NCS at the "Countdown to Disaster" Convention
Moderator: Spectrum Strike Force
Finding the Elstree Moat House didn’t exactly prove to be the easiest of tasks for my GPS system – the roundabout off the M25 threw it completely – but we knew that we’d found the right place when we spotted a full-size pink Rolls-Royce sporting the familiar “FAB 1” number plates parked in front of the entrance as we sailed into the hotel’s car park. We actually arrived seconds after Gerry Anderson himself, and I found myself asking whether the car was his; actually it isn’t, but is the creation of one of the fans attending the convention who’s built it completely from scratch. (There’s even a rocket launcher concealed behind the radiator grille – we saw it later in the day when the puppets of Lady Penelope and Parker were brought outside for a photo-shoot in front of the car by the photographers.) The weekend kicked off with a spectacular video montage of Gerry’s work to introduce the reception in the main conference room, after which we were treated to a programme of panels, videos, interviews, models and merchandise displays, lectures and workshops spanning the whole weekend plus an auction and a raffle, with a 60’s & 70’s disco on Saturday night from eight till late.
The session with the cast of New Captain Scarlet was unquestionably one of the highlights of the weekend. The whole team turned up, to the delight of the delegates, and after an assortment of questions and answers from both the chair and the floor, treated us to an hilarious tongue-in-cheek pastiche of some of their by now most familiar lines (“You’re not making a lot of sense, Doc!”), which was made all the more surreal by the weird spectacle of all these familiar voices coming out of the mouths of unfamiliar faces. Not only that, but after having already given up one day of their weekend to entertain us, they all came back for the second day as well, because – as we discovered later to our delight – they had such a fun time of it on Saturday. We were able to enjoy the pleasure of their company at the disco on Saturday night, and to share a good laugh next morning at Mike Hayley’s stiffly-worded apology, delivered in his most authoritative Colonel White voice, for any inadvertent embarrassment that might have been caused by anyone witnessing his dancing with a certain particularly alluring young lady attired in an Emma Peel-style catsuit. (He offered to buy the photos, but he was informed from the darkness that they were already for sale on eBay!)
With the opportunity of a second question-and-answer session, there was time for a few serious issues, during which Wayne Forrester was asked for his opinion of the scheduling of NCS. Words were unnecessary: the expressions on the faces of everyone on the stage spoke volumes, and it was truly heartbreaking to witness. The whole team was clearly appalled at ITV’s treatment of the show – a sentiment also voiced in no uncertain terms by Gerry himself when he was asked a similar question earlier in the weekend – which was clearly shared by every delegate in the room: one could physically sense the room temperature drop each time the subject was raised. All the more important then to let everyone involved in the production of it know that they were among friends this weekend – as indeed they unquestionably were.
During the course of the convention we were treated to many showings of NCS episodes, including five that at the time of posting this note have not yet been aired – including the final episode of the series. Needless to say I shan’t be including any spoilers in this posting – save to note that they’re all truly spectacular, and that one of them, which offers us an insight into the life to which the delectable Captain Ochre might have been drawn had it not been for her career in Spectrum, is quite simply awesome. I’m not generally given to throwing superlatives around relating to this or that special CGI effect, but these most recent achievements by the production team genuinely warrant them. Inevitably, I can’t help but speculate on the heights to which a third series might have risen had it been commissioned.
If I’m mistaken in thinking that we were the only two contributors to this Forum who were there then whoever you are, please do feel free to correct me and to add your own recollections; with so much going on over the course of the weekend, it simply wasn’t possible to be everywhere - more's the pity. For my part, I spent a good half-hour on Sunday doing nothing but drooling over the original puppet of Melody Angel, who was standing just a foot away from me on the table in one of the display rooms. So near, and yet so far. Call me sad if you like - I don't care. The pupils of her eyes have faded with the passage of time - apparently they do that - but I've painted them back with a little help from Adobe PhotoDeluxe, and include a copy of the photograph below. Isn't she lovely? Sigh.....
-
Clya Brown
- Cloudbase Captain
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 2:47 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Doc Brown wrote:[color=white]Inevitably, I can’t help but speculate on the heights to which a third series might have risen had it been commissioned.
