pottering around

For those of you who like to know we're still busy - well we are. It's all in the preparation, and with that in mind there's been set construction, prop mending and editing over the past few weeks. The church-crypt Tardis external door frame and door are half-finished now (think "Warriors Gate" for the look) and it's been driving Ashley half-mental (the final half). The hand-held dalek gun used by someone in the film has finally been mended (it had an annoying habit of falling apart only during a take) and is now a fearsome lump of plastic, metal, wire, fake circuitry etc etc (i.e. standard prop). Woe betide anyone who breaks it now...

The Peter & Hugh scene (Voix and Scribe) has been edited and is undergoing a few small changes before the sound is tidied and some music and effects added so we can hopefully show it back to our guest actors in a few weeks. It's looking quite good even though we say it ourselves (!) - it was great to finally use our own tardis set walls lit as per Comic Relief. The website has also had filmographies added for the Peter and Hugh pages for those of you unfamiliar with their work (shame on you).

Ashley has also been working on some of the 5th-scale modelwork needed for the final episode, whilst David is plotting to use an entirely new (for us) method of planning the action in our next batch of filming - i.e. 3d modelling the scenes to aid in camera positions and shots - this will aid greatly in the choreography of our eight daleks plus 2 cast. We have a couple of new dalek operator volunteers, and if you are in Sussex, England in September/October we could well make use of your ability to sit crouched in an airless container whilst moving around propelled only by your feet (not full leg movement) with your arms crossed working three appendages with only the two hands. Anyone with three arms ordextrous nasal ability need apply.

And finally, in what must be the death knell to any film project (like making the title sequence first) Ashley has finally built a clapperboard (we lost the original a decade ago). With any luck we'll forget to use it - we've managed so far by David calling out "scene x take y" so doubtless things won't change. We'll never be a proper film unit!!!!

More news soon