K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

This forum contains discussions about all things Knight Rider.

Moderators: neps, Matthew, Michael Pajaro

User avatar
Lost Knight
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 2719
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:45 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Long Island, NY

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by Lost Knight » Sat May 08, 2010 12:54 pm

simon_a6 wrote:I've read in many places here about Season 1 only having one hero car, and a few stunt cars.

But - why have I seen two different monitor setups?
One is where the surround of the monitors are hexagonal. And one where they sort of 'bulge out' of the dash, with pretty much no surround.

In fact, the KOTF version when he sits in KITT for the first time has the bulgy monitors. But I just watched Inside Out, where Michael break into a building and you see him walking around as a little character, and clearly it is on the main dash, but the monitors are hexagonal.

One or two hero cars...??
The difference is that the larger monitors were black & white only, while the hexagonal monitor setup had smaller screens, but shown in color with better resolution. These were always used for close-up shots so that images could be shown in color. I do believe when the larger black & white monitors are ever shown, we only see them from a distance and never close-up.

However, the hexagonal color monitors look like the images were super imposed in post production, and perhaps never actually functioned in real life. The black & white monitors were actual functioning monitors, but their images were not up to par for close-ups. My guess is maybe it was too expensive to install color monitors in the Hero Car and just easier to super impose the screens in post production to show as much resolution as they needed.
“Gimme maximum turbo thrust and blast me outta here, will ya!?”
:kitt: :dash4:

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Sat May 08, 2010 1:26 pm

Correct me if I am wrong - but at the opening sequence of season two, when you are watching everything on KITTS right hand screen, isn't that a bigger monitor and not hexagonal?

I do understand what you mean though. Most times you get closeups they are the hex ones. I ought to look at the Pilot again, to see what screens you see there.....and if the images in the TV for the iconic 'hands on jeans in car' scene were colored enough to notice.

User avatar
Lost Knight
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 2719
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:45 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Long Island, NY

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by Lost Knight » Sat May 08, 2010 5:14 pm

simon_a6 wrote:Correct me if I am wrong - but at the opening sequence of season two, when you are watching everything on KITTS right hand screen, isn't that a bigger monitor and not hexagonal?

I do understand what you mean though. Most times you get closeups they are the hex ones. I ought to look at the Pilot again, to see what screens you see there.....and if the images in the TV for the iconic 'hands on jeans in car' scene were colored enough to notice.
Yes, in the opening credit sequence for Season 1 it is the larger monitor that is shown. I would not count any footage in the credit sequence, though. Obviously a lot of the images there were customized for only the credit sequence and at the time it was filmed, I am not even sure the hexagonal framed dashboard was even built yet. If you look closely at the full dashboard you can even see the voice modulator incomplete in the credit sequence (a screen capture I made on the first page of this thread). The Pilot episode only has the larger monitors.

As for your question as to whether there were one or two Hero Cars in Season 1, I am not sure. While there was a mock-up dashboard used for some shots, you can also tell the black & white monitors were installed in a Hero Car thanks to the wide shots from the Pilot episode. As you can tell by a lot of the screen captures made by myself and others, both dashboards always seemed to be a 'work-in-progress' throughout all of Season 1. So it does seem like there was a mock-up, and two Hero Cars that alternated back and forth.

In Season 2, all that is used is the Hero Car with the hexagonal monitors. Later, I believe it became a stunt car as you can see that dashboard in almost every episode of Season 4 during stunts, as Joe Huth pointed out in another thread a while back.
“Gimme maximum turbo thrust and blast me outta here, will ya!?”
:kitt: :dash4:

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Sun May 09, 2010 6:02 am

Thanks for the detail. I'll have a lok at season 2 again (well some of them) and see.
It does make me wonder. Though I have read the pilot was made in a bit of a rush, surely they knew viewers would see the differences.

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Wed May 12, 2010 5:06 pm

WHAT A MISTAKE!
I've just been watching KOTF. Now I know they used one dash for one scene and there perhaps another for another scene. But watch the scene that's the first time Michael talks to KITT.

One minute the eight lights around the voice mod are all orangey, and the Auto/Normal/Pursuit are wide font. Then next, they are the split top half yellow, bottom have red, with the bolder font.

Two difference voice mods - same scene!!

My only thought is that this happened when they ADDED a section to this scene and that's all they had available. ie the one in the car, and the one in the studio perhaps.

