This could line up with an end of year announcement of the MCT. They could and should collaborate on the teaser/announcement/reveal videos for when Elon goes all in. The content of which would also be expanded and used for a 2016 spring miniseries. Giving them access as SpaceX works through their designs and mission architectures as well as creating all the 3D animations and sound designs? Now that would be epic.
Quote from: rcoppola on 04/12/2015 10:03 pmThis could line up with an end of year announcement of the MCT. They could and should collaborate on the teaser/announcement/reveal videos for when Elon goes all in. The content of which would also be expanded and used for a 2016 spring miniseries. Giving them access as SpaceX works through their designs and mission architectures as well as creating all the 3D animations and sound designs? Now that would be epic.The process for a miniseries produced by a company like Imagine is quite a bit longer than that. This is a $100M dollar sort of project and will take several years. A year from now they won't even be close to shooting anything much less doing post production or finalizing distribution deals. It will take until 2018 which will coincide with the Dragon2 US return to human space flight and a big uptick in popular attention to space. Musk will also take several years to finish a serious book (he's currently wasting all that time sleeping a couple hours a night he can spend writing it).I'd hope it would be really epic too. I'd hope to see the MCT and Mars architecture with SFX as good as Gravity.
FYI Musk have done a few films as executive producer. Musk's IMDB link
Is this going to be a reality show?
It would be more interesting if it was a news show focused on the "new space" industry in general, rather than just on SpaceX in particular. After all, there are other companies coming out with good ideas too. Miles O'Brien's "This Week In Space" was really nice, although slightly ahead of its time:https://www.youtube.com/show/thisweekinspace
Yes, it can appear a little, well, unseemly for a billionaire CEO to so shamelessly use his own persona to drum up interest in his visions for the future. But in this case, I think it's the best possible approach SpaceX can take. And it's wise planning.
...As you may have recently read, (former Reagan admin Budget Director) David Stockman has uncharitably called Elon Musk a "circus barker", alluding to Musk's penchant for hype and showmanship:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/commentary/elon-musks-tesla-circus-is-a-true-bonfire-of-the-vanities/article23883288/Throwing more TV drama into the picture may turn into a distraction. I'd hate to see Musk morph into Richard Branson.
Actually, this sounds a lot like the next step in a cunning and visionary Master Plan, to me.First, you set up the financial and technological basis for doing what you want to do (go to Mars) within the constraints of the American industrial system.Second, you demonstrate you can compete in a high-stakes, high-tech and high-finance industry well enough to finance your push to Mars and develop the technology needed to do so.Third, you develop your PR campaign to get the public to buy into your vision. Selling comsats and launch services is all very well and good, but if you're going to go to Mars you need a groundswell of popular support to provide funding through all sorts of secondary streams, such as merchandising, LEO tourism, even buying Tesla cars with the understanding that much of the profits from sales of Tom Swift's Electric Car will go towards putting humans on Mars.With a miniseries and a book deal, it seems that Musk is embarking on Step Three. And since this entire business (going to Mars) is being sustained in great degree upon Musk's own personal charisma, it makes a ton of sense for him to be featured as the author of the books and the star of the miniseries in which he "sells" his vision to America and the world. I see it as a modern-day version of the kick von Braun gave to the backside of America's space aspirations with his Colliers articles and the follow-up Disney TV features.Yes, it can appear a little, well, unseemly for a billionaire CEO to so shamelessly use his own persona to drum up interest in his visions for the future. But in this case, I think it's the best possible approach SpaceX can take. And it's wise planning.