In February 2006, we lost Andreas Katsulas to lung cancer. Unfortunately, it something many of us knew was coming, but it was still hard to accept and deal with it actually happening. I never hung out with Andreas like I did with Richard Biggs, but he told me once how much he liked and appreciated the work I did on the official B5 music videos - that meant a lot to me. So even though I hated the circumstances under which I came up with this, I did a tribute video for Andreas as well, to honor him and his performances in my own way. I've been told the video for Rick touched a lot of people, including his family - I hoped this one could do the same for Andreas' family and fans.
This is the extended version that I did for Andreas' widow after the original cut was released on the net. She contacted me and asked for a copy to run at his memorial service. However, she was disappointed I had not used her favorite G'Kar quote - so I quickly edited that in as a new introduction. It's never been seen online until now.
And a repeat of my earlier note to the rest of the B5 cast: I don't want to do another one of these anytime soon, so take care of yourselves, please!
Monday, December 08, 2008
Babylon 5: In Memory of Richard Biggs
In May 2004, we lost Rick Biggs much too early to an unexpected heart problem. Rick and I had always been friends at conventions, and since I wasn't able to make it to his memorial services in California, I dealt with my feelings by making this memorial tribute video. I was able to finish it quickly and get it to Patricia Tallman in time to run it after Rick's memorial service.
And a note to the rest of the B5 cast: I don't want to do another one of these anytime soon, so take care of yourselves!
And a note to the rest of the B5 cast: I don't want to do another one of these anytime soon, so take care of yourselves!
The Official B5 Music Videos - Third Age 2K
As I mentioned on a previous post, I had intended for "The Phantom B5 Video" to be my last. It covered the whole series, hit all the high points, but the series was over and Crusade had been sabotaged by TNT.
And then, maybe three weeks before DragonCon in the summer of 2000, the news broke that the SciFi Channel would be picking up Babylon 5 starting that fall. And since people had sorta come to expect something new from me each year, I had a few ideas and quickly pulled this together, including a very long and unbroken animation sequence to open the video. The music in the second section is from The Matrix, as this piece was fresh in my mind, as the early versions of Crazy Watto (a Star Wars fanfilm of mine that would later play at the Cannes Film Festival) used it as an underscore. The first piece of music should be intuitively obvious, once you hear it.
And then, maybe three weeks before DragonCon in the summer of 2000, the news broke that the SciFi Channel would be picking up Babylon 5 starting that fall. And since people had sorta come to expect something new from me each year, I had a few ideas and quickly pulled this together, including a very long and unbroken animation sequence to open the video. The music in the second section is from The Matrix, as this piece was fresh in my mind, as the early versions of Crazy Watto (a Star Wars fanfilm of mine that would later play at the Cannes Film Festival) used it as an underscore. The first piece of music should be intuitively obvious, once you hear it.
The Official B5 Music Videos - The Phantom B5 Video
Things seemed to sour for Babylon 5 fans in 1999. The series was over, but we always knew that was the way it would be. However, TNT had turned out not to be the best place for the B5 universe, with their own promotion problems and the debacle surrounding the treatment of Crusade. So by the time that this video debuted at DragonCon that summer, a certain moment that happens 17 seconds in got a thunderous round of applause from over 3000 fans in the room.
This video is also based around John Williams' Star Wars main theme and "Duel of the Fates", since The Phantom Menace had (for better or worse) come out that year, and I was intrigued at the idea of combining the visuals of B5 with Williams' music - and a LOT of Joe's dialogue. After that first showing, Claudia Christian dragged me up onstage with the B5 cast (quite a few attended that year as well) where I got a standing ovation from the crowd. I also apparently made Mira Furlan cry, as it moved her that much. It was a VERY good day, one I'll never forget.
I had intended for this to be my last B5 video, as it didn't look like there were any more B5 tales on the horizon, and I wanted to end on a high note. I was done - or so I thought...
This video is also based around John Williams' Star Wars main theme and "Duel of the Fates", since The Phantom Menace had (for better or worse) come out that year, and I was intrigued at the idea of combining the visuals of B5 with Williams' music - and a LOT of Joe's dialogue. After that first showing, Claudia Christian dragged me up onstage with the B5 cast (quite a few attended that year as well) where I got a standing ovation from the crowd. I also apparently made Mira Furlan cry, as it moved her that much. It was a VERY good day, one I'll never forget.
I had intended for this to be my last B5 video, as it didn't look like there were any more B5 tales on the horizon, and I wanted to end on a high note. I was done - or so I thought...
The Official B5 Music Videos - Keep Yourself Alive
The summer of 1998 was a good time for Babylon 5, it seemed at the time. The show was going to finish its five-year arc, the spinoff series Crusade had a greenlight - the show had survived. I had always liked the Queen song "Keep Yourself Alive" (I used it for a Star Wars video back in the mid-80s for a convention video dance party), and I thought the lyrics were very appropriate. This premiered at DragonCon that summer, with a healthy majority of the cast in attendance, and it went over insanely well.
The Official B5 Music Videos - Welcome to the Third Age
This one was a bit of an adventure. In the spring of 1997, the fourth season was roaring to an end, but there were rumors the series would not get its fifth season. Joe and I had talked about using Christopher Franke's music again, highlighting the epic feel and scope of the Babylon 5 story, and with that in mind, I started editing.
