Greetings To The People Of Earth by Chipka
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
When I was younger (in the grips of receiving a fundamentalist Christian education at least that's what they called it) I found myself enthralled by something of a television event. It was during the early 1980s that my interest in Science Fiction began to manifest itself in early attempts at writing. It was also during the 1980s that American (and eventually global) television viewers were introduced to the televised spectacle known simply as V. (Not to be confused with the Roman numeral, or the Thomas Pynchon novel.)
By 1980s special effects standards, it was pretty snazzy, especially for television. It was pretty bold in the parallels it drew between invading, hungry aliens and Nazis. It featured startling makeup effects. (Human "masks" didn't peel off to reveal reptilian skin [and eyes] underneath before 1983.) And the original miniseries even had a soundtrack stolen from an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, but I suspect that only soundtrack collectors would know that.
At any rate, the 1980s saw the introduction of the "Visitors." Due to the success of the original miniseries, a second installment hit the airwaves a year later. It was called, creatively enough, V: The Final Battle only it wasn't very final, but it did feature Jane Badler and Sarah Douglass vamping it up with true soap-opera panache. Jane Badler will forever occupy a soft spot in the cockles of my heart, simply because she managed to look sultry and sexy with perfect non-smear lipstick, while (thanks to bad special effects) swallowing a live guinea pig. Whenever I hear the name, "Diana" I think of her.
Now, V returns to the airwaves. The lizard aliens are updated, and somewhat shorter! The ruthless leader is played by another actress, known for her roles in other science fiction tv shows and movies. Where Diana was a deleriously over-the-top vamp, the new "Anna" is an elegant and decided elfin presence. She smiles a lot (at least according to the promos) and speaks in perpetually soothing tones. The Visitor space ships are less like giant saucers and more like something you'd see here on Renderosity. (That's a good thing, by the way.) And the logic of the show seems to be the same. Aliens come from far away to take over the earth, use humans as food, steal the water, all while establishing themselves as the saviors of mankind. I'm sure the lizard special effects will be updated, and I'm sure, as well, that by the final episode, humans will prevail, while the Visitors exit Stage Left. Or would that be Screen Left?
At any rate, V is incredibly goofy, and quite xenophobic, but it's a lot of fun, and in memory of the old series, and the reimagined version, I found myself sitting in front of this computer, manipulating an image of myself. It was brainless, campy fun, and I'll have to say that I had no idea that it would take so long to make a reptile eye from scratch (lots of cloud layers, crackly-effects, and a number of other Gimp-plugins that I can't remember.) And now that I've done it. Here it is. My homage to goofy, xenophobic, science fiction television.
Of course, had I written any part of V, I'd have the sultry, reptilian alien leader declare one thing: "Mammals taste good, and you don't have to cook 'em, 'cause they're already warm."
Oh well...
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope this image is as fun for you as it was for me.
Comments (22)
kgb224
Outstanding work my friend.
Danny_G
Excellent image
tamburro
Amazing image!!!!!
mbz2662
Nice work :)
ToniDunlap
I love this image very much! Excellent!!!
auntietk
Nice reptilian eye! Very well done. Whatever trouble you went to, it was totally worth it. You make a great alien!
MrsRatbag
I like, you should get contacts like that!
blondeblurr
Ah, the Lizard King is alive and kicking, though not a good likeness to Jim Morrison of 'The Doors'... perhaps something, more like a sinister conspiracy, with a touch of the Author David Icke...the mind boggles. Jeff (my son) remembers the goofyness of 'V', I can't say, having ever seen that T.V. show, but let's not get that in the way of a funny ending, you would prefer. fun edition...BB
helanker
OH yes I remember that science fiction series. We were glued to the TV set :-) And you did a great job on your reptile eye. :-)
beachzz
I love this---you have such a flair for taking the sort of ordinary and turning into something very different.
durleybeachbum
I LOVED 'V'!! I didn't have a TV till 1976, and then only so I could record my Open University programmes that went out at 4am, but when that series happened I was really glad I'd finally bought a set! Which, by the way, together with the VHS recorder, lasted till 1999! Worryingly, I find your self-portrait strangely appealing, I must have been preconditioned by Tara's snakes.
bimm3d
it's a gorgeous composition!!! very well done!!
Biffowitz
Very cool artwork and style, I like it!
Meisiekind
I vividly remember the series V. We saw it here in SA only in the latter part of the 80's!! Excellent narrative and wonderful image to awaken old memories! Bravo Chip!!! ps - Still busy replying to the sitemail!
ladyraven23452
great work love it.
KatesFriend
Ah yes, the original 'V' miniseries was a rather subversive tail. America (and the 'western' world) had become enamored with superficial beauty, accumulation of wealth without regard and the trappings of power. Night time soap operas like Dynasty were the top ratings getters. 'V' abruptly and literally stripped off this facade to expose the ugly truth to such worship. Alas, as 'V' progressed into a weekly series, it became increasingly the very thing it used to mock. It itself decayed into a gossipy soap opera. The writing became childish, what will Dianna's evil scheme be this week? How will she be foiled by her equally scheming underlings or the brave resistance fighters? Stories relying on fist fights and one liners to kill a little time. In conjunction there was a steep decline production values - not just effects, sometimes sets weren't even assembled completely. I saw the first episode of the revival last night. Not bad but they're moving the plot ahead pretty quickly and not allowing a sense of mystery to develop. And apparently, "we're gonna fight back" has already been established.
romanceworks
This is fun and SO creative. And your 'mammals taste good' line is perfect. Yummmmm! CC
myrrhluz
Terrific image. The minimalist clean lines and the design would make it a great cover for a Sci Fi book. Great success on the reptilian eye!
pwilkin
Very nice work. What do you think of the new "V"? I think it's a great update.
technogeek
The only problem that I with the premise of an alien race invading Earth for resources such as water and minerals, is the extra energy required for dealing with entering a planet's gravity well. Those same resources could be mined from asteroids and comets on the edge of the solar system, without risking ships and their crews in an unnecessary conflict with a inhabited planet.
jif3d
I guess this next "V" series will be starring yourself as the rodent munching antagonist ?...actually, you make a great Alien, maybe you should approach the studio's with this pic ! The original show put me off my dinner quite a few times, well, really put me off nibbling on my pets ! Well done & ~Cheers~
Hubba1
I love this, Very cool :)