I watched an episode of Buffy last night with robots in it. It caused me to reflect once again on how much I enjoy low-budget special effects in science fictional television programmes. It also caused me to reflect on whether or not there are limits. Television series operate on very limited budgets; it is a sad fact of life that monsters, aliens, robots, and exploding planets cost mad money. Sometimes, sacrifices need to be made. Babylon 5 is an example of a show that managed to look awfully good pretty consistently. I seem to recall hearing, at some point, back in the dim and murky mists of time, that it was fairly inexpensive, too, as such things go...In my eyes, this defines sort of an upper limit of what one can expect on a television budget, appearance-wise. On the other hand, at the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Doctor Who. Done on a budget of about ten pounds and half a brick, making liberal use of tinfoil and foam rubber, it still manages to get the job done, and even produce genuinely potent pieces of science fictional imagery--Daleks, Cybermen--despite being filmed in rock quarries and the boot of a Volvo. There are moments when even the staunchest of supporters must feel a flush of shame--pantomime horses, green inflatable condom monsters, Bonnie Langford--but by and large this is quite acceptable, if you're willing to indulge in some quirk. Below this level, we have Blake's 7, which had allocated towards its budget only four pounds, some cabbage, and Michael Portillo. Sometimes, even often, it makes Doctor Who look positively swank. Which is unfortunate, because this might distract the less dedicated viewer from its occasionally splendid characters and storyline. Star Treks tend to fall somewhere in this yawning Babylon 5-Doctor Who gap. These are vaguely the metersticks I use for television special effects.
The Buffy I viewed last night, as I mentioned, had robots in it. Or a robot, at least. An ancient demon, imprisoned in a book by Medieval monks, scanned into the computer system in the library at hapless Sunnydale High to wreak havoc upon the world. This demon, Moloch, arranges to have a robot body built for itself, right towards the end. It was, in a word, unconvincing. Not for lack of funds, necessarily...I'm sure it cost more than your average Cyberman. But the aesthetic of it was all wrong...Have a look. It looks just like a (Buffy) demon, only made of plastic, or rubber, or something. Which may be fine as a demon, but as a robot?
It seemed sub-Doctor Who.
Have a look at this, now. This is Drathro. He's a robot, too, off of mid-Eighties Doctor Who.
Say hello to the nice people, Drathro!
'Without me they serve no purpose.'
I am very fond of Drathro. This is how an inexpensive television robot should look. He even looks almost sort of like he has horns. There is something present, aesthetically, in Drathro, that the Moloch-bot was lacking...
I think I've figured out what. Moloch is too cluttered. Look at all those rubbery bits, horns, articulation...He's too articulated to look like a robot. Instead, he looks like a man in a rubber suit. That's not to say that robots can't be articulated; I've no wish to offend any of my robot readers out there. But to give the impression of robotness on a tight budget...That is the issue. Moloch's too complicated, too pudgy. Complication distracts from the illusion. You need to keep it simple.
Alternatively, if you wish to go for detail, you need to worry about the texture. Consider the Borg. The Borg are fairly complicated beasties, lots of tubes, bits, wires, entertainingly moulded pieces everywhere. They have the rubbery texture of dead flesh. It works. Moloch just does not have the texture to go with his look. Gleaming steel sort of an effect, that could pull it off. Something chromey. Hard and unyielding. But.
That's my only beef, though. Otherwise I enjoyed it. Just a pity about that robot...
Posted by aloysius at August 21, 2003 09:03 PM | TrackBack |
