Sunday, August 1, 2010

Science Fiction Images In Techni-COLOR

Whew! Intense day. Okay, maybe not Farscape intense.

This was more difficult than I expected really. It was a more challenging exercise for me than I had planned [but isn't every blog entry for me?]. The kindly writer extraordinaire, J.D. [over at Radiator Heaven, was thoughtful enough to think I might be worthy enough to assemble a meme of interest in connection to the wonders of cinema.

He nominated me, along with a number of other superb writers and reflection-driven composers. I was indeed amidst great company. I was flattered and indubitably honored to give it a go. The concept came by way of Radiator Heaven via Moon In The Gutter and begun by Checking On My Sausages and The Dancing Image.

J.D. [Isolation], JKM [America] of John Kenneth Muir's Reflections On Film/TV and Leopard13 [Heroic Silhouettes] of Lazy Thoughts From A Baby Boomer made it look far too easy. Their image choices were beautiful, thoughtful and each focused with a strong theme. All were outstanding. I can only hope to add to this truly incredible thread. I hope I have not let these immensely fine, talented people down all of whom I call friends.

At one point, I literally thought about tossing in the towel until the theme FINALLY spoke to me. I initially considered images of rage/anger, joy, pain, loneliness, love or the on screen kiss, but it never set right. I'm a big fan of emotion in cinema, but it felt forced. Nevertheless, it just wasn't quite sitting right with me. I think the more I thought about it the more pressure I put on myself. This was indeed an interesting mental exercise. Eventually, the concept I went with just connected with me on a visceral, emotionally visual level. John Kenneth Muir said some awfully kind things over at his blog about what I try to achieve here each week and it certainly meant alot to me.

"J.D. was clever in picking you: your visual imagination is unsurpassed! I look at your blog posts and those illustrations...and my jaw drops. You have a way not just with words, my friend, but with pictures! :)." Thank you for noticing what I try to do John and J.D.. Thank you all.

In the end, I chose COLOR or lighting or maybe as John Crichton put it in Farscape, "TECHNICOLOR." I love the use of color in cinema in general, but it particularly effective and fun within science fiction. It lends an image, a moment, a scene, a story, a kind of power or mood or feeling or even alienness that would be lost without its accent. Color or lighting, whether in a live action or special effects shot, enhances a picture giving it new meaning or another depth altogether. I've said quite enough. I hope you all enjoy the images that I have selected from both tv and film for this trying but fun idea.

The Abyss [1989]
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Alien [1979]
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Aliens [1986]
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Babylon 5 [1993-1998]
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Battlestar Galactica [1978-1979]
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Battlestar Galactica [2004-2009]
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Blade Runner [1982]
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Cowboy Bebop [1998-1999]
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Creepshow [1982]
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Dark City [1998]
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The Dark Knight [2008]
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Ergo Proxy [2006]
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Event Horizon [1997]
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Farscape [1999-2003]
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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within [2001]
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Firefly [2002]
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The Fog [1980]
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Godzilla vs Space Godzilla [1994]
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The Matrix [1999]
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The Mist [2007]
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Outlander [2008]
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Pandorum [2009]
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Pan's Labyrinth [2006]
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Pitch Black [2000]
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Red Planet [2000]
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Resident Evil [2002]
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Resident Evil: Apocalypse [2004]
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Resident Evil: Extinction [2007]
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Serenity [2005]
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Soldier [1997]
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Space:1999 [1975-1978]
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Star Trek [1966-1969]
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Star Trek: Enterprise [2001-2005]
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Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back [1980]
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Stargate Atlantis [2004-2009]
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Stargate: Continuum [2008]
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Stargate SG-1 [1997-2007]
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Sunshine [2007]
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The Thing [1982]
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UFO [1970-1971]
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*
Rules of the meme are simple:
1. Screen-captured images. No limit on the number. They should speak to you on some level concerning the "rich and exciting medium" of cinema.
2. Pick a theme.
3. You MUST link to the original meme over at Checking On My Sausages and The Dancing Image as well as my ever so bright post too.
4. Finally, tag FIVE unsuspecting blogs.
*
Here are the five blogs I have chosen should they wish to take on the visual challenge.
1. John Zipperer over at Weimar World Service.
3. Fritz "Doc" Freakenstein and company over at Guardians Of The Genre.
4. Roderick Heath over at This Island Rod.
5. Stacia over at She Blogged By Night.
*
Good night all.

9 comments:

  1. Gorgeous stills - you knocked this one out of the park! Excellent work.

    One request though: can you add my blog to the "must link to" section at the end? I am collecting all the links at the bottom of my original post, so that it will serve as a sort of directory for the whole meme:

    http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-beginning.html

    Thanks!

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  2. Awesome. These images really do pop off the screen.

    I actually used the same DARK CITY image for my own themed selection:

    http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2010/07/six-images-recalling-passion-and.html

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  3. MovieMan0283.

    No problem at all. My pleasure. It's a terrific concept. It was a lot of fun. Just waking up and checking in. Thank you for the kind words.

    Stephen.

    Thanks so much. I really wanted to do more, but just ran ouit of gas. It was like a research project in college. In the end, I have enough to make a sequel. Thank you both for starting this puppy.

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  4. Sci-Fi Fanatic:

    Wow! Jaw-dropping, just as I predicted!!! :)

    I updated my post from yesterday to add a link to this gorgeous, colorful gallery.

    I really respect "your eye." You have this terrific sense of the artistry of visuals. You know how to capture the essence of an entire film or TV episode through your canny selection of imagery. And that's just one reason I love visiting your blog.

    Thank you so much for sharing this.

    best,
    John K. Muir

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  5. AWESOME !!! :),Thank You, Really Love the B5 pics :)

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  6. John.

    Thank you kindly for all of these fine words and your strong praise for all of the hard work. It's a nice reinforcement that paying attention to the details matters. I appreciate it. You have been a tremendous advocate for what I do along the way. It means alot. I'm glad I waited to get this entry right, because I wasn't happy with my initial attempts. Thanks again JKM.

    Anonymous.

    Good to hear from you. I did five [5] pictures for the B5 entry especially for the folks out there who were there along the way for the B5 ride. I appreciate it.

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  7. This is one absolutely splendid and striking image theme, SFF! The selections fit so well! I knew you would put something together, and that it would be more than worthy for this meme. The use of color by filmmakers/producers in the films/shows you have represented here, and the segments you've captured, really shine through. You nailed it, my friend. Thanks for this.

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  8. To echo JKM's comments, I knew you'd hit a home run with this one. You really put some amazing visuals out there. Loved the first one you took from EVENT HORIZON. And, of course, always happy to see John Carpenter represented, esp. THE FOG which I've been rewatching again as of late. You did a fantastic job on this!

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  9. Cheers Leopard13! It's been a real pleasure connecting with you through our common interests in writing and film. Thank you so much for your kind support. It's much appreciate my friend.

    J.D.-

    As always thanks my friend. Great getting to know you with our similar interests in film. I'm glad I didn't let you down after putting faith in me. Once again, thanks for the honor. A pleasure.

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