Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (2007) (V)

Directors:

J. Michael Straczynski
Sara Barnes

Writers:

J. Michael Straczynski (creator)
J. Michael Straczynski (written by)

Release Date:

31 July 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

It's the tenth anniversary of the Interstellar Alliance, and President Sheridan is on his way to Babylon 5 for the celebration. |

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Babylon Babylonia | Number In Title

Cast

Bruce Boxleitner	...	John Sheridan
Tracy Scoggins	...	Colonel Elizabeth Lochley
Peter Woodward	...	Galen
Alan Scarfe	...	Father Cassidy
Bruce Ramsay	...	Simon Burke
Teryl Rothery	...	ISN reporter Ms. Chambers
Keegan MacIntosh	...	Prince Regent Dius Vintari
Craig Veroni	...	Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Biggs	...	Stephen Franklin (archive footage)
Peter Jurasik	...	Londo Mollari (archive footage)
Andreas Katsulas	...	G'Kar (archive footage)

Directed by
J. Michael Straczynski
Sara Barnes		(documentaries)

Writing credits
J. Michael Straczynski		(creator)
J. Michael Straczynski		(written by)

Produced by
Sara Barnes	....	producer
Ben Brafman	....	co-producer
Douglas Netter	....	executive producer
J. Michael Straczynski	....	executive producer
Lisa Towers	....	line producer

Original Music by
Christopher Franke

Cinematography by
Karl Herrmann

Film Editing by
Stein Myhrstad

Casting by
Candice Elzinga

Production Design by
Jill Scott

Set Decoration by
Brian Kane

Costume Design by
Beverley Wowchuk

Makeup Department
Susan Boyd	....	hair department head
Francesca von Zimmermann	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Lynne Bespflug	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alysse Leite-Rogers	....	first assistant director
Kate Weiss	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Timothy M. Earls	....	storyboard artist
Martin Quesnel	....	construction coordinator
Dena Skalin	....	paint coordinator

Sound Department
Anke Bakker	....	sound supervisor
Donald D. Brown	....	boom operator
Shane Connelly	....	sound mixer
Hugo DeLaCerda	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dario DiSanto	....	foley editor
Devan Kraushar	....	sound designer
Iain Pattison	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul A. Sharpe	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Darren Marcoux	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Tom Archer	....	digital compositor
Nadine Blackler	....	digital compositor
Kristen Branan	....	head of production: Zoic Studios
Pauline Burns	....	visual effects production manager
Keegan Douglas	....	compositor
Paul Hegg	....	digital effects artist
Chandra Juhasz	....	3D visual effects artist
Andrew Karr	....	visual effects supervisor
Jeremy Kehler	....	digital compositor
Jaye Krebs	....	digital compositor: Atmosphere VFX
Thierry Latremoille	....	3D artist
Willis Lombard	....	visual effects coordinator
Alec McClymont	....	lead 3D artist: Atmosphere VFX
Daniel Osaki	....	lead 3D modeler: atmosphere visual effects
Scott Paquin	....	visual effects animator
Fabio Passaro	....	model maker
Jose Perez	....	visual effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
John Adams	....	gaffer
Mike Arnason	....	lamp operator
Harvey Larocque	....	camera operator
Stephen J. McKnight	....	focus puller
Keith Mukai	....	lamp operator
Robert Redford	....	generator operator
Corey Robson	....	digital imaging technician
Greg Wilson	....	best boy electric

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Beverlee June Fix	....	costume set supervisor

Editorial Department
Brae Norwiss	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Edgar Rothermich	....	music producer
Edgar Rothermich	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Ian 'Moss' Urquhart	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Danny Ho	....	video coordinator
Mark Tachovsky	....	second assistant production coordinator
Patricia D. Williams	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Lost Tales Films
• NS Pictures
• Warner Bros. Entertainment

Distributors

• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Atmosphere Visual Effects (visual effects)
• Zoic Studios (additional visual effects)

Other Companies

• Background, The  walla group (as The Background)
• Edible Planet Catering  catering
• Mint Visual Design  main title sequence
• Rainmaker Digital Pictures  post-production facilities (as Rainmaker)
• Sharpe Sound Studios  sound post-production
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

USA:75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | UK:12 | Ireland:12 | USA:Not Rated | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Lost Tales Films

Trivia:

Colonel Lochley tells Sheridan that G'Kar and Dr. Franklin are exploring "beyond the rim". This is a nod to the fact that both Andreas Katsulas and Richard Biggs passed away before 'The Lost Tales' was made.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: A SPFX glitch occurs when Father Cassidy arrives on Babylon 5. As he leaves his ship, there is a wide shot of the docking bay. In the far distance, two crewmen can be seen. One of them walks away from the other, then turns back, at which point the first one slowly rises up and then quickly down again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
G'Kar: [voiceover] I believe that when we leave a place, part of it goes with us, and part of us remains. Go anywhere in the station when it is quiet and just listen. After a while, you will hear the echoes of all our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we have gone, our voices will linger in these walls.
Simon Burke: Get out of my head. No!

