous stuff, but doing construction work and coal mining isn't much healthier nor as much fun...

[@panowa8319]

Funny now, how most of the model making special effects are now obsolete and everything is done with CGI.

[@piercefilm]

It's actually depressing. Luckily, some directors like Tarantino and Wes Anderson still use miniature effects.

[@dadsgamingpoorly788]

Love all the videos but if you'd just sum all the lav mics to mono before exporting it'd be great, eliminating the wonky phasing interview to interview.

[@piercefilm]

It is what it is. Remember, this is all free! Enjoy it or don't...

[@MrBuc128]

Sorry but the idea that someone has to work 12 hours a day for 3 months is ridiculous. With a company like Paramount pictures all their money and all the profit they made from this film. It’s a shame

[@piercefilm]

That's Hollywood. It's never fair or honest... but there are always people standing in line to work in the biz. Luckily, the unions help out a bit, but you still work 20 hours shifts every now and then on most films or shows.

[@michaelhall2709]

It was the only way to get the film done in time to meet its premiere date, and all of those people were compensated very handsomely for their time and hard work. It’s in other, non-unionized industries that workers are taken advantage of.

[@davidjoe3368]

There really is no substitute for filming a real 3 dimensional object. The CGI even today, looks animated compared to the films like Star Trek The Motion Picture.

[@Prizm44]

Completely agree. Even though you might be able to tell it’s a model, the suspension of disbelief holds stronger because you’re looking at real objects. CGI action is simply not as engaging and rarely has a wow factor because your brain knows it’s not tangible.

[@ErmWhatTheSigma12790]

This movie really isnt bad you guys just dont have enough patience to sit around for 2 hours. YET you can sit around for 1 hour 45 minutes? Like seriously TMP haters make 0 sense

[@piercefilm]

I don't think anyone under 25 can sit longer than five minutes without looking at their phone today. Times have changed. New audiences will need new types of filmmaking to keep them entertained. Too much media out there...

[@ErmWhatTheSigma12790]

@@piercefilm Btw im 13 and i can watch the whole movie with no issue

[@ErmWhatTheSigma12790]

@@piercefilm i just love the models

[@ErmWhatTheSigma12790]

Infact I’m currently in season 3 of TOS and I’m trying to watch every episode of every star trek show.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Watching model work be destroyed _after_ a production was finished MUST have been heartbreaking...😞

[@daleflannery7667]

I would like to tell these people as a child my mom bought me the 22-inch model of the USS Enterprise motion picture and I would look at my model and then I'd look on the movie cuz I could watch it on VHS Star Trek the motion picture and throughout the movie series I would buy the Enterprise over and over and over and over trying to figure out what color that damn model was I would spray it flat white then look at the movie nope that ain't it gloss white nope not gloss white I was going crazy what color is that Enterprise I would go through model kit after model kit after model kit painting it up and then nope then I discovered it's not just one color I would really like to know where you guys learn to do all this I do the same thing with my Star Wars models trying to figure out how to paint them to look like the ones in the movie because the instruction manual doesn't do the model Justice for example the Millennium Falcon is the Millennium Falcon flat white is it gloss white is it but how do you make it look dingy in burnt when you do set it on fire I have spent spending my childhood trying to figure out how to do what you guys already know how to do my grandmother taught me how to paint I would spend days on a model kit and of course I had no one to help me my Grandma had no idea how they did it and neither did my mother

[@wacobob56dad]

Nimoy made the only decent Trek movie.

[@simongarrettmusic]

Never cared for the Star Trek franchise, always thought it was just silly. Nice try, just a bit silly.