Bedroom film-maker continues his saga
A young film-maker has released a second series of his homemade web series inspired by 1980s science-fiction.
Arlo Macmillan wrote and filmed a sixpart prequel to The Tripods, a book and BBC series from the 1980s about alien invasion and colonisation, in 2017 when he was 14.
Macmillan, now 16, has released the first episode of series two, which will comprise six episodes released on Youtube over the next few months.
His first series finished on a cliffhanger, an homage to the BCC series, and he felt obligated to complete the saga.
It took two years for Macmillan to write, film and edit it.
‘‘A lot of the time I feel unmotivated and think it will never end, but if I take a break and come back I think it will be so cool when it’s finished.’’
Filming rounded up at the beginning of this year, and he spent most of lockdown editing the first episode.
The cast comprises 29 of Macmillan’s fellow students from Freyberg High School in Palmerston North.
Special effects were homemade, and created using models, 3D printed tripods, material green screens and skewers to make the movements.
Most of the filming took place at locations in Manawatu¯, including Te Manawa museum, Caccia Birch homestead, Opiki toll bridge, local MP’S office, Freyberg High School, and various garages and back rooms.
Macmillan said there would be no series three. An epilogue, read by actor Jim Baker, from the original BBC show, would connect the two storylines.
Mumsonya Holm said she helped only when asked, and there had been strange challenges, such as replicating his grandfather’s boat and working out how to make a knife sticking out of a leg look realistic.
But as the young film-maker got older and more experienced, there had been fewer requests for mum’s help.