The 28th Annual "Let's make a Traveller Movie!" Thread

[Andrew Boulton]

About once a year, someone will suggest this, and we'll talk for a while, and nothing will happen. Usually, the ideas will be too ambitious, or revolve around some minor detail of someones campaign or the OTU that most people don't know, or we just run out of enthusiasm.

When you think of Traveller, what springs to mind? For me, a story involving a group of ex-Scout/military characters flying around the Spinward Marches in a Scout/Courier at the time of the 5FW is about as Traveller as you can get, which is what I aimed for in the outline below. I also think it's short and simple enough to be doable by amateurs.


"Be Careful What You Wish For"

(c) Andrew Boulton 2003


The story opens aboard the ISS Bloomington, a Scout/Courier in jump somewhere near the Zhodani border. We meet the crew: Marc, a detatched duty Scout, and his friend Loren, a Marine who recently left the service after being injured. We learn a little bit about them and the Traveller universe. Loren wishes for a little bit of excitement.

The ship leaves jump and lands on a poor lo-tech world, where they unload a small cargo and some mail. They meet John, a local boy, who wishes he could leave home and travel the galaxy with them.

Loren notices John has a Zhodani coin, which he found when exploring. While Marc refuels the ship from a nearby lake, John shows Loren where he found the coin. They discover a cave containing a cache of Zhodani weapons and equipment. A guard spots them, and they are chased back to the ship. They hurridly take off. As they reach orbit, a Zhodani Cruiser appears from around the far side of the planet. The Bloomington jumps just before the Cruiser blows them out of space.

In jump, Marc and Loren explain to John (and the audience) a bit about the Zhodani.

When they reach their destination (a major world), they try to warn the Naval Base, but they can't get in. A Captain recognises Loren (we discover that he saved the Captain's life and won an SEH in the incident in which he was injured), and he shows them in to see the Admiral. The Admiral sends a Battleship (coincidentally, the Captain's ship) to investigate, with our heroes aboard. They find the Zhodani gone - obviously their plot has been foiled - but John's village has been destroyed. John wants to join the Marines, to avenge his friends & family.

They return to they major world, and find the system in chaos. The Fifth Frontier War has begun...


[Note: the entire section with the Navy can be dropped, if required]

 

[Scarecrow]

Yeah, I think that works fine as a short and easily doable. The first step really would be to script it properly and do a storyboard.

Crow

 

[Shadowdancer]

I think one of the main characters should be female. Or an alien (Vargr, Aslan). Just for variety.

 

[Madarin Dude]

No Aliens. Keep it simple. Rather have no aliens than have them poorly done. Find someone who has a large garage or other space to build sets. Shoot over the summer so noone will have to park their car in the garage. It is doable but having enough people to get it done is another story. Not that I don't liekthe idea of havign vagr or aslan but to do it effectivly is beyond the scope of ameature filmaking and will come out lame. Unless someone has a Really I mean REALLY smart dog

 

[Andrew Boulton]

"Rather have no aliens than have them poorly done."

Agreed. We could have one or two in the background, but I doubt we could manage anything convincing enough for a major character.

 

[Jame]

If someone were to pay my way and stay (as I always say ), I'd be willing to play Marc, or at least try out...

 

[Scarecrow]

Well, as I say, the first step would best be to script the short out properly and then storyboard it. I'm willing if no-one else is. That way, the scenes can be broken down and a much clearer idea of what is needed where and when can be thrashed out.

I agree about the aliens. I'm good, but I'm not that good. That is to say, they'd be fine for an amateur short like this, but they wouldn't be Jar-Jar Binks and if the ships, sets and animation are going to be super realistic then it'd show quite badly.

Crow

 

[Madarin Dude]

Another thing to work out is logistics. When and where and how much will it cost and who. Things like where is it going to be filmed. Will you build sets who will build them. Who knows how to do copositing who can do special effects. (animations etc) Who will act in it.
For example I am now living in China so I cannot be of much help beyond special effects or post work. But If I were back in Erie PA things might be different. My Aunt has large 2 car grage that can be used for some indoor sets. My father knows most of the construction contracters and subcontracters in the area. There is a way to do it. So to get it done you need to think like that.
Even on the computer end it can be done like that. Someone might be good at starships another might be good at space backgrounds. Antoerh might be good at other vehicles and yet another might be good at buildings and architecture.
Find the person with the most computing power available to him and hopefully some skills. He can do the rendering and the video editing.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I'd love to part of a fan film, but only a CGI one. I think it'd go over better, and be a lot more in tune with what most Travellers are used to dealing with (read that as "we have a lot of computer-types around here"). Real actors and sets gets real expensive, and where to spend the money (assuming financing) will corrupt some folks. No offense meant at that, but there's a little mercenary in all of us ( ).