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Thu May 13, 2010 2:13 pm

Does anyone have a hi-res copy of the scene in Pheonix when you see the full dash for the first time, with his hands on his jeans?

I want it as my desktop wallpaper. I have PowerDVD but I just cannot get a screenshot.

If anyone can get one at least 800pixels tall, that would be good.

User avatar
Juggernaut30
Rookie
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2006 6:20 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Cologne-Germany

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by Juggernaut30 » Thu May 13, 2010 4:10 pm

peterp&j wrote:at the end of the day it probably didnt occur to anyone back in the early 80s how far tv and video now dvd would come in picture quality and the ability to freeze frame.im no computer genius but all i have is a pc and a dvd player installed and a photobucket account
here in the pics below a prime example of what i mean this is the scene in "short notice" after micheal wins the fight he thanks kitt the shot shows kit respond
it maybe hard to see but if you watch it on dvd you can clearly see a pair of hands wave and lift up the front of the seat on video (albeit recorded on the tv)the quality of the video does not show the movement if there was not the advancement of picture quality then this thread would have never been started :wink:
Image
Image
Image

You see hands???

I see no PMD installed on the passenger site-. :wink:

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Thu May 13, 2010 4:15 pm

Yeah this is one I pointed out earlier in the thread. Never spotted it before, nor saw it on this site.
I was watching it for a different 'goof' and spotted it at the end.

Hadn't spotted the odd seat on the left tho - looks like an adjustable headrest! Didn't know ANY of the stunt cars had that.

User avatar
Lost Knight
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 2719
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:45 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Long Island, NY

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by Lost Knight » Thu May 13, 2010 6:14 pm

simon_a6 wrote:Does anyone have a hi-res copy of the scene in Pheonix when you see the full dash for the first time, with his hands on his jeans?

I want it as my desktop wallpaper. I have PowerDVD but I just cannot get a screenshot.

If anyone can get one at least 800pixels tall, that would be good.
Here's a screen capture I made a year or two ago, which is the shot you're looking for:

Image

Regarding the dashboards in "Knight Of the Phoenix," what you're seeing is the first version of the dashboard from the 20-minute presentation footage Glen Larson had made to pitch the show to NBC. That footage is intermixed with the rest of the 2-hour pilot shot at a later date with a mock-up dashboard. This is why you'll see many continuity errors throughout the Pilot (some of which include Michael's watch changing from an ordinary watch back to the comlink, Devon's phone changing in the same scene, Michael's gunshot wound switching shoulders back and forth, etc.).

20-minute presentation footage dashboard:
Image

Dashboard that was later built (I don't have a screen capture of the mock-up dashboard in the Pilot, but you can tell when it's the mock-up when K.I.T.T.'s voice sounds less robotic and the "Knight 2000" lettering disappears from the voice modulator):

Image
“Gimme maximum turbo thrust and blast me outta here, will ya!?”
:kitt: :dash4:

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Tue May 18, 2010 2:03 pm

Lost Knight wrote:
simon_a6 wrote:Does anyone have a hi-res copy of the scene in Pheonix when you see the full dash for the first time, with his hands on his jeans?

I want it as my desktop wallpaper. I have PowerDVD but I just cannot get a screenshot.

If anyone can get one at least 800pixels tall, that would be good.
Here's a screen capture I made a year or two ago, which is the shot you're looking for:

Image
Thanks, but this isn't "hi-res", it's about 400 pixels wide.
I was hoping to be able to take a picture of it via PrintScreen on my laptop, but for some odd reason, it will not do it - I get a black image when I paste it anywhere.

I'd love that dash image (thanks for trying tho) and want it on my desktop if anyone has the ability. I think photobucket does a resize. So it's always going to be the lower res. If you did get it to hi-res, what is the URL on the site to view it please?

Thanks.

Oh and thanks for all the info about the mock dashs. You see this in action on the scene where michael first talks to kitt. You see the two voice mods.

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Tue May 25, 2010 2:24 pm

If someone can get hold of a hi-res copy of the dashboard: playing the KOTP, and taking a screenshot of it at fullscreen on their computer, I can get an image hosted on my server so we can all download it.

I don't see anywhere that you can get that image at higher res, and my laptop just won't do it.

So let me know if you can do it, and I'll PM you my email address and we can make it live for all.

