Babylon 5- The Lost Tales *SPOILERS*

[SLerman]

Computer graphics isn't my specialty, so I may be off on this, but with current technology, the CGI rendering will take no time at all compared to the original series. I remember JMS saying it took something like 1 day per minute of CGI to do the rendering. On a $2000 desktop computer now, you can do rendering of resolutions about equal to HD in real time. If they go to a major CGI studio or get $10-20k for computer equipment, the time to do the CGI rendering shouldn't really be a factor.

[WorkerCaste]

I'm also not well versed in graphics, but it seems to me that the rendereing isn't the critical part of the process with regard to HD. Rendering is largely unattended, I believe, and while it cost a bit to set up rendering farms, and render times may define your production schedule, I think the bigger impacts brought by HD are in modelling, surface textures, and effects. The level of detail needs to be much greater, and the audience has come to expect a lot more in terms of what they see. These are the areas that require an artist to be sitting in front of a workstation. People cost much more!

[ljg702]

If I remember correctly, the company who did the SFX for legend of the rangers also does the SFX for Stargate. Hasn't this been available in Hi Def for the last couple of seasons? I presume if B5:TLT films in Vancouver, they must be the company most likely to get the SFX contract, seems like it shoudn't be a problem rendering the SFX at Hi def resolutions. From what I've read the biggest cost increases arround filming in Hi Def are things like equipment costs and the fact that all sets have to be built to a higher standard as even the slightest flaws in sets can be picked up. Makeup is also much harder apparently.

Although B5 had many future looking elements in it, the choice of rendering the SFX at standard broadcast resolutions must mean that a Hi Def release of the existing B5 series must be impossible. Ironically for series filmed even as far back as the 70s, if they were originally captured on film it can be possible to make Hi Def masters of them. In the UK at the moment Hi Def versions of Space 1999 (a british sci fi series filmed in the 70s) are currently being shown on ITV I believe.

kind regards

[The_One]

This thread at another forum I frequent may be helpful here...

http://www.thegamingunion.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=14610

[Joe Nazzaro]

I recently interviewed the guys at The Mill who do the visual FX for Doctor Who and recently started on the spin-off series Torchwood, which is shot on HD. Apparently it's a lot more work-intensive, which has made for a bit of slow going on the early episodes. When I sit down to transcribe the interview I'll see if there was some more technical info in the interview thatwill make sense to us laymen. Or lay-woman depending on your perspective.

[ljg702]

I recently interviewed the guys at The Mill who do the visual FX for Doctor Who and recently started on the spin-off series Torchwood, which is shot on HD. Apparently it's a lot more work-intensive, which has made for a bit of slow going on the early episodes. When I sit down to transcribe the interview I'll see if there was some more technical info in the interview thatwill make sense to us laymen. Or lay-woman depending on your perspective.

Interestingly enough, various stories have appeared on the net today that the hi def cameras used to film Torchwood have been causing real problems and that a large percentage of the series has been/will be reshot.

Torchwood Problems

[Jan]

That seems odd. Wouldn't the dailies have shown that there was a problem right away?

Jan

[frulad]

Interestingly enough, various stories have appeared on the net today that the hi def cameras used to film Torchwood have been causing real problems and that a large percentage of the series has been/will be reshot.

Torchwood Problems

That sounds like a repeat of the those (proven false) stories about problems with the filming of Phantom Menace...

Also, the original story says that the footage has to be junked because its brighter than what they wanted. Since they're shooting digitally they should be able to go in with a computer and do digital color correction, etc. to fix the problem.

I'm not going to give this story much or even any credeance until there's an official BBC statement.

[terrestrial_man]

I think that since we've already seen the Londo-telling-stories-to-kids/narrator structure, I'd like to see smoething else. Perhaps, a future Ranger giving a history lesson or something...

How about Zathras: To see is to know, To know is to see.

[vacantlook]

How about Zathras: To see is to know, To know is to see.

Sadly, Zathras is no longer with us.

[Towelmaster]

Sadly, Zathras is no longer with us.

They could 'do' him digitally. Look at the stuff George Lucas managed to come up with. And that's some years ago already.

[Ranger1]

No one can create a digital actor, not even Lucas... well not yet anyway.

[Jan]

I have a feeling that the same policy JMS has regarding Dr. Franklin/Rick Biggs and G'Kar/Andreas Katsulas will apply to Zathras/Tim Choate...that once the actor has departed, so has the character gone silent in JMS's mind.

Jan

[Towelmaster]

No one can create a digital actor, not even Lucas... well not yet anyway.

Erm....George Lucas considered doing it for the last three StarWars movies but decided against it because the technique was not up to his standards yet. And that was some years ago. So my assumption is not so crazy is it?

Of course you could never ever get the actingpart, the Katsulas-part of the role. It could only be used as a 'side-effect'. But it could be a nice hommage. Oh well, as long as they are working on more B5...

[Shadow-Sentient]

I have a feeling that the same policy JMS has regarding Dr. Franklin/Rick Biggs and G'Kar/Andreas Katsulas will apply to Zathras/Tim Choate...that once the actor has departed, so has the character gone silent in JMS's mind.

Jan

It's amazing how terribly sad the thought of this is. Perhaps they will be talked about by the characters on screen or referenced.
I'd like to see more of Talon personally. Perhaps he can recall some sage advice from G'Kar. JMS might find a way to reference characters as if they are 'still going on' but just elsewhere.
I suppose it's too much to think that Marcus might reappear, especially after reading that he's supposed to be 'brought back' many years in the future and from a DNA record creates another Susan to marry. Unless of course, JMS is planning on telling some stories that happened during the series but off to the side.
Maybe we'll find out how Zack got that limp.