#space dock

I know I primarily focus on animation here, but this is absurdly cool! And it’s a great example of why practical effects are unparalleled. This is a video of someone recreating the Enterprise’s space docking sequence from Star Trek III, but by using their own models. Sure, they probably could have used CGI and made it just as photo realistic looking. But there’s something magical about the way REAL lighting looks on a physical object.

I also just love the behind the scenes stuff, showcasing the multiple camera passes used to generate all the elements needed to composite the ship the way it was done back in the 80’s. As someone who’s been trying very hard to emulate old fashioned animation artifacts and techniques, this speaks to me. You can just appreciate how much care was taken into making this!