DALEKS IN THE WOODS!

So far we haven't used the daleks a great deal in the filming, despite the number of photos and screen images you see on these pages - it's just that when we do use them we do tend to take a few photos as they're so photogenic!

The biggest problem in using them is that they are particularly difficult to organise! A case in point is the last time we took one of them out about a year or so ago. The day's filming was ruined because the batteries failed in the base unit and we had not taken a dummy base along. All that was after we managed to film a little bit when the batteries were going - i.e. the creature had a tendency to turn left rather than straight ahead! The filming then turned into a photo session.

The previous time we took them out was when four were needed in a few shots, with one working the rest of the day. This was the first main try-out for the motorised dalek. It performed well throughout the day, and brought many onlookers from the local kids - a few of whom had no idea what it was!

The wierdest part of that day was the transporting to and from the woods north of Worthing. Two dalek casings on the back of an open truck do tend to command attention, and there was at least one motorist who had to look twice and then screech to a halt in surprise! We were thankful there weren't any accidents!

Once at the woods, we worked on a lot of the individual dalek shots, with various members of the cast being called on to cower, run and generally avoid the daleks (with various degrees of success). The shot we were working towards was the one where Nilan runs into a nest of them whilst being chased by another. Several shots of him running throught the woods culminated in a shot where he turns away from one which launches itself through the trees. This shot was extremely amusing as the dalek would get caught in the branches or fall over.

Then finally Nilan runs into the nest area where he meets his end. At that time there were only four of us there - and we needed one actor and four daleks and a camera. Problem. We never thought we'd be in the same situation as the BBC (in "Death to the Daleks") where there were not enough operators! Consequently once the camera was set up, Iain (as Nilan) would set the camera off,   after the settings had been set by David who then sat within dalek 1. Iain then placed the top section over David, whilst Steve and myself steadied ourselves for the movements required for the take. After several takes we would emerge from the casings and play back the takes and continue shooting if necessary. Eventually when the film is complete, I'm sure no one will realise that there was no-one within dalek4!

The other shot needed was one with all four talking before one of them motors off. This shot really shows how well the motorised dalek can travel without a pre-prepared surface! This shot is currently my favourite, and lends itself particularly well to screenshots...

.Ashley