Blur Trek?

[Hey Missy]

I've always noticed that, from the 1992 season to around the 1996 season, TNG, DS9, and Voyager were filmed in a much softer focus than anything preceding them. This isn't an effect of the SD videotape either, even the HD version of TNG in its last two seasons is definitely not as sharp as the first five, with "halos" appearing around the characters, and many fine details are lost.
Was this a deliberate choice done by directors of photography Marvin Rush and Jonathan West? Was it the producers? Did they feel it would help hide some of the poorer special effects? Either way, it's something that might hinder DS9 and early VOY if they ever remaster them.

 

[Tosk]

I just took a quick look at a random bridge scene from seasons 5 and 6 to compare...look about the same to me.

Either way, it's something that might hinder DS9 and early VOY if they ever remaster them.

Why would it hinder them?

 

[Delta Vega]

Are you sure your telly doesn't need dusted ?

 

[Orac]

This reminds me of when people complain of the poor sound mixing in tv shows when the more likely explanation is they need to buy new ears because their old ones are worn out.

Back on topic I watched an episode from TNG's seventh season recently and I did not notice this. Perhaps my eyes is worn out and not as sharp as yours @Hey Missy .

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I thought it was interesting that, when it came time to film Star Trek Generations, they tore down the Enterprise interior sets and built new ones-- of the same rooms. Or at least, I know for a fact they did this for the Bridge. They felt that sets which were good enough for SD-era TV would look bad on the big screen.

So I've always wondered "how bad?" And maybe someone with the Blu-ray's would have a viewpoint on this.

 

[Tosk]

As far as I was aware, they made alterations to the bridge rather than tearing it down and starting from scratch.

 

[Spot261]

Are you sure your telly doesn't need dusted ?

Only during episodes filmed during the mid 1990s

 

[Spot261]

I thought it was interesting that, when it came time to film Star Trek Generations, they tore down the Enterprise interior sets and built new ones-- of the same rooms. Or at least, I know for a fact they did this for the Bridge. They felt that sets which were good enough for SD-era TV would look bad on the big screen.

So I've always wondered "how bad?" And maybe someone with the Blu-ray's would have a viewpoint on this.

As far as I was aware, they made alterations to the bridge rather than tearing it down and starting from scratch.

Yeah, I was under the impression they largely made use of the series sets, the main concession to the increased scrutiny of the big screen being to dim the lights.

 

[Commishsleer]

Was it soft focus on the ladies or on everyone?

 

[Jedman67]

As far as I was aware, they made alterations to the bridge rather than tearing it down and starting from scratch.

All the regular sets that were used for GEN received a refresh; including the additional console to the bridge (to make it look more "busy") new paint and more dramatic lighting. After GEN wrapped all the sets were struck; although large sections of all the existing sets were modified and reused when building the Voyager sets; the transporter had fairly "light" modifications while Sickbay and the Mess were practically brand new.

 

[pst]

After GEN wrapped all the sets were struck; although large sections of all the existing sets were modified and reused when building the Voyager sets

yeah the "bones" of the original sets from all the way back to the motion picture were retained. you can see the layout of the sets from TNG and voyager are almost identical...

TNG:

voyager:

 

[Crimson Forcefield]

Were they smearing Vaseline on the lens again?

 

[Jedman67]

I thought they wrapped the camera in stockings?

 

[Lord Garth]

1992 to 1996? It was the Eugenics Wars. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Sharpness was a luxury, so we had to tough it out and make due without it. Life was hard back then and we had to make some difficult choices. We all had to make sacrifices. If we didn't, Khan would've won. That's what they told us.

 

[ED-209]

1992 to 1996? It was the Eugenics Wars. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Sharpness was a luxury, so we had to tough it out and make due without it. Life was hard back then and we had to make some difficult choices. We all had to make sacrifices. If we didn't, Khan would've won. That's what they told us.

 

[X24actor]

Those years were not softer. They were brighter and warmer. Star Trek was bright and technicolor looking from about the third or fourth season of Next Generation up until the end of Voyager. Of course they had their dark moments but that consistent warmness was always there. Season one of Deep Space Nine might be an exception. My memories of it feel like it was made on a film stock almost as dim and cold as Star Trek's 3 and 4.

Something I noticed about Star Trek Generations is the opening scenes on the Enterprise-B were bright like Next Generation and didn't look like the previous movies at all. And then we get to the Enterprise-D and the bridge is all dark and doesn't look like the series at all.

 

[johnnybear]

The original series was always very colourful and crystal clear but TNG and the other shows have always looked a bit grainy to me I have to say! The colours also seem to lack the vibrancy of the classic show too! I know that Trek was made that way to entice people to purchase colour televisions back in the sixties but considering TNG starting eighteen years later I wonder why it looks not so foggy?
JB

 

[mos6507]

I was always shocked by the look of TNG when it debuted because it was one of if not the first show that was (correct me if I'm wrong) transferred and edited on video rather than cutting negatives and scanning the print. It had a decidedly "video" look to it, especially the chyron text and the chroma-key-style composites. No, I didn't like it. Look at earlier shows like Remington Steele or Magnum PI or Dynasty. Far better contrast. Blacks were black. In TNG everything seemed washed out. That being said, film stocks do change over time. Old ones get discontinued and new ones introduced. I was in film school around the time TNG started and I remember this changeover in film stocks. They were introducing "EXR" stock. It could also have had to do with upgrades to the video mastering system.

 

[X24actor]

There were some video looks in the first season of TNG. In Datalore, during the cargo bay fight, there was a shot of Lore throwing Data at a higher frame rate. That was normalized in the HD version. I had always assumed that moment was shot on videotape, but it looks pretty clear in HD.