Model Shot Recycling

[Stabbim the Skutter]

One thing that’s always interested me, but never seems to be discussed is the recycling of model shots. I’m surprised there isn’t a comprehensive list of all of the recycled shots on this website (or have I missed it?)

They can be fairly obvious, such as V having Starbug crash through the cargo bay doors two episodes on the trot. Often quite creative, like Starbug spinning down towards the ice planet in Marooned being used for Kryten and Camille going on a romantic joyride. Sometimes it’s clear the budget has run out, such as in Epideme where the desolate planet is just footage from the chase scene in Bodyswap. VII even recycles its CGI shots, usually layered over various godawful backgrounds.

My hot take is that this is fine, but it’s the sort of thing this fandom would never forgive if it were done today; you guys give the classic series a free pass on loads of stuff that would be under heavy scrutiny in the Dave era. But what are your thoughts on recycled footage? Do you think it works, or does it take you out of the story? What are the best and worst examples you can think of?

Topic

[Dave]

The worst example for me is the very distinctive Justice World design being reused in Out Of Time. It’s so specific, designed to look like the scales of justice, that it’s really jarring to see it suddenly crop up in another context.

In general though I don’t really mind model shot recycling, especially when it’s fairly generic flyby/establishing shots of Starbug or Red Dwarf. If it’s good enough for Thunderbirds then it’s good enough for RD.

[GlenTokyo]

The only annoying one for me is the Starbug banking screen left to screen right behind Red Dwarf. I feel like that’s used a few times and is so obviously the same shot.
The point of most of the model shots is making them generic though, because outside of a few “we definitely want this” set pieces, the budget doesn’t allow speciality shots for the same things over and over again.

you guys give the classic series a free pass on loads of stuff that would be under heavy scrutiny in the Dave era.

I don’t know what you really mean with this. I think the classic series get plenty of scrutiny, especially technically, but they just tend to be better, so there’s less to point out.

[International Debris]

The Starbug ‘skid’ left is the only one that bothers me.

[Future Producer of Series IX – aaaaany day now]

What about that one they keep using of Starbug spinning out of control towards the planet from Marooned?

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

You expect a certain amount of model footage reuse so you kinda just let it go right?

(Anything with models, puppets etc does the same thing – Gerry Anderson springs to mind)

Ok it’s a bit jarring when it’s a distinctive shot, but I’d rather they save their money and use it elsewhere. 

[Warbodog]

The most glaring to me on first watches was the shot of Blue Midget with the little doll of H in the middle toffed up to the nines that’s good attention to detail for ‘Kryten’ but a continuity error when reused.

More back to back recycling is Starbug’s escape pod in Terrorform and Quarantine.

Good thread, even if we’re all being too lazy to illustrate with Smega-Drive gifs.

[Formica]

Not a model shot but I’ve always wondered why they wouldn’t repeat a successfully filmed turn instead of giving us this one where both Danny and Robert obviously forget they’re supposed to turn.

[Stabbim the Skutter]

[Rudolph]

I need to go back over X – XII, but I think I’m right in saying that the Starbug interior sets have ‘Starbug 19’ signs up, but the model still has the ‘Starbug 1’ registration on the side. Although it’s a nice detail that when they return to Red Dwarf in The Promised Land and pick up a new Starbug to go over to the cat fleet, the signs on the set have been updated to ‘Starbug 20’.

[Niki Hutchinson]

One shot I’ve noticed recycled from XI to XII are these Starbug ones. But I do think they were able to change them up enough to work separately…

Office Rimmer:

Siliconia:

Also, slight tangent here but. I swear this is a sort of redo of this shot from Series VIII… (More in how the camera is position for the shot)

Back in the Red Pt. 1:

[Moonlight]

That’s one of the best Starbug shots in XI / XII too. The others are often don’t give the ship a real sense of scale and usually have a locked camera.

Let’s be real though, something clearly went wrong with some element of the production when half the Starbug shots are shitty 2D fakes and literally every other shot of RD is this one (with the exact same annoying music cue):

X seems like it had a mess of a production and was saved in post. Meanwhile XI / XII seem to have had an excellent production but then a lot went horribly, horribly wrong in post. Between the model stuff, the music edit so fucked up it comes across a temp edit that was never finished, triply so for XII, and other nonsense, it’s just frustrating when this is my favorite version of the show outside the Bubble.

I have a friend who made fan edits of the Dave era fixing a lot of these issues and those have kinda become my go-to copies to watch.

[RunawayTrain]

Those fan edits sound most interesting.  Are they … available, anywhere?

[GlenTokyo]

That’s one of the best Starbug shots in XI / XII too. The others are often don’t give the ship a real sense of scale and usually have a locked camera.

Let’s be real though, something clearly went wrong with some element of the production when half the Starbug shots are shitty 2D fakes and literally every other shot of RD is this one (with the exact same annoying music cue):

X seems like it had a mess of a production and was saved in post. Meanwhile XI / XII seem to have had an excellent production but then a lot went horribly, horribly wrong in post. Between the model stuff, the music edit so fucked up it comes across a temp edit that was never finished, triply so for XII, and other nonsense, it’s just frustrating when this is my favorite version of the show outside the Bubble.

I have a friend who made fan edits of the Dave era fixing a lot of these issues and those have kinda become my go-to copies to watch.

I love me some models, but I genuinely think the VIII shot looks better here which is sad.

It has a bit of the classic BBC VFX moco pan about it though which helps it compared to a lot of not very dynamic awkward shots or 2D Powerpoint motion path shots that feature in XI/XII.

[Moonlight]

Those fan edits sound most interesting.  Are they … available, anywhere?

I don’t think she ever uploaded them anywhere.

[Ian Symes]

I’m surprised there isn’t a comprehensive list of all of the recycled shots on this website

We are open to hosting guest posts if anyone fancies it…

[Jenuall]

The Starbug ‘skid’ left is the only one that bothers me.

This is the one that comes to mind for me, it’s used a few times overall isn’t it?
They do at least make a decent job for compositing other elements into the scene to make it feel a bit different each time, Backwards versus Psirens for example both feel pretty unique and are far enough apart to forgive IMO:

Of course that kind of then falls apart when it’s used in the very next episode…

Maybe Cat only knows one method of “evasive manoeuvre” and it’s just to lurch to the left?

[Jonathan Capps]

But slightly sped up in the third instance!

Excellent giffing, it has to be said.

[Jenuall]

Cheers, all made possible thanks to some top quality tools of course!

It’s slightly annoyed me that the third is out of sync, OCD part of my brain wants to try and fix it now!

[Niki Hutchinson]

Cheers, all made possible thanks to some top quality tools of course!

It’s slightly annoyed me that the third is out of sync, OCD part of my brain wants to try and fix it now!

Welcome to the OCD club !!!

[Author]

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