After about a month, I got a call from Joe on a Friday, asking how close I was to being done. I was maybe 75% there, but he wanted to know if there was any way I could be done by Monday, as he was going to Atlanta the next week and would VERY much like to have a showreel inhand. Needless to say, I pulled a LONG weekend, as this was Joe's trip to hopefully finalize the deal to get B5 onto TNT for the fifth and final season, and he was going to use my work to do it. I was even ready to drive to Atlanta to meet him with a tape if need be, but the overnight delivery got to the B5 offices just in time for him to review the tape before he left.
This video premiered at DragonCon in July 1997, and the original version of this ended with the TNT logo and the announcement of Season Five. At the time, this was considered A Very Good Thing - but that's another story.
After about a month, I got a call from Joe on a Friday, asking how close I was to being done. I was maybe 75% there, but he wanted to know if there was any way I could be done by Monday, as he was going to Atlanta the next week and would VERY much like to have a showreel inhand. Needless to say, I pulled a LONG weekend, as this was Joe's trip to hopefully finalize the deal to get B5 onto TNT for the fifth and final season, and he was going to use my work to do it. I was even ready to drive to Atlanta to meet him with a tape if need be, but the overnight delivery got to the B5 offices just in time for him to review the tape before he left.
This video premiered at DragonCon in July 1997, and the original version of this ended with the TNT logo and the announcement of Season Five. At the time, this was considered A Very Good Thing - but that's another story.
The Official B5 Music Videos - Nobody's Side
Joe had the idea that the song "Nobody's Side" from Chess really fit the mood during the third season of B5, and it's true. And while I thought highly of the musical, I wasn't completely sold on the idea of it working well with B5, but I soldiered on and this was the result.
Initially, I wasn't happy with the final product, but later, after seeing this go over insanely well with the crowds at conventions, I've come to appreciate it - especially after the crowds at DragonCon told me two years in a row (very loudly) that they disagreed with my idea of it.
Initially, I wasn't happy with the final product, but later, after seeing this go over insanely well with the crowds at conventions, I've come to appreciate it - especially after the crowds at DragonCon told me two years in a row (very loudly) that they disagreed with my idea of it.
The Official B5 Music Videos - Requiem
This video was produced near the end of Season Two, and debuted at the 1995 Comic-Con. The show was heading into darker territory, and Joe had Christopher Franke compose a suite that became know as the "Requiem for the Line". This one went though several revisions, as JMS was very specific about certain things he wanted to see, and a certain mood he wanted to project.
The Official B5 Music Videos - I Need a Hero
This was the first video actually commissioned by Joe, in the spring of 1995. One thing that (I think) helped me get the assignment is that over the run of the series, I worked either for a TV station or production facility that had satellite access, and I was already archiving the episodes for myself on either 3/4", BetaSP, or 1" videotape. Since I had access to high-quality source material that was outside the Warner Bros. Publicity chain-of-command, who continually seemed to have problems with leting Joe have access to promo materials for his own show, he was able to do an end-run around them.
Joe suggested the song, but everything else was my work. I think I nailed this one right out of the gate, since Joe only had one or two minor notes on it. I really like how this one turned out, and it's a fan favorite.
This video, along with the first one, got out on several of the bootleg Babylon 5 blooper compilations, due to an unscrupulous Chicago convention promoter who let a tape get duplicated (which was the least of his offenses). That was the main reason Joe and I kept a lid on these for so long, preferring that they be seen at conventions with a crowd.
Joe suggested the song, but everything else was my work. I think I nailed this one right out of the gate, since Joe only had one or two minor notes on it. I really like how this one turned out, and it's a fan favorite.
This video, along with the first one, got out on several of the bootleg Babylon 5 blooper compilations, due to an unscrupulous Chicago convention promoter who let a tape get duplicated (which was the least of his offenses). That was the main reason Joe and I kept a lid on these for so long, preferring that they be seen at conventions with a crowd.
The Official B5 Music Videos - Danger Zone
I was hired by Joe Straczynski to create official Babylon 5 music videos for him to use at science fiction conventions, and later to promote the show to networks. We produced eight over the run of the series. Now, 10 years after the end of the series and numerous requests from fans, Straczynski has allowed me to post these online.
This video is the original I made in 1994 just for fun - only 16 episodes had aired at this point. I had made quite a few music videos like this for video dance parties at science fiction conventions in the mid to late 80s, and I was so intrigued by B5 from the beginning that it seemed natural to try it with B5 as well.
Straczynski and I already knew each other online through GEnie - I was a sysop for the B5 section there at the time. I sent a copy to him, he liked it and asked if he could use it at an upcoming convention. Not long after, he asked about actually paying me to do another one. And another. And another....
This video is the original I made in 1994 just for fun - only 16 episodes had aired at this point. I had made quite a few music videos like this for video dance parties at science fiction conventions in the mid to late 80s, and I was so intrigued by B5 from the beginning that it seemed natural to try it with B5 as well.
Straczynski and I already knew each other online through GEnie - I was a sysop for the B5 section there at the time. I sent a copy to him, he liked it and asked if he could use it at an upcoming convention. Not long after, he asked about actually paying me to do another one. And another. And another....
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