Parabolic Arc

Following up on this Starwalker astronaut reality show that is headed up by Australian filmmaker Jonathan Nolan. It turns out that Nolan’s resume in film is relatively short, consisting of a 9-11 conspiracy documentary titled, “Fortunate Sons,” and a film, “Sweet Cyanide.” I have found no clips of either online, but there is a brief discussion on the latter film here (hated it) and a review here (mediocre).

However, Nolan has been making computer-generated short films that he has been posting on the TMUnderGround website under the user name Doghead. An example is shown above. One of his six films appears to be a remake of an old Simon Templar (“The Saint”) radio program.

You can judge the quality of the work yourselves. (I’m not impressed.) Filming a reality series – especially one involving contestants from all over the world – would be a much more difficult task. Not to mention filming their trip into space.

They have teamed with a company with some experience, Red Vision of Manchester, England. However, that company is mostly known for creating award-winning CGI and visual  effects used in documentaries. They don’t seem to have shot reality shows.

This raises more doubts in my mind about whether Nolan and his business partner, Greg Smith, have the experience and clout to pull off an international venture like this one. It would involve some serious money and the approval of some heavyweight organizations that would put their reputations on the line. And I haven’t seen any real evidence that there are solid agreements in place between the producers and those who would provide rides into space.

The unexplained departure from the project of the three ISU alumni who launched it raises further doubts. Their support would have opened a lot of doors to the producers, who don’t seem to have any background in space. Their lack of support could close a lot of doors.

Until I get more evidence to the contrary, I’m going to remain doubtful about the viability of Starwalker.