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Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

Brazil Fabrication & Design, named for the Glendale, Los Angeles County street at which it was located [1], was a relatively short-lived visual effects company, specialized in constructing filming miniatures, and was founded and operated by Tony Meininger in 1983 and administered by his co-founding wife Marianne. [2] The extent of the company's work during its first decade of its existence, aside from three early uncredited Star Trek: The Next Generation contributions in the form of the nebula element for its title sequence, the Delta Rana warship studio model for the 1989 third season episode "The Survivors" and the fiber glass model of the spaceborne lifeform for the 1990 fourth season episode "Galaxy's Child", is unknown as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is its first recorded motion picture contribution. Superseding Gregory Jein, Inc. as primary studio model vendor in 1992, and for which the hitherto two-men company was expanded with additional staff, the company built the miniatures that were designed by Star Trek's production illustrators for the first seasons of the Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager television series, most notably the hero models of both series.

It appeared the company ceased its existence after the production of these two series, already after the 1995-1996 Deep Space Nine's fourth and Voyager's third seasons. Though computer generated imagery (CGI) was increasingly replacing physical studio models at that point in time, occasionally the need for them was perceived afterwards in the period 1996-1997, which were by then provided by long-time Star Trek vendor Gregory Jein or an occasional outside contractor, such as Don Pennington in the case of the Jem'Hadar battle cruiser model.

The company's only other recorded motion picture credit is as additional model supplier for the blockbuster movie Titanic (1997), and which was the main reason Brazil's services were unavailable to the Star Trek franchise during 1996-1997, as its capacity was completely taken up by that production. Upon completion of Titanic, Brazil found its services no longer in need, as the franchise had all but completed the transition to CGI.

In 2011, Meininger re-founded the company as Brazil Fabrication Design, but now as an interior design company located at his home address in Altadena California, in order to facilitate the work of his wife, a home estate realtor. [3]

Star Trek staff[]

  • Bill Church (1992-1993, Model Maker [4])
  • Tony aka Fredric G. Meininger (1983-1998, CEO/Model Maker)
  • Marianne Meininger (1983-1998, CEO/Client Relations and Administration)

External link[]

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