Scott Chambliss Interview

TrekMovie.com has posted a few quotes from Star Trek Production Designer Scott Chambliss that shows up in Star Trek Magazine issue 17 that will be on newstands soon. He briefly discusses working with Abrams and sets of the movie.

J.J. often uses the word ‘accessible’ when we work together. No matter how crazy ­ Star Trek, outer space, future ­ he wants it to be accessible to the audience so it makes sense. Things like military transport shuttles, you believe that¹s a military bus taking you some place. It¹s got the textures, it¹s got a little bit of peeling paint, the safety bars and the seatbelts that you just know makes sense in the world now, so will makes sense 200 years from now. I loved doing those little sets because they were so small, like little jewel boxes.

I was really happy with the way the Bridge turned out. I guess I have three favorite sets: the Bridge, the whole Narada [Nero's ship] interior, which is minimalist, with excessive detail, and brutalist, and the Jellyfish, Nimoy’s little ship [the ‘Jellyfish’]. That has a wonderful inside thing from J.J. and my years of working together. In the containment field in the ship is a big red ball. The ‘big red ball’ has a lot of resonance for J.J. and I: we have one in virtually everything we do. It started with the Alias pilot. I always look at a script and wonder what the big red ball is going to be this time.