===
===
===

"Sir, exactly how much does it cost per second of CG animation?"

"Don't know. Must be a lot, because Andromeda is notable for it's distinct
lack of it."

"Sir?"

"Well, put it this way: in this week's sub-standard episode, we are supposed
to be watching a large space battle. But notice the distinct lack of battle
on-screen."

"How can it be notable for it's lackings, Sir?"

"Notably bad."

"Oh. Yes Sir, very good Sir."

"As for the cost. Tribune claimed 1.2 million per episode back in 2000."

"1.2 million! But Sir, it looked even worse then and B5 had an average cost
of 850,000."

"Obviously their spending priorities don't lay with CG."

"Even so, Sir, it's being produced by a Canadian company and considering the
great value of the dollar--"

"That's more for milking the Canadian government for film and arts
subsidies. Make a certain amount of entertainment content in Canada, and get
Canadian funding."

"Like the abomination of last week?"

"Just so. But we'll probably never know exactly how much goes into CG; the
industry lies about production values to everyone, even themselves."

===
===
===

SPOILER SPACE END

This week's episode kicks off with the generally mind-numbed premise with
one of the highest personages in a major galactic power aboard a transport
vessel being attacked by an enemy power that apparently has no trouble
penetrating any security arrangements. I won't dwell any further on the
contrived, brain-dead plot elements or else I'll spend the rest of the post
harping on them.

Retcon Watch:

1. Harper said that the Drago-Katsoff killed her mother and father. However,
Harper has said repeatedly in previous episodes that his family was killed
by the Magog.

2. Andromeda displayed the smart-fire and close-range discharge capabilities
of the Force Lance, but failed to mention it's critical deflector
capabilities and autonomous anti-artillery mode.

A properly-made series format should NOT allow for such serious and obvious
retcons.

Poor Performances:

1. Woolvett's botched nervous-turned-great speech delivered to the freedom
fighters. He started off sounding properly nervous and halting, and then
TRIED to display a sense of overcoming it and finishing off with a rousing
note. TRIED and FAILED. He actually sounded as if he could just NOT get into
the role. If I was the director on that set, I simply would not have allowed
such a putrid performance to go on tape.

2. Kevin McNulty as Cuatemoc was just generally wooden and poor.

Poor Production:

1. These large space battles and planet-wide uprisings amounts to roughly
ten seconds of CG animations, and under a minute of live-action gunfights.
Terrible.

Poor Writing:

1. At no time was there a credible feeling of being in any kind of large
fleet engagement. There was no on-screen maneuvering or tactics displayed.

2. At no time was there a credible feeling of being in the midst of a ground
war. Just some pyrotechnics and a handful of black-suits running around.

The screen writer(s) obvious do not have any conception on how to write
believable combat. But we knew that already.

Let's see if things improve next episode. Probably not, but here's to
hoping.

Actually no. He referred to his COUSINS (Shevon and Decklin *sp*) being infested by the Magog.

His PARENTS have never been mentioned until Bunker Hill.

Lil

quote:

---

Originally posted by Guy Under The Bridge:
The screen writer(s) obvious do not have any conception on how to write
believable combat. But we knew that already.

---

I'm going to disagree with you on this one. I think they write very well. Isn't it the Director and Production people who have to try and translate what is written into the visual? I believe a lot goes into stagging a scene and there can be a lot of constraints as to what can work and what can't and money and available stunt people, etc., but I've never been on a set.

It is: Siobhan (pronounced ShiVAWN)and it is very, very Irish.

Ciao,
Yia

[This message has been edited by kevinsfan (edited January 31, 2002).]

Here's why: (sorry it's from Star Trek)
In Generations, the Nexus played a reasonably substantial role in the movie. Want to know how it was described in the script? Not very well. I believe it was just called an energy ribbon or anomaly.

So, sometimes interpretation of the script is left up to the folks doing the visuals.

My two cents--don't mind me.

------------------
Hope . . . . springs eternal.

Grace period for TPTB is now engaged.

quote:

---

The screen writer(s) obvious do not have any conception on how to write
believable combat. But we knew that already.

---

I really don't think it's a lack in the writers as much as a lack in the percieved audience. Alot of people just plain wouldn't understand realistic action between fleets at this level of technology.

In a realistic space combat scene:
1. you would NEVER see two ships in one shot
2. you would see weapons mainly as blinding bright flashes or points of light depending on range, not as pretty fireballs
3. engagements would tend to be short, and final (no surviving a battle with light to heavy damage 90% of the time like on TV now)

and so on...

I think Andromeda's writers/producers have actually done better than alot of previous shows *cough*trek*cough* in sticking to somewhat realistic interior scenes of people looking at monitors rather than flashy wildly unrealistic exterior shots. If this happens because of a small budget, then yay for low budget sci-fi!