Still boldly going: The Shatner/Nimoy Conversation (BronzeShelter, 2002)

 

Tease:  Creative Light Entertainment recorded William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy talking to each other about how their lives changed because of one television show.  The Bronze Shelter talks to Executive Producer, Scott Zakarin, about his Mind Meld project. 

The simplest ideas prove to be the best:  Shatner and Nimoy talking.  Better idea?  Record the conversation.  That’s just what Creative Light Entertainment did:  MIND MELD: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime.  The two pop culture kingpins kicked back at Nimoy's place to chat about their time on the Star Trek series and how the show affected the rest of their lives.)  Reviewers and fans alike have raved over the eighty minutes of friendly, honest banter that makes this copy a must see for fans and curious alike.  (This graph sounds like the teaser with the next one as the beginning of the article….Okay I take that back.  This graph would be great if the article was going to be on Shatner and Nimoy, which is what I originally thought the article was on.  It's a good interview, but it needs to be clear that it's Zakarin and THEN explain about what the project is.  Same goes with the title.)

The Bronze Shelter recently talked to Scott Zakarin, founder of Creative Light and Executive Producer (along with William Shatner, Peter Jaysen and Rich Tackenberg) of Mind Meld.   With a mixed bag of credits longer than could be contained in a single article, Scott continues to create note worthy, exciting entertainment.  His previous project, Hail Sid Caesar! The Golden Age of Comedy, received critical success as a documentary of 50s television series, Your Show of Shows and Caesar’s Hour.  Next up, the release of The Adventures of Cinderella’s Daughter: the next chapter in the favorite fairy tale.  

Thankfully, Scott managed to squeeze in a little time to answer questions.

Bronze Shelter:  Who first approached you on this project?  How did Creative Light become involved in the MIND MELD venture?

Scott Zakarin:  We approached Bill (Shatner) with the idea of doing a reunion project with Leonard (Nimoy), talking about their mutual experiences as Sci-Fi icons.  Bill said that's cool, but he suggested no moderator.  Instead, they should interview each other.  We couldn't resist the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation with these two guys that we all grew up with.

S:  How fast did the project come together?  Were you left scrambling?

Z:  The project came together very fast.  Once we started, Bill called Leonard and the two of them just started jamming.  It was during the phone call that we realized we were going to get a lot more revelations than we first expected.

S:  Are you a fan of the original series?

Z:  I am huge fan of the original series and use to act out Star Trek as a kid. I was always Captain Kirk and tried to look cool while wiping the blood off my lip from a fight scene.  I was attracted to the role of Kirk because I was attracted to girls at a young age and Kirk was a lady-killer.  I liked the later Trek series as well, but to me Star Trek is Kirk, Spock and Bones.

S:  From the interview, what surprised you most?

Z:  Mostly the willingness of Bill and Leonard to share their emotional selves. We never expected them to explore their fears of mortality and self-worth to the degree that they did.  I guess that is what happens when two close friends get together in an intimate setting and begin to reminisce.

S:  What is your favorite moment from the interview?

Z:  We were in Leonard's house and Shatner turned to Leonard and said that he really liked the show and Leonard gave him a hug and said to Bill that he was his best friend.  To me that cemented what always made the Kirk and Spock relationship so potent and symbolized the honest base on which the Star Trek franchise has been built.

S:  How pleased were you with the final product?

Z:  The final product exceeded our expectations.  These guys came to play.  We shot on high definition, which gave the project the beauty and gravity that it deserved. 

We would still like to get some more of the anecdotal, behind the scenes stories of the individual episodes and movies for Star Trek fans; it will probably make a great sequel.

S:  I've read positive things on Peter Jaysen's handling of the recording of the interaction between Nimoy and Shatner.  How did he get involved?  

Z:  Years ago, we approached Peter because we saw a documentary that he co-directed called, "Body of Work."  Peter and I discovered early on that we were both TOS (the original series) fans.   Peter is now a partner in Creative Light.  As partner, he brings a very relaxed atmosphere to the set.   In the case of Mind Meld, he made the two legends feel comfortable to fully express themselves.

S:  With the Star Trek fan base as an apparent target, were you worried about the marketability of this item?  Were you concerned with this being a niche item?

Z:  The product appeals to the niche, which happens to be the largest core fan base of all time.  TOS, through its run in syndication, is a defining icon of pop culture -- that goes way beyond the Sci-Fi fan base.

S:  Did you try to contact Paramount for clips from the show, or was that an executive decision to stay with more intimate clips?

Z:  There are already so many behind the scenes programs on Star Trek, the franchise.  We wanted to take a closer look into the people behind the icons themselves.  So a personal collection of photographs seemed to compliment our specific goals.

S:  Anything you'd like to add in closing?

Z:  The audience and critical acceptance has been pretty overwhelmingly positive.  It seems to me that just like any form of entertainment, it's the honesty of the piece that shines through.  We are looking forward to continuing to explore this dimension of the Sci-Fi universe by developing upcoming projects with Bill and many others.  We launched williamshatner.com in February and a big part of Bill's goal, with the help of his daughter Lisabeth, is to find out what the audience wants.  It is an unusual situation for a celebrity to interact directly with the fan base on a regular basis - but William Shatner is anxious to participate in an open forum through the exchange of ideas and boldly exploring new entertainment possibilities, where no icon has gone before.

At the Creative Light Website (http://www.crlight.com), the company recently announced that Mind Meld can be purchased select retail stores:  Musicland, Best Buy, Sam Goody, Tower Video and many more.  Or stop by Creative Light Video at www.creativelightvideo.com to lock down an order.