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Tue May 25, 2010 4:06 pm

I have finally managed to get a large shot of it.

Download below (providing link works). Taken directly from the DVD.
Attachments
Knight of the Pheonix in-car dash shot
Knight of the Pheonix in-car dash shot
KR3.jpg (57.9 KiB) Viewed 44020 times

Resistance
Stranger
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:03 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by Resistance » Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:48 am

The Dashboard was always my favorite part!

My shirt features it :D
KITT T-Shirt :: http://tinyurl.com/KITTshirt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ronnald
Stranger
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 3:04 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by ronnald » Wed Jun 23, 2010 3:11 pm

simon_a6 wrote:
Lost Knight wrote:
DevonStyles wrote:A little off subject, I was watching an episode the other day, I can't recall which one... Season 1 topaz connection I think and Kitt had a huge hole or some kinda gash in his right side drivers seat. it can be seen clearly in a few shots. It's amazing how many things you can overlook over the years. Some of the pics were really good. Especially the stickered dash.
Not only can we see the round steering wheel, but also a single monitor instead of doubles. Clearly it's not the Hero Car. Later in Seasons 3 & 4, the stunt cars still had the 2-monitor dashboard:
Image

I'd have posted a shot of that weird-looking Turbo Boost button, but I don't know where to look for it.
Well I'll be damned, never saw that before. MK even puts his hand on the wheel when he gets out of the car. you'd think David would have said "guys, that camera is going to put up this steering wheel so badly".
Hi guys, I'm new here but have been lurking for a long time. I use to watch this show ALL the time in the early 80's. I just created my account cause I just had to respond to this picture. I remember watching this episode on a black and white tv and I remember clearly seeing this error, I even commented to my friend at the time how I saw the round steering wheel on Knight Rider.

I would see various errors as I use to record the show on VHS and rewatch it many many times. I never thought I would be still chatting about Knight Rider almost 30 years later. I'm 42 btw. I don't know how many times I watched the pilot, but still enjoy watching the show even with all the errors.

I

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Thu Jun 24, 2010 3:36 am

Welcome aboard Ronnald.
Yes, even though we are all basically mocking the dash errors, we love them. We love finding them and no one here is saying "god they were rubbish for doing that". It's more of a love for something that was a silly mistake.

Like a child that says something unknowingly bad.

That screenshot tho is great. The biggest thing for me is that years ago I never really spotted so many errors, though I did spot the 'straight dash' error on the end credits, and in the Pilot when the thieves (or rather KITT) spins around in circles in the cross section.

User avatar
1batt4u
Rookie
Posts: 88
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 1:47 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982
Location: Queens, NY

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by 1batt4u » Thu Jun 24, 2010 12:51 pm

Hi,

I noticed someone posted a picture of the Seasn 2 Lower console with buttons/switches!

Here is a picture of th eones I have built and sold:

Image

Tell me what you guys think of it?? It will mean alot to me!!! :wink:

Thank you!! :good:
Billy C.

ronnald
Stranger
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 3:04 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by ronnald » Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:21 am

simon_a6 wrote:Welcome aboard Ronnald.
Yes, even though we are all basically mocking the dash errors, we love them. We love finding them and no one here is saying "god they were rubbish for doing that". It's more of a love for something that was a silly mistake.

Like a child that says something unknowingly bad.

That screenshot tho is great. The biggest thing for me is that years ago I never really spotted so many errors, though I did spot the 'straight dash' error on the end credits, and in the Pilot when the thieves (or rather KITT) spins around in circles in the cross section.
I remember watching the pilot multiple times on VHS and when KITT was stolen I remember seeing the round steering wheel during the spins. It always kind of upset me that one easy solution would have been to keep the windows up, it would have made it a little more difficult to observe. There were so many errors during episodes where the windows were down and in the next scene the windows were up.

The other things that usually got to me was reusing footage. The jailbreak was used twice, if I remember correctly, and wasn't it during the same season?

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:53 am

I wouldn't say it "got to me". Like most people in this forum, it was something we "spotted" and feel proud to have spotted an error. What did "get to me" was the soooooo obvious error with the dash in the end credits.

Surely - knowing that set of VT would be used on every single episode, they should have agreed that the dash was curved, they could have stuck something on top of the dash while it was being constructed.

It's not like they used one for the pilot, and others for the rest of the series. They used the same for every episode.

User avatar
peterp&j
Operative
Posts: 106
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 4:08 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: dalry scotland

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by peterp&j » Mon Jun 28, 2010 7:59 am

ronnald wrote:
simon_a6 wrote:Welcome aboard Ronnald.
Yes, even though we are all basically mocking the dash errors, we love them. We love finding them and no one here is saying "god they were rubbish for doing that". It's more of a love for something that was a silly mistake.

Like a child that says something unknowingly bad.

That screenshot tho is great. The biggest thing for me is that years ago I never really spotted so many errors, though I did spot the 'straight dash' error on the end credits, and in the Pilot when the thieves (or rather KITT) spins around in circles in the cross section.
I remember watching the pilot multiple times on VHS and when KITT was stolen I remember seeing the round steering wheel during the spins. It always kind of upset me that one easy solution would have been to keep the windows up, it would have made it a little more difficult to observe. There were so many errors during episodes where the windows were down and in the next scene the windows were up.

The other things that usually got to me was reusing footage. The jailbreak was used twice, if I remember correctly, and wasn't it during the same season?
yes it was the episode "a nice indecent little town" from season 1
michael;i've got a problem.
devon;my dear boy,dont be so modest,you have a wide range of problems.

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:58 pm

If this has already come up, tell me.

But in Knight of the Drones, in part two Bonnie re-fits Kitt's dashboard.

If it happens then, why was the NEW dash shown in the opening credits AND in many scenes through the show before it all happened??

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Tue Aug 31, 2010 3:13 pm

I was just watching Out of the Woods. Having read an earlier thread about the convertible KITT, saying you only ever see the dash once in that mode, and it's at the end of Juggernault; I've noticed something else!

Out Of the Woods ... the first few mins is in convertible, but you will see that the camera angle tries not to show much of the centre part of the dash - above Kitts voice mod. But you see enough to see that it's 'flat'. It's meant to be slatted via the lights isn't it?

It's completely flat. When MK gets back in the car, is far more noticable.

And at the end, once bonnie has finished getting rid of his "new york accent", you see the right part of the monitor: absolutely clean white. Clearly a stick on white plastic, not glass.

Luv finding these.

Oh once last thing.... when KITT is in SPM chasing the bad guys at the end, and he flashes past the people on the road who have stopped the girl .... KITT is meant to be going past at 200mph +.... watch it. He's not doing any more than 35.

User avatar
Knight Racer
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 3522
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Brooklyn
Contact:

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by Knight Racer » Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:02 am

Outof the Woods 40 minutes 30 seconds you see an empty dash an empty overhead console and some strange red ball light on the voice modulator.I've seen the red ball light on 2 other dashes before one was at the new york city auto show replica which was horrible and another really bad replica.

Image

Maybe the red ball was a version 1 of the knight industries 3000 voice modulator just as the red picture car in the semi was an early conceptualization of kift? :lol:

User avatar
Knight Racer
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 3522
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Brooklyn
Contact:

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by Knight Racer » Fri Sep 03, 2010 3:49 pm

This is what we should have seen.

Image

User avatar
Knight Racer
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 3522
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Brooklyn
Contact:

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by Knight Racer » Fri Sep 03, 2010 4:32 pm

In Junk Yard Dog they practically had to rebuild kitt from the bare frame up.They really must have used early blueprints because they had to use the season 1/2 dash.

Image

simon_a6
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:57 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: K.I.T.T. Dashboard/Voice Modulator Blunders

Post by simon_a6 » Thu Sep 23, 2010 3:22 pm

I've got a new dashblunder from an episode I don't think I have seen mentioned here.

Was watching Deadly Maneavuers earlier, and there are a few errors.

Watch the moment after Bonnie has fixed kitt after he tows - Michael gets back into the car in the Semi, and the moment he closes the door - the dashboard LIFTS UP. Only for a split second, but watch on DVD and u'll see it.

It happens again in the episode too but cannot remember where. But you actually see the curved dash from behind, 'empty'. Nothing there at all. I think it's when they come to park up next to the Major's odd truck, and MK and the girl get out.

There are also many times in that episode, but most in Sammy's, where you see the steering wheel round. The biggest moment is when the bad guy offers MK a job. Just as michael gets out of the car, pause the DVD. You see a big ole steering wheel with thick spokes.

It's kinda like seeing something you shouldn't; you feel naughty when you see such a big error.

Post Reply