Spacecraftfilms.com ???

[saturn501]

I recently discovered SpacecraftFilms.com, a company that is selling DVDs made from old NASA films and videos of the Saturn launch vehicles and Apollo spacecraft. Has anyone out there bought any of these DVDs? How was their quality? Please advise: conch@keysy.com. Thanks!

 

[grooble]

Never bought anything, although i'm interested in the Apollo 11 dvd. It's linked to a lot on space.com main page so it is legitimate. Also there are some preview video samples you can look at.

 

[wvbraun]

I bought "Apollo 15". The footage was good but there is no commentary, it's not a documentary.

 

[rvastro]

I own three of them: Apollo 11, The Mighty Saturns: Saturn I and IB, and Project Gemini. If you like watching the original films with out any talking heads--these are for you. Two of the three have a little documentary on disk one and footage of the launches and onboard films taken by remote cameras and astonauts.

 

[davf]

I have both Mighty Saturns DVDs, Apollo 8, and Gemini. I love them, but am admitedly, a space geek. I thought the quality was excellent. Each has a short documentary which is then followed by film footage. In cases where no audio was present (more often than not that is the case), they occaisionally over-dub with audio from somewhere else (post mission press briefings, for instance) just so you don't fall asleep. The footage is amazing! I find them to be a little pricey, but I'm sure a big reason for that is the limited audience numbers. If you can spare the money and you're a 'space geek', I'd highly recommend them. If you aren't sure, try Gemini or one of the cheaper ones for a taste.

 

[shuttle_rtf]

I'll be taking that STS-109 DVD off their hands! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[CalliArcale]

*utters vile curses at the villains who robbed shuttle_guy*<br /><br />I have "The Mighty Saturns: Saturn V" and the Gemini set. I love them tremendously. However, you pretty much have to be a MASSIVE space geek to enjoy them. Don't buy them to prove your geekiness; it's too much money for that. And don't buy them if you're looking for a documentary. Buy them if you fall into one or more of the following categories:<br /><br />A) You're a serious collector of space memorabilia (serious enough to spend upwards of $50 on something that doesn't even have much commentary).<br /><br />B) You collect videos, pictures, etc not just as memorabilia but for archival purposes, and consequently want the best quality video possible.<br /><br />C) You are seriously addicted to watching live mission coverage of manned space missions on NASA TV and wish you could've had that resource during the Apollo project.<br /><br />If you fit in any of those categories, these videos will definitely satisfy. I love them.<br /><br />BTW, there is <i>some</i> commentary. But it's not always directly relevant to the footage. For instance, they have the complete footage from the SA-500F rollout. (SA-500F was the full-scale engineering model of a Saturn V, used for training and all-up fit checks and things like that.) The commentary that goes along with it is an extensive monolog on the creation and maintenance of the Apollo Program's Change Control Board. You'll probably only enjoy that if, like me, you are in configuration management. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[heep]

I agree with CalliArcale's assessment. I bought the six DVD set of Apollo 15. It took me almost a year to finally get through watching all of it. I know I will never watch the whole thing again. The 30 minute NASA films of each flight available from other sources are also good, but I wish there was something between these two options. I would like to see something approximately three hours long for each of the last three moon landings, with minimal narration, such as showing the EVA map to point out the stations where the TV or film footage had been recorded.

 

[ascan1984]

wvbraun<br /><br />Please dont think i am being rude I dont intend to be but you are kind of missing the point of spacecraf films DVD's. This is a full and complete documentation of how it was on the surface to be preserved and savoured as for what it was a historic moment.

 

[mattblack]

I LOVE the Spacecraft Films products. My only regret is that I can't afford to buy them all. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!!  LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>

 

[bpcooper]

They are of excellent quality. Some are footage only and no commentary, but they all contain footage you will not be seeing anywhere else anytime soon.<br /><br />I have not seen the newest release (Liftoff: Success and Failure) but judging by the preview which you can watch on their site, I would say it's well worth buying. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-Ben</p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

I bought Liftoff. It actually managed to exceed my expectations for it. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> The Goddard footage is remarkable. They got actual rocket scientists to narrate it too, and it's kind of fun to hear the dry reactions to catastrophic failures of many of these early rocket flights. I really get a kick out of that. It's also fun to watch things like the first Explorer launch, the Viking launches, and other historic acheivements.<br /><br />They also have footage of Himmler's airplane right after an errant V-2 totalled it. They were supposed to be demonstrating the efficacy of the new weapon. He is said to have remarked afterwards that they had succesfully demonstrated a very effective short-range weapon. <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /><br /><br />I'd really like to see Spacecraft Films put together a compilation of other non-US rockets, especially the many remarkable Soviet rockets that have flown through the years. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>