McCall Industries Still Hard at Work (April 5, 2008)

[Bandit LOAF]

Origin and Digital Anvil artist Dean McCall has an amazing online portfolio. Hardcore Wing Commander fans will recognize his name as the in-continuity builder of the Longbow bomber... and he has worked on projects from Pacific Strike to the Wing Commander movie to FreeLancer 2. His site shows off something from each of these -- so fans of those games should visit immediately. Wing Commander fans, though, should be universally impressed by at least one thing: a 3D model of the Rapier II used for early test renderings created to secure financing for the Wing Commander movie. He also has beautiful renderings of some of the Wing Commander Prophecy craft and some scenes from the movie. Check it all out here!

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Original update published on April 5, 2008

 

[Pip]

Do I need to say it?
Yes, it seems I do feel the need.

That Rapier II is more gorgeous than any of the dreck we DID see in the movies.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

You're an idiot.

 

[AD]

Do I need to say it?
Yes, it seems I do feel the need.

That Rapier II is more gorgeous than any of the dreck we DID see in the movies.

Whether you like the design or not, it is certainly not as good a model on a technical level. And even if it were, how can you possibly think that posting that to an update like this is a good idea?

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Well, I should expand on that.

The idea that to complement on something interesting and new you have to attack something else in this way is stupid post-modern internet kid crap. It's not constructive, it's not bright... and it isn't even really the I'm-so-raging-against-the-machine complement you think it is, since the team who did the pitch trailer was the same group who did the movie itself.

Now, an interesting conversation would be why they *didn't* use this design in the finished film -- and I think we could have some good discussion about this (it probably has a lot to do with the need for physical Rapier sets...) Another one might be how fans would react to seeing this Rapier show up before its 'first mission' in Wing Commander I's timeline... and I kind of think people would be exactly as nerd-rage-y about it (well, I know they would, since I lived through Wing Commander Academy having an Arrow before WC3!)

 

[Blaster]

I do like the design of this Rapier better than the one we see the movie but if this model was placed next to other ships and people in the movie it would probably look fake compared to everything else. I don’t know a whole lot about making movies but I’m sure there are many things that need to be considered before deciding how any particular object should look.

 

[AD]

I do like the design of this Rapier better than the one we see the movie but if this model was placed next to other ships and people in the movie it would probably look fake compared to everything else. I don’t know a whole lot about making movies but I’m sure there are many things that need to be considered before deciding how any particular object should look.

They *could* have developed this model more, but like LOAF said, they also had the expense of creating real models/cockpits for the actors to interact with as well as on the flight deck. They possibly saved a lot of money by retrofiting the lighning cockpits into the rapiers. The physical models were essentially photographed piece by piece so the textures would be not just photo real but would match the real rapiers which would need to be blended together on screen at times. They also had unique decals for each pilot's fighter.

Ultimately, once you take away budget constraints though, beyond possible continuity issues with the Rapier II showing up later in the timeline than the movie, the main reason the rapier is a different ship is that the production crew were told go all out making a WW2 movie in space, to the point where at times they made referential decisions whether they were good or not (like fighter dips, which in my opinion are easily explained away anyway). All the ship designs, costume designes and even the look of various action shots and fighter combat are referencing old world war 2 movies in some way. That's why the rapier has that slight upturn in it's short wings and why there's a gattling gun on the front of the ship)

 

[Pip]

You're an idiot.

Awwww. You're a sweetheart. C'mere, give me a hug.

The idea that to complement on something interesting and new you have to attack something else in this way is stupid post-modern internet kid crap. It's not constructive, it's not bright... and it isn't even really the I'm-so-raging-against-the-machine complement you think it is, since the team who did the pitch trailer was the same group who did the movie itself.

And now you settle in to making some valid points. I'm actually not "raging against the machine," however. I really just don't like the Rapier I from the movie. I think it's ugly as sin and prefer the aesthetics of the Rapier II, and wish I could've seen it on screen instead of what we did see, which was the bastard child of a sawed-off English Electric Lightning.

Whether you like the design or not, it is certainly not as good a model on a technical level. And even if it were, how can you possibly think that posting that to an update like this is a good idea?

Because there was a little button marked Discuss. So I clicked it, and offered up my opinion. That IS what the Discuss button is for, isn't it?

 

[Bandit LOAF]

And now you settle in to making some valid points. I'm actually not "raging against the machine," however. I really just don't like the Rapier I from the movie. I think it's ugly as sin and prefer the aesthetics of the Rapier II, and wish I could've seen it on screen instead of what we did see, which was the bastard child of a sawed-off English Electric Lightning.

Must we go through this? You were trolling, I called you on it immediately and also gave you the attention you wanted (on account of my raging egotism.) We all got something out of the deal, must we degrade it further with these senseless protestations? Blah, blah, blah, right to an opinion, blah blah blah, I'm a precious flower, blah blah blah, we've all done this too many times to care!

The simple fact is that you junked up what should have been an interesting thread by deciding that you just *had* to stir up the nest and attack the movie Rapier. Whether you had a valid criticism or not (and either way, you expressed your holy opinion in a profoundly stupid manner) it was neither the time nor the place.

 

[Frosty]

I like the starbase.

 

[Wojo]

Can you imagine how us fans would have reacted if we had seen a canon Rapier II in the movie? All the interesting critique and deconstruction of the movie would have gone out the window in favour of utter nerdgasm... myself included.

That being said, I actually liked the direction taken with the movie designs, the whole ww2 in space thing... some of the finer details may have turned out a little rough, but there is so much potential to go further with this design idea, hence thats what I'm doing. Stay tuned...

Oh and of course, noting the starbase is from prophecy. Nice.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

I know exactly how fans would have reacted: HOW DARE THIS MOVIE HAVE A RAPIER II BEFORE IT WAS FIRST TESTED LATER IN WC1?

(The starbase is from Prophecy because he worked on Prophecy--the 3D artists on the movie were veterans of the games...)

 

[Wojo]

Ha, yeah you're right, too true...