Whoever's good at doing what should chip in

 

[Scarecrow]

It can be done almost entirely with CGI. The 'Star Trek: Hidden Frontier' guys have only a room with a green screen. Everything - and I mean everything is cgi except for the actors. This does result in somewhat fixed camera views unfortunately but it makes production a whole lot cheaper.

Crow

 

[kaladorn]

Having just watched Cowboy Bebop (a very travelleresque group of protagonists - the computer hacker, the ex-cop, the ex-??? pilot/martial artist, and the femme fatale - all now bounty hunters) and not too long ago Final Fantasy X, I have to say that if it could be done CGI/anime, that might actually be *better* than having actors. No offense intended, but it does take a certain something to project any kind of magnetism or personality through a camera.

As to the work, well... I've worked on a MMORPG, though I wasn't in the renderer end of it. But I'm on dial-up and that limits what I could do to help. If custom code has to be cut for anything, I could volunteer to assist a bit or do code inspections/verification.

 

[Scarecrow]

Oh boy!

I can't believe we're already saying "I don't want x to be in the film because I think it would compromise the quality".

The qaulity is going to be rubbish. It's going to be a handful of people with no budget, no experience and a couple of home PCs. All we're going to produce at best (like the vast majority of the Force.net fanfilms and the Hidden Frontier 'series') is embarrasing rubbish. It's the taking part that counts. Of course the acting will be crap. Of course the sets will look like cardboard. Of course the cgi will be unconvincing.

but it'll be fun to do.

Or so I hoped anyway.

Crow

 

[Madarin Dude]

Well having seen some of the hollywood fare as of late the acting part does not seem that hard. The bar has been set low. I do agree with scarecrow that it will not be a slick hollywood production but if it can be cool on some levels then that would be good. I would shoot for Roger Corman quality. The low budget king. Carnosaur and various other trashy films that are enertaining.
If we have a budget at all to help with the film along get a director for acting sakes. Someone who works at a local playhouse. (no not Steven Speilberg.) Have fun don't take it too seriously. Ｔhe worst thing is a bａd film that takes itself too seriously. (That is why the ring sucks and the evil dead is cool)
　　　If anyone has done any character animation you woudl know doing CGI for all the characters is out of the question. Shrek 300 people 2 years. At best have a cameo with on screen and the Tholians talk to the captain. That is doable a quick 30 second clip for character animation. That will take a lot of work to do.
I do some CGI and I　draw with pen and pencil. Drawing is much faster. Fist find a location with about 10 fans willing to participate and make the film. Farm some work out to experts over the net but the core 10 will do most of the work.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

"All we're going to produce at best (like the vast majority of the Force.net fanfilms and the Hidden Frontier 'series') is embarrasing rubbish."

Heh. Almost certainly true. But look at it this way: no matter how bad it is, it'll still be the best Traveller movie ever made! Should be fun anyway.

 

[kafka47]

W4ell, the beauty of doing a Traveller movie would be that sets could easily be the regular background. As most worlds average around TL 7-9, it fits nices with the current 21st century North America and there are plenty of futuristic buildings around (Clinton library, anyone). Secondly, Traveller focuses on the story and interaction that one can have CGI do a crashed starship and do a wilderness Trek from there. I know of a Cthulhu group that did an excusion to the local sand dunes and did the movie as was the outback in Australia. Furthermore, Military Surplus stores would provide uniforms and equipment galore.

If anyone needs free actors for this project in the Toronto area...I am game.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Kafka,
Do you mean that high tech is going to look like a trailer on stilts?

Or is that just in the Solomani Rim?

 

[RandyT0001]

Fritz, how dare you insult the Solomani. I'm reporting you to SolSec. When they knock down your door don't run because you'll be too tired to defend yourself in prison.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

If we really are going to do this, the first thing we need to do is let MWM know, and get his blessing.

 

[Jame]

Originally posted by kafka47:
If anyone needs free actors for this project in the Toronto area...I am game.

And it'd be quite (well, maybe relatively) cheap to get me up to Toronto - Massachusetts is only a few hours away by bus, so if I had somewhere to stay, I'd be willing to work for bus fare...

And yes, I know I said it before, I'm saying it until someone realizes that I'm serious.

 

[kafka47]

And, high tech does not necessarily involve a lot of fancy gadgets. With the right overlay a SUV could double as an Astrin G-Carrier.

Building toward a scene could provide enough momentium to carry in the imagination. There are plenty of ferry docks or small airports that could double as spaceports/starports. If anyone knows anyone who flies there you have a starship bridge for a Scout courier.