Do we take it then from Gerry himself, that more series of NCS are not forthcoming, or is it still too early to say?
-
shaqui
- Major
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 9:35 pm
- Location: UK Japan!
Of course, if someone with a budget of several million quid to play with at the Beeb were to accidentally switch on MOM just after 11am and say to himself "My God, this is magnificent!", then who can say what might happen? But Gerry has new projects to occupy his time - he gave us a brief outline of "Lightspeed" during the Con - and in the meantime the production team have to make livings for themselves and their families. But it really saddens me to think of all the accumulated experience that has clearly been gained not being directed into the making of more episodes - especially when all the hardware, software and expertise to do it already exists. With minimal setup costs it wouldn't be anything like as expensive to do more of them! Ahhhh!
-
Clya Brown
- Cloudbase Captain
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 2:47 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
-
Chris C
- Captain
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 4:23 pm
- Location: Still hunting for that Albatross..
Sounds like the cast of new CGI were a fun bunch...such a shame that their contributions haven't seen justice..
-
Carrie
- Cloudbase Captain
- Posts: 830
- Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2004 9:31 pm
- Location: Wet Wales
Got a couple of nice shots of FAB 1 while parked outside,that thing was incredible!Nice touch building it in a Ford Thunderbird chassis as well!
While in with the puppets,i was confronted by one Mr.G.Anderson and his good lady wife.I know now the meaning of the word "Starstruck"!!All i could mutter was something about "Must be nice seeing old freinds again",to which he smiled and commented on how well made they were.He was looking specifically at Mac and Joe when he said this.
Doc,do nt blame your satnav for that,junction 23 is one of THE most confusing,annoying and downright dangerous junctions in the whole of Europe!Glad you negotiated it safely.
That was my first Fanderson since 1982 and i m wondering why i stayed away so long.It wo nt be the last.
-
White as Snow
- Cadet
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:07 am
- Location: Barnet Hertfordshire
A question for those that went...
Did anyone watch the screening of the Investigator? And if so what was the quality of the print like?
I ask this as I was surprised to see it listed amongst their screened items. Fanderson have always maintained that a good enough quality copy was not available for a club DVD release. Hopefully one has now turned up...
-
Crank
- Cadet
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2005 12:54 am
- Location: Brink of Disaster
Crank wrote:Did anyone watch the screening of the Investigator? And if so what was the quality of the print like?
I ask this as I was surprised to see it listed amongst their screened items. Fanderson have always maintained that a good enough quality copy was not available for a club DVD release. Hopefully one has now turned up...
I was of the opinion Fanderson have always had access to a print, but if this is the same one that has been duplicated onto the fan circuit as a 'VHS rarity', then it is discoloured somewhat, and possibly only a grainy 16mm. Having seen the Fanderson releases of 'Into Infinity', etc, I think they would want the negative (was it filmed in 35mm originally?) or at least a better quality print without this discolouring, in order to do a high quality DVD.
-
shaqui
- Major
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 9:35 pm
- Location: UK Japan!
-
Clya Brown
- Cloudbase Captain
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 2:47 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Doc Brown wrote:I wanted to to compare it with the TV21 interpretation of "The Investigator"...
Not related in the slightest...
http://www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.c ... igator.htm
-
shaqui
- Major
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 9:35 pm
- Location: UK Japan!
Doc Brown wrote:Regrettably I didn't manage to see it...
You misspelt 'thankfully' there...
-
Kinggodzillak
- Captain
- Posts: 244
- Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2005 9:44 pm
- Location: Skybase
Having just checked out Shaqui's link above, it's well worth highlighting that observation towards the end of the article on "The Investigator" concerning the second of the TV21 stories, which related to a fiendish plan to replace people with identical copies as a step towards world domination:
The idea of computer controlled robot duplicates is almost identical to the format of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons - one explodes in the first part (a la Captain Brown) and they are detectable by x-rays! As the pilot script of the television series was also completed in the summer of 1966, a chicken and egg speculation exists here. Did one inadvertantly influence the other, or is it just a coincidence?
As he says: "Some plots never die. They just get... replicated."
-
Clya Brown
- Cloudbase Captain
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 2:47 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests