Hi! It's Jack here, again!
One day we'll find the time to get the actual Doctor here writing a blogpost, but until then, I'm here to annoy you for a bit! :-)
Beware, though, this diary contains SPOILERS!
Our episode production schedule isn't really date-orientated, as a fan-film it's entirely just when we can, if we can, basis.
Because I really always enjoy making things, whether that's computer programs or TV remotes or Fan Films, I always like keeping a diary of making them to look back on! :-)
Our production schedule goes by the least difficult to most difficult basis. When I was in the writing stages of our special episode, it was intended to be a cheesy one-off continuation of the fan films we made as kids, and later so many ideas flooded my mind that it would be MAD and, frankly, disastrous to condense them all into one 20 minute episode!
Of course, we are on a £0 budget, meaning we can't afford to make big sets or get anything done - it's so lucky that Tom's grandad is incredibly skilled and built the TARDIS console and Police Box for him, Keith is one of the greatest, skilled and cleverest blokes I've ever met!
I thought that if I wanted to expand the episodes into three instalments, I would have to be conscious of the limitations, and so we decided that episode two would be entirely filmed and set in the TARDIS! With only one actor, playing both the Doctor and the villain!
We filmed this episode in just a day, in a couple hours really, as we both had somewhere to be around 16:00, so we got to work and completed it quickly!
We filmed it on a Google Pixel 6 (mine, can't afford cameras - am a uni student and looking for a new job!) using the OpenCamera software, available on F-Droid created by Mark Harman, which allowed us to modify the Aspect Ratio we were filming in to 2:1.
Naturally, I added a wider aspect ratio because I wanted to add the visibility of Tom's- I mean, The Doctor's TARDIS in most of the shots, so that it would give the fans a good view of what the console is capable of!
Plus, the enormously monstrous height of it, connecting the floor with the ground, it's so astonishing to see in person!
Of course, Tom got a bit annoyed at me because my OCD was turning all of the switches off and ensuring the TARDIS wouldn't go drifting off to Metabelis three, or Skaro again, actually.
Tom and I thought it'd be cool to derive our own versions from the recorded source footage, to see the two takes on the same episode from our creative viewpoints! Mine being uploaded on the Doctor Who: Nexus channel, no later than Tom's, which will be uploaded on his!
We both went independent in editing the episode, as we wanted there to be a difference in our cuts of the episode, which could either mean we just have different VFX of the TARDIS landing in Albania, or the entire script could seem indistinguishable! We'll have to wait and see each other's episodes!
Here's where things get a little complicated!
The antagonist is being played by Tom, just as he is The Doctor too! You'd assume that re-using actors would mean he would have to stand in one part of the room, and then cut - and then another part, which would have been exhausting! We would be mad to do that, and potentially lead to a production error breaking the 180 degree rule.
Instead, we filmed the antagonist's shots in the first stage, with me (Jack) reading out the lines for Tom to copy, and then in the second stage we filmed The Doctor's responses to the antagonist. Then, it took around 30-60 minutes while drunk, I found the parts, with the script visible on one half of the screen, clipping the two videos and synchronising the dialogue!
Of course, it's the first time for us filming a proper episode now knowing what we know, but I didn't really know what I was doing - apart from the guiding from the app, which was showing a frame to ensure The Doctor was in the center and the TARDIS console visible on the right, but it was a lot of fun! A lot of bloopers. A lot of reminiscence!
While I can say for sure this episode, Episode 2, will be made publicly visible, we'll have to see where Episode 1 and 3 go, as I am due to move back to uni (90 miles away) in September, and work is hindering both of our efforts at making things work. But I'm sure, in time, we'll release something that we hope you'll enjoy!
If you want a teaser for this episode, I'll say this - Erasmus Darkening was a cool villain!
Episodes 1 & 3 are due to begin recording some point in August, and the series is intended for November 2024 release date, so I hope you'll stick with us on this journey!
Thank you for reading the production diary! If there's anything you'd like to see or anything you'd like to know - don't hesitate to let us know in the comments!
Have a great Saturday!
- Jack
Technical specifications for Doctor Who: Nexus - Episode 2
Filming Image Resolution: 2560x1280 (2:1)
Release Image Resolution: Original 2:1 version available in 1440p, and a trimmed 16:9 version will be available in 1080p.
Filming Software: Open Camera
Filming Technology: Google Pixel 6
Editing Software: Audacity, Kdenlive, GNU Image Processing
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