BSG Supergeeky question: Whats your top 3 'stock' SFX shots?

Centurion Draco · January 6th, 2006, 06:25 PM

You know, form the ones they tend to re-use over and over. Or cleverly reverse to make us think its a new shot etc, etc.
So your favourite three, and why!

Mine top three are:

1/ The shot of the 3 Vipers as they fly in formation past the camera and it swings around to folow them towards, past, and away.....

It doesn't matter how many times I see it, it never fails to impress me!
It's one of my all time favourite SFX shots, and even nearly 30 years later it still looks 100% convincing and totally REAL. Its one of the shots that you just can't fault (unles you turn the brightness/contrast up too high on the dvd so you can see the 'mattte' boxes). Its better than anything EVER done with cgi, and as good as the highest quality multi-layered SFX shots in any of the truly great Sci-Fi films.

2/ The Base Star in the distance, with the raiders flying towards it.

In space in the distance, or in close in planetary orbit, the gentle rotation, the 'Da, Da, Daaa' menacing music that always accompanies it, the sense of scale provided by the Raider. Its just a great shot! Even thought the Base Star looks more like a space station than a warship, this shot always somehow makes it look impresive and a worthy foe.

3/ The close shot on the Viper (from another Viper's POV) using Turbo and banking steeply away.

Its the whole 'Battle of Britain' look to the 'break formation' shot, with the HUGE exhaust from the turbo, its a great shot.

Gemini1999 · January 6th, 2006, 08:23 PM

This is an interesting topic.....!

My three:

1. The shot where the Colonial Viper is shot in the tail and it swoops up past the camera - the "sparks" fly! A great bit of compositing there....

2. The shot of the three Cylon Raiders diving towards Caprica and perform simultaneous "pancake rolls". Kind of flashy flying for machines, eh?

3. The 3/4 front shot of a Colonial Viper as it angles down diagonally across frame from the upper right - the Viper "bounces" back upward towards the left side of frame and begins firing its laser cannons.

I know, nothing really spectacular, but those are a few of my favorites.

Best,
Bryan

Centurion Draco · January 7th, 2006, 06:22 PM

Yes!
Bloody good choices Bryan.

At least one other person around here is as big a BSgeek as me

Gemini1999 · January 7th, 2006, 06:46 PM

The third shot was hard to describe.....

I hope that you understood which one I meant. The other 2 shots were more familiar, I'm sure.

Too bad nobody else wants to play......!

Cheers,
Bryan

Centurion Draco · January 7th, 2006, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini1999

The third shot was hard to describe.....

I hope that you understood which one I meant. The other 2 shots were more familiar, I'm sure.

Too bad nobody else wants to play......!

Cheers,
Bryan

Ah! They're just not as committed as us!

I'm pretty sure I know which ones you mean.
I particularly love the raiders peeling off one as well! Is that the one where you still have part of the armature rod on the back of them visible? Makes them look like they've got a tailpipe.

Damocles · January 7th, 2006, 08:02 PM

Three favorites.

1. Cylon Raider strafing the Alligator portside midline amidships with the Alligator's waist point defense turbo-laser doing an azimuth and bearing track to splash the Raider. Do you know how hard it was is to track that action and matte it back in 1978? Almost perfectly synchronized. Certainly better than SW/ANH in execution.

2. What you call a pancake roll is actually three Raiders doing a barrel roll into a atmospheric entry over Caprica. Newtonially impossible; but visually stunning. Same matting and timing problems as shot (1). Almost flawless.

3. The dogfight; three Cylon Raiders on two Vipers, where the Viper does a roll and turn and lines the Raider up for the bank shot. This shot was used TOO MANY TIMES, but it too is one of my favorites for its technical execution.

As always;

rjandron · January 7th, 2006, 08:36 PM

1. I'm surprised that no-one's mentioned the Viper Launch tube sequence. Some great FX work and an inspired fighter-launch motif. More reminiscent of a torpedo launch than a fighter catapult, it was pure fun to watch each time.

2. The Cylon "pancake roll," as mentioned above.

3. The Galactica, seen from the underside, under attack and on fire. We saw this near the end of Hand of God.

Centurion Draco · January 8th, 2006, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjandron

1. I'm surprised that no-one's mentioned the Viper Launch tube sequence. Some great FX work and an inspired fighter-launch motif. More reminiscent of a torpedo launch than a fighter catapult, it was pure fun to watch each time.

2. The Cylon "pancake roll," as mentioned above.

3. The Galactica, seen from the underside, under attack and on fire. We saw this near the end of Hand of God.

You're right of course the Viper launch is a superb example!
hmm, No3, Is it the same shot of Atlantia burning in Saga?
It's a great shot! The little fires illuminating the superstructure detail are very nicely done.