Movie Connections:

Follows Babylon 5: Thirdspace (1998) (TV)

A Conservative Start -- But Looking Forward To More

***The Short Verdict***

It's definitely made on a tight budget, but if you're a fan of Babylon 5 -- whether hardcore, or simply someone who enjoyed the series-long story arc while it was on -- I think you'll enjoy this if you pick it up.

***To Elaborate***

I loved B5 for its series-long story arc, and for the breadth and depth of its storytelling (the new Battlestar Galactica wasn't first in that regard), but I don't own the DVDs and I haven't watched an episode in years. It didn't matter. This disc gives you enough right off the top to remind you of what you should know, and to get you back in the groove.

If you're completely unfamiliar with B5, you should consider buying the boxed DVD sets, and then pick this up. :-)

***The Good***

It's essentially two stories in seventy-two minutes and it shows as a labor of creative love.

Babylon 5 Creator/Writer/Director Straczynski's trademark sharp writing (and humor) are in full evidence. The acting is solid, even from lesser players. Boxleitner (Sheridan) has improved as an actor with age, in my opinion. He's subtler in many ways; less "showy".

The visual effects are beyond what I expected for this sort of Direct-To-DVD project. Very nice, and well-used. Since there are no commercial breaks (hooray!), shifts in the story are most often signalled by a quick cut to an exterior shot.

The visual effects detail is markedly better than on the original show. When I heard that this (projected) series would be using CGI green-screen for certain backdrops, I sort of cringed inwardly -- we've all seen how wrong that can go -- but, to my surprise, it was well done, particularly in the crucial aspect of "light-matching". In one setting, you can sort of notice that the background and foreground lighting don't precisely match, but for the most part, I was surprised and impressed by how well the CGI backgrounds were implemented.

For the B5 fan faithful, there are extras on this disc: "making of" segments; interviews; and even memorial spots where creator and cast reminisce about the two actors in the ensemble cast who have passed on since the series ended.

***The Not-So-Good***

Creator Straczynski has said up-front that this whole direct-to-DVD distribution model for an SF series is a big experiment/gamble. He's also said that their budget (at least, if and until this proves to be a successful distribution format) is significantly less than what a regular, network-produced SF show would get.

To their credit, you don't see any "cheapness" here. I've seen cheaper-looking shows done by the Sci-Fi network in the US, for example. As above, the CGI visual effects are first-rate -- more than I ever expected.

The major way the lesser budget shows through is in the lack of physical sets. A lot of scenes take place in corridors, or smaller rooms. The C&C (Command and Control -- i.e. the "bridge") of the Babylon 5 station is mentioned, but we never actually go there.

Given the fact that this release is a "pilot project", I can understand the creators wanting to put their finite budget where it would have maximum effect, rather than spending money on building a bunch of standing sets which might potentially never be used again, should this distribution model fail, and we see no more episodes.

If this distribution model does prove a success -- and I hope it does -- I would expect to see at least a few standing sets built. I mean, how many times can station commander Colonel Lochley have meetings in her quarters, before it all starts to seem a bit odd? Still, what the episode lacks in physical substance, they cover with good lighting, inventive camera work, and solid editing. The score is orchestral and professional.

The only other place in which the lack of budget shows through is that both stories in the episode are very character- and dialogue-centred.

If you're looking for ferocious fights, with exploding scenery, and stunt people flying everywhere, it's not in this installment. We get some brief space-based CGI "blowin' stuff up real good", but nothing with live actors in fake peril.

The two stories here are all about character, and Straczynski's sharp dialogue. In fact, the first story in the pair is positively philosophical in tone -- bringing in topics like God, the devil, heaven and hell into the mix.

The actors are universally solid, so I found both stories interesting -- but if you're the kind of viewer who loses interest unless somebody's getting punched in the face, or something's on fire, this episode probably isn't for you.

***In Conclusion***

I hope this DVD sells well enough to deem its distribution model a success -- not only so we can see more Babylon 5, with (hopefully) bigger budgets thanks to profits -- but so that it opens the door for other quality direct-to-DVD series of this type. I can't be the only one who'd like to see a little more Firefly, for example.

For that reason, I'd say buy this if you're interested. Send a tangible message that you like the distribution model, as well as the specific content, in a way that renting or pirating the DVD won't do.

Will we see more Babylon 5 this way? Time will tell -- but I certainly hope so.