One of the consequences of a wisely used but small budget. Simple sets and costumes, plus a LOT of creative lighting. All that’s left are actors to fill that otherwise empty-feeling space on the stage.
Also, color TV was in its infancy, so networks used the medium to compete for viewer attention. It really looks like NBC made sure that every scene was as vibrant as possible. But now that I think about it, it also had to “read” well in B/W too.
Edit: @[email protected] corrected me here. TOS was indeed an expensive show, which upon rewatching (as I am today), becomes more evident the longer you look at it.
Star Trek was considered big budget television in the 1960s. It was early peak broadcast television made to show off colour technology.
Roddenberry modeled and pitched the original pilot (The Cage) on MGM’s movie Forbidden Planet, which was the most expensive science fiction movie to date when it was made in the mid 50s.
One of the consequences of a wisely used
but smallbudget. Simple sets and costumes, plus a LOT of creative lighting. All that’s left are actors to fill that otherwise empty-feeling space on the stage.Also, color TV was in its infancy, so networks used the medium to compete for viewer attention. It really looks like NBC made sure that every scene was as vibrant as possible. But now that I think about it, it also had to “read” well in B/W too.
Edit: @[email protected] corrected me here. TOS was indeed an expensive show, which upon rewatching (as I am today), becomes more evident the longer you look at it.
Star Trek was considered big budget television in the 1960s. It was early peak broadcast television made to show off colour technology.
Roddenberry modeled and pitched the original pilot (The Cage) on MGM’s movie Forbidden Planet, which was the most expensive science fiction movie to date when it was made in the mid 50s.