Posted: Oct 17, 2016 10:42 am
BlackBart wrote:The TOS certainly wasn't shot on a shoestring. Each episode cost at least $190,000 which would be over a million in today's money. The scenery wasn't brilliant by today's standards, but it certainly didn't look cardboardy to me. Any compromises were probably more down to tight shooting schedules than anything else.
The very first series? The TOS was totally remastered and updated which was started in 2006.
In September 2006, CBS Paramount Domestic Television (now known as CBS Television Distribution, the current rights holders for the Star Trek television franchises) began syndication of an enhanced version of Star Trek: The Original Series in high definition with new CGI visual effects.[73]
Under the direction of Star Trek producer David Rossi, who consulted with Mike and Denise Okuda, the visual and special effects were recreated to give Star Trek: The Original Series a more modern look. Special attention was given to such elements as the Enterprise, alien planets and their images depicted from space, planets seen from orbit, alien spacecraft, and technology such as computer readouts, viewscreen images, and phaser beams.
The restoration and enhancement was performed by CBS Digital. All live-action footage was scanned in high definition from its first-generation 35 mm film elements. While it was possible to retouch and remaster some visual effects, all new exterior ship, space and planet shots were recreated under the supervision of Emmy-nominated visual effects supervisor Niel Wray.
As noted in the "making of" DVD feature, first generation "original camera negatives" were used for all live-action footage but not for external shots of the ship and planets. Notable changes include new space shots with a CGI Enterprise, and other new models (for example, a Gorn ship is shown in "Arena"), redone matte background shots, and other minor touches such as tidying up viewscreens.
A small number of scenes have also been recomposed, and sometimes new actors have been placed into the background of some shots.[74] In addition, the opening theme music has been re-recorded in digital stereo.
I remember seeing it in the late sixties/seventies in black and white (well 16 shades of grey). It looked very cardboardy.