VK machine possible group project

[BeastMaster]

anybody identified the metal case the vk is kept in?
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"F*ck it, it's just a movie. Let him worry about it" Harrison Ford

[Delmustator]

I would suggest using portable DVD players and their screens for the displays. They come in a variety of sizes and are relatively lite weight. Then you could have 3 different items being displayed via a DVD rather than a static display.

Portables are a dime a dozen these days and would really give the VK the look and display feel of the hero. The screens are easily removed from the enclosures and rewired to work detached from the main player.

Then some creative video recording and splicing and your all done.

Making the arm deploy is easy with a few model aircraft servos. I suspect this is how it was done on the hero.
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-Del

[Birdie]

[doc3d]

I don't know what they used as a briefcase, but at this point in time, whatever it was can't be common. The advance of technology is exponential, and if it was a case made for electronics, it will be mostly in landfills. If it was a designer briefcase, ditto, because in 1982, it would not have to accommodate laptops, which didn't exist.

Lastly, robotics and model airplane/boat/car components are now common, but still, any model servos will have to be run from an IC control chip, unless one wants to push a lot of buttons. Best rule is KISS-- Keep it simple, stupid.

I'll experiment and make some archival 40 lpi lenticulars. Ink, paper, and lensing should run about ten bucks. I won't mass produce them outside of this project. Many fans won't have the bucks to buy actual display electronics. (Don't ask me yet, because until there's a shell, I won't respond to any inquiries. And maybe someone else can do it better faster and cheaper...) Since Birdie already has said shells would be available for do it yourselfers, there are lots of options. Also a lenticular could function as a place holder, with an inexpensive backlight, until the economy changes and someone with a machine wants to upgrade to a better display system.

REMEMBER. THIS IS NOT A REAL VK. IT IS A TOY-- A MODEL. IT WILL NOT ANALYZE PUPILARY RESPONSE, ETC. This applies no matter how much you spend on it. So don't go crazy, 'eh?

Doc

[Birdie]

What he said. I'm liking the lenticular idea a lot - better than a simple backlit screen, and more realistic than running real video screens.

I'd love to see a VK that works like in the movie, but like Andy pointed out, no-one has managed to nail an accurate static prop yet. Let's walk before we try and run

[Noeland]

[Mr Webber]

Birdie wrote:

[The Loyalizer]

We all know the large monitor on the unit displays the eye close up. The other two smaller screens appear to be reusing screen display images that appear in Alien on a number of the monitors in the ship. However I can't recall ever seeing a clear screen of what those images are.

One looks like some kind of oscillating waveform, the other suggests some kind of numbers or ladder scale.
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"We began to recognize in them a strange obsession..."

http://fcomin.cgsociety.org/gallery/

[andy]

I looked into the idea that the case was a Halliburton, but too many things didn't match. It did also have some similarities to a Pelican case too, but I have a feeling it is another camera or equipment case that was used. Maybe the guys on the RPF IDing the Star Trek cases may have some clues.

Andy

[Mr Webber]

I think there may be enough footage to run the smaller screens
in the film itself if it is possible to isolate and enlarge the few seconds of footage and run it in a loop, taken off a blu ray it should look spot on.
Not familiar with home editing technology so if there are any boffins on the subject please enlighten us.

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Formerly offworld66

[doc3d]

I'll ask a buddy who used to work for Digital Domain and see if he can come up with anything...

Doc

[doc3d]

I think I've got the case business figured out. Once we have a viable VK machine, we make the case, and are sure whatever goes in will fit. Any case that's reasonably close can be patterned with ribs, etc so it looks like a film VK case. Then build a vac form a shell that will cover said existing inexpensive case. Viola. VK case. Forget trying to find some twenty five year old piece of luggage.

Doc

[Mr Webber]

Been searching around on ebay and there are literally thousands of mp4 video players with various screen sizes that sell for as little as a dollar.
Im going to buy one and see if the screen can be seperated from the
body easily and if so, once a looped movie file is uploaded we have a tiny,totally self contained, non heat producing, battery powered display scource for less than 10 bucks,
need two of course.
Set behind some magnifier glass or plastic might even make it look better.
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Formerly offworld66

[Mr Webber]

If these or something similar could be incorporated in the machine
design then we have an easy solution without having to modify anything, just need to be able to access them easily.
They probably wont sit flush so set back a little using a magnifier of some sort would possibly work.


Heres just one example from ebay, the seller has constant auctions for the same item, so if we do this individually or we can do a deal with the seller, or another seller if someone finds something better etc.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270329050529

All we need then is to either capture the actual movie footage or recreate it somehow and then everyone can download it.
Im only putting forward options people so please contribute if you have something.
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Formerly offworld66

[Mr Webber]

Hey guys check this out............

http://www.vidilife.com/video_play_1330366_VK_Test_.htm

Its an ad that ran here a couple of years ago and has just come back on.
It could solve all our image issues in one hit, it has perfect eye close ups
and is in 4:3 format, the same as the originals and there is a small section that if it can be manipulated, could be used in the small screens.
The original file is tp, i converted it to mpeg for upload but i have no idea how to edit it all.
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Formerly offworld66

[andy]

Supposedly the eye footage was stock and not filmed for the movie.

Andy

[doc3d]

Somoone with a flash grabber needs to snag that pic. However. we could just as easily shoot our own with a macro lens on any digital cam.

BTW when I tried the link, it didn't work until I added an "l" on htm, but after that it seemed to run fine on the link. Probably stuck a cookie on my machine:

http://www.vidilife.com/video_play_1330366_VK_Test_.htm

The ebay gizmo has a 1.8 inch screen, but as previously noted, you could magnify it. I suggest a fresnel lens, cheap from many sources. But I'll be watching for a larger display to surface...

I have a full tilt opthamologist eye exam today. I've bought some of the docs surplus test hardware in the past, and he's even come into the office when a sparring left hook screwed up one eye temporarily (on a Sunday, and no charge! so I'll look around for any interesting stuff in his office. (BTW never go to optometrists. Always get an opthamologist. The latter is a real doctor. The other guy hustles glasses and contacts.)

Doc

[joberg]

If my memory serves me well, the prop team had the case and they made the VK to fit...not the other way around. There was a story at one time stating that the hero VK could not fit in the case and that another one (static) was used for shots showing it snugged neatly in the said case.
Could someone confirm?

[Mr Webber]

Here are the caps of the eye close up off the ad.
It runs about 4 seconds but that should be enough to manipuate
into 10 minutes footage that can then be looped to say 2 hours and
then converted to a downloadable program or put onto DVD.
Im interested in the idea of using a cheap portable DVD player for the main screen but only if another screen can run off the unit as all portables have widescreens
and wouldnt fit into the VK design i guess.


The other part of footage also runs about 4 seconds but is in my opinion, sublime.
If they were making the movie today, this could have been used
as an insert just as it is.The aim here is to crop it into two parts and record toggling through the few seconds of footage for
10 minutes and loop for two hours. There are many free programs available that convert and compress files to view on ipods etc
so could be perfect for the smaller screens. Also, ive noticed that there is an abundance of cheap, old casio style portable tv`s on the net,
these have larger screens than most mp3`s, it may be possible to remove the screens and run them from the mp3.





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Formerly offworld66

[doc3d]

Excellent caps, Offworld!!!

Doc