A topic for the discussion of Farscape, Smallville, and Due South. Beware possible invasions of Stargate, Highlander, or pretty much any other "genre" show that captures our fancy. Expect Adult Content and discussion of the Big Gay Sex.
Whitefont all unaired in the U.S. ep discussion, identifying it as such, and including the show and ep title in blackfont.
Blackfont is allowed after the show has aired on the east coast.
This is NOT a general TV discussion thread.
Unrelated BSG: [link]
New Episodes Feature Epic, Feature-Quality Spectacular Effects
For the January 13th episode of "Battlestar Galactica" entitled "Resurrection Ship, Part 2," visual effects company Zoic Studios worked on a scale greater than anything previously imagined for the small screen. Choreographing and executing all the effects for the episode, Zoic used a combination of live action greenscreen and CG animation to create a uniquely memorable viewing experience. Audiences can enjoy the cinematic proportion of the effects in this thrilling episode, which airs on SCI FI Channel on Friday, the 13th at 10pm et/pt.
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Although effects like these may have been seen before on the big screen, Zoic believes that what they have created with "Resurrection Ship, Part 2" is bigger and bolder than ever presented on television . Life is messy; battles especially so. Zoic Studios did their best to ensure that their shots reflected a more accurate cosmic chaos: one with dust floating, chunks flying and light spilling every which way. In fact, Zapara said it was while he was driving home late one night that he noticed how the lights from the buildings illuminated the sky unevenly. "Adding haze to the shots, especially in the larger shots, really sold the scale and locked the bright explosions into the scene," he notes, "Other users of our software commented that they'd never seen the packages used in this fashion before."
I can't say I watch enough TV to agree or disagree that these were the Best! TV FX! Evah!...
I am often blown away by the effects on the show, so I'm gonna give it to them. I mean, not an expert at all, but I do often find myself rewinding to watch battle scenes just for the effects and choreography. I'm pretty sure I haven't done that much in the past. (Well, I did watch the Babylon 5 station being blown up more than once, but that was more for the emotional impact.)
I can't say I watch enough TV to agree or disagree that these were the Best! TV FX! Evah!
They were really, really good. I'd be willing to buy that they were the "best" judging by whatever technical criteria they had at hand -- higher-quality rendering, etc etc. In a viewer-subjective sense, I'm not sure "best" is a meaningful word.
Does SciFi broadcast in HD? I can't remember.
Does SciFi broadcast in HD? I can't remember.
No, but BSG is broadcast in HDTV on some other network.
Interesting. I wonder what they shoot on. (It's a tricky question in any case, since there are a bazillion different HD formats, and at least 4 common resolutions.)
[eta: "Feature-quality" would imply a resolution equivalent to 35mm film, which is better than HD. But it's probably just be a poetic turn of phrase -- the article reads like a Zoic press release. NBC, which owns SciFi, broadcasts its HD programming at 1080i.]
I was thinking "this looks like a movie" during the battle scene. And... I dunno, I once raced home from a dinner to see the big fight in B5's "Severed Dreams." Again. But even at the time, that was "cool for TV" -- I didn't have the reaction I did to BG. I dunno if it would hold up perfectly on a big screen, but it was pretty damn impressive.
Some of it was the treatment. That we suddenly jumped into battle and a lot of it was off-screen, which just felt cinematic to me. "You know how this goes, so we're cutting to the important parts." And I assume that doing that let them spend more time on what we did see, which was clever.
I want to watch the 3 parts all in a row, but that means I'll have to set time aside for it. Maybe next weekend.
My widescreen LCD tv died recently. I have never missed it so much (I've been watching on an old 19").
Well, that's incentive for me to haul it to the shop to get fixed....
"Feature-quality" would imply a resolution equivalent to 35mm film
I didn't read "feature-quality" as talking about the resolution, but rather the "realism" and/or "technical sophistication" of the shots.
