WOTWs Special Feature 001 Bomber Run (Theatre Version)

The War Of The Worlds 1934 - Special Features - The Original Theatre Bomber Sequence

So, for those that don't know... This whole channel was spawned by a theatre production. It wasn't a large affair, just a local production of the War Of The Worlds Radio Play.

It had been slightly rewritten to reflect the local area (Derby Nottingham). The original intentions of the director (as it was a simple read through of the play, with BBC microphones) was to use smoke machines and have some effects to spice it up a bit. Unfortunately, the venue didn't have the right licences etc to allow for what he wanted to do. So, at a loose end, he wasn't sure how to make it more interesting.

My sister, who performed in the production as a radio presenter/continuity announcer suggested that I might be able do something to help. They had a video projector hooked up at the venue.

As it was war of the worlds, and I loved it so much, I jumped at the chance.
But I only had a few weeks to put all of the sequences together, and I was starting from zero. So I had to design and rig a Tripod, Cylinder, landscapes, model the bombers... all of the things.

So I worked extremely hard to pull it all together. It wasn't perfect, but I think for a local audience it hopefully added a lot of value to the performance.

But the play lasted just 2 nights. Weeks of work limited to a couple of hundred eyes and then lost forever. But as I sat and thought about what I'd produced (which was very warmly received thank goodness!), it occurred to me that I could probably expand on what I'd created and make it a fun Youtube channel.

It took me nearly a year to get around to it, and really, I didn't expect any subscribers, or that many would find it. Obviously a few would, but, I had not anticipated that there was such a fandom for the story. I mean, I know everyone has a love for Jeff Waynes musical, well, it's hard not to isn't it!
But what I found was a massive amount of people who love it too.

And at the time of the release of this video, the channel has reached the benchmark of 1000 subscribers. A most pleasant and unexpected surprise! So, I hope this behind the scenes video brings you a little enjoyment as an adjunct to the official 1934 story. Technically, this video is part of the Orson Welles 1938 canon. Story elements that the pilot refers to are yet to happen in my version, which is why it wasn't used as it is. The pilot isn't played by me, and i will add a credit below at a later date if when I speak to them next they want me to add it (it is a member of the theatre group). But I know they are fine with me sharing this.

So that's about it.

Hopefully, as fun as this video is, you enjoyed the updated and expanded version in Flight of the 37s! But it is fun to see where that, and the whole channel originated! A cascade of fates.

So enjoy. Cheers everyone!