The most important part of any production is the Cast & Crew you put together to make it. I have always preferred a tight knit "Running Crew" and I naturally socially gravitate towards this environment. Back in 1986 I had a top notch Running Crew and we had a thing for Doctor Who. My chief co-instigator Jim McFarland and I had mapped out adventures for Doctors we imagined to be far enough down the road to preserve current BBC canon of the time. You know like the 8th and 9th Doctors. It would be years if not decades, we presumed, before they got to Doctors 8 and 9! Well... We got that right, we just didn't imagine how it would actually happen. "Revelation" is a Doctor Who story I had written for some school related chore that we decided to try and actually make. My older Brother was in town for a bit from Hawaii and we had taken the Storer Cable class on operating their Public Access equipment. They offered old school ENG video cameras with off-board 3/4 inch cassette packs. Which was basically like carrying around a giant VCR attached to your camera; usually on a shoulder strapped bag. The classes they offered at Storer Cable (which totally hasn't existed for decades now) were a fun and unique experience. Offering full access to their Editing suite and Camera gear. I was hooked.
We had the story, we had the gear, we made a fan film.
"Revelation" is quick and sharp (my polite way of saying hard to follow). It was written purely from a fan's heart and is a 12 year old's attempt at mimicking the current show aesthetic of the time; as exemplified by Colin Baker's performance as a rather tetchy 6th Doctor. It is a Regeneration story, telling the tale of the 8th Doctor's transformation to the 9th; featuring an appearance by the 2nd Doctor (portrayed by school classmate Bryan Morgan as Patrick Troughton was unavailable). It also sports our very own boxy version of K-9; with a Space 1999 ship for a head. A chameleon circuit repaired TARDIS; that is now stuck, again, this time as just a door. The reflections of my brother running camera and a quick cameo from my mother. The Running Crew rounds out the cast with a magical variety of my classmates; who were available on the shoot date. Ryan Keith, Dajuan Holder, J. Riggs Fulmer, and Todd Harris join the Doctor's (Jim McFarland, Bryan Morgan, and myself) on an adventure of tiny proportions in my parents yard. Check it out. I feel, well I don't know if it is pride exactly, but definitely I feel very glad that this exists. A true bona fide credential for both my nerd and film making cards.
So, if you like, come with us now on a journey to 1986!
The scene begins with me saying my name as many times as possible...
As a side note, one of James McFarland's friends made the fine cover art for this in 2012.