Sliders Academy Awards: Best Technical

Date: 12/28/2001
From: Recall317

This award goes out to the set designers, the prop guys, the CGI people, and everyone else who brings the alternate realities of Sliders to the small screen. Some would say that the first two seasons have an edge because on location shooting simply looks better than on set. Others could counter that the third season had the highest budget. And of course, the fourth and fifth season teams had to get very creative in their re-use of material.

While CGI and explosives have their place, the most richly visualized world is (in my humble opinion):

Into the Mystic

The second season premier of ghouls and sorcery showcased the best transformed San Francisco without losing the reference points inherent to parallel universes. The on location shooting featured some unique backdrops to the series (the Oriental styled buildings including Mr. Miyagi's home from "The Karate Kid", the Sorcere's Palace) plus some great make-up work and special effects. The disappearing bridge trick is by no means new, but it still looked good. The prop team earned their money with neat alt-comedy moments including the warning located at the entrance to the Golden Gargoyle Gate Bridge and the decoration of Dr. Xang's office. And for once, Vancouver's lousy weather came in handy to futher bolster this dark and gloomy world.

It may lack the fancy CGI of later episode, but "Into the Mystic" is a visual treat.

I expect the picks for this award will vary greatly. Let's see what the Academy has to say!

R317

Hmmm....

Date: 12/28/2001
From: Slider_Quinn21

I would really hate to give it away in BT...

I would also really hate to give any sort of award to This Slide of Paradise. However, it did have one of the coolest shots from the show(Future world at the very end). I thought that was really cool.

But I am going to go with "Invasion" on this one. The inside of the Manta ship was cool, and the eerieness of all the grafiti at the amusement park(I know its cliche, but eerie nonetheless)

So one vote for "Invasion"
Quinn
http://slidersweb.net/otherworlds/214

"Like Icarus. He flew too close to...

Date: 12/28/2001
From: MissingSliderRyan

the sun and melted his wings."
BT brought to you by Poetry Mangling Man in Wishing You Were Dead and Buried

Good points, Recall. One quibble though. Arturo leaning on Quinn's tombstone was as cheesy as seeing the boulders dropping on Captain Kirk. ;-)

These are tough categories for me to pick just one. I'd have to rewatch several of them again. There's several that I have in mind with As Time Goes By leading the pack for Best Technical with three worlds, a large number of interior and exterior shots with varying degrees of light and dark and the number of special effects employed from the vortex shots to the time warping backwards effect to the rip in the universe shot.

Well, Abused Daelin's home must have had a red-green colorblind interior decorator. ;-) That would drive me crazy being there.

MSR

Post Traumatic slide syndrome

Date: 12/29/2001
From: LostLeaper

That season 2 ep get's my vote for best technical.The shot were two Arturo's were fighting at the mouth of the vortex was a classic.As always i like the Vortex opening and closing as they jump into it.

PS:Why did the Vortex change colours in later eps to a darker blue?.

Hmmmmmmm <gasp> mmmmmmmmm

Date: 12/29/2001
From: SL4ever

But no Hmmmmmmm for BT!!

I'll have to go with Invasion again. In fact, if I ever miss one of these (I'm leaving town in a week) then just mark me down for Invasion no matter what the category! :-D Even "best screen kiss" !!!

But the Magg makeup, as mentioned before the >;-#-ed up SF, the ship, etc. All very creepy and all very effective. :-P

My choice

Date: 12/29/2001
From: The_Seer

and the Oscar goes to .....

*******************************************************
This one's tough because, for all the budget constraints they had throughout most of the series run, there were many episodes that were done well visually. It's also tough because I haven't seen most of the candidates I have in mind for a while so I'll have to go by memory.

Based on the criteria, I can't make an argument against either "Into The Mystic" or "Invasion". While I can see why someone would select "PTSS" (because of Azure Gate Bridge and the two Arturos fighting at the end), I think there are better candidates (see the two above). I will bring to the table some of the other candidates I mulled over.

"Gillian Of The Spirits" is one that doesn't immediately pop to mind but it did give us "ghost" Quinn and the special effects that go along with that. However, they had been doing that kind of thing for years on "Quantum Leap". Both "In Dino Veritas" and "Dinoslide" are strong candidates because I believe those were the first times that I had ever seen Dinosaurs on television where they weren't fake looking. I would also consider "Double Cross" and "Dragonslide" as other good candidates because of the set designs and the special effects. Not to completely exclude the last 2 seasons, both "The Alternateville Horror" and "Eye Of The Storm" had some pretty good visual effects but they both lose out mainly for the exact same reason, which is that most or all of the episode takes place inside the Chandler.

What does all the above babbling mean? Well, visually I like both "Into The Mystic" and "Invasion" but I'm going to choose the one that seemed to be the most ground breaking at the time and I think that was "In Dino Veritas". Besides the computerized dinosaur, the set design was pretty good plus throw in the holographic ranger for good measure. I don't remember whether or not the dinosaurs in "Dinoslide" were visually any better but "In Dino Veritas" was the groundbreaker so that's my choice.

In my opinion

Date: 12/29/2001
From: TemporalFlux

There is one choice that stands above the rest. While many episodes had great effects and attention to detail, the intended second episode "Summer of Love" had it all in spades. From the killer spider wasp swarm to the striking details of 60's world to a giant tidal wave looming at the end, this episode put the technical people through their paces...and they came through like champs.

Tf
temporalflux@hotmail.com
http://dimensionofcontinuity.com

Okay, this is easy.

Date: 12/31/2001
From: Blinker

David Peckinpah must be destroyed!!

It's "Invasion." I've always admired how well-thought-out and effective our look at Kromagg culture was, especially given the minuscule budget of the times. Who can forget the endless, spotlit corridors; the forcefields that gently cascade stronger instead of just shocking you Star-Trek-style; or the spaceship designed as a huge, liquid-metal stingray? Not to mention that silent, motionless Magg standing behind the strands of blue stuff and sending Mary her orders is just FREAKY.

...of course, it's no surprise that not one of these elements survived the move to SFC. Hence the beginning text.

- Blinker 7:-#
http://slidersweb.net/blinker

Original URL http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/27207
Nominated by TemporalFlux