The Passenger The Passenger
The Passenger is a one-off fan-film made by David Connellan. It was first shown at the Alpha 2014 convention in September 2014.
The original idea was a 5 minute film with SFX, which got expanded into a full 37 minute episode, complete with titles (and "This Episode" sequence), and a "Commercial break" at 13 minutes in.
The plot is based 23 minutes after the Breakaway, and takes it's characters from Alpha Child, showing Jack Crawford as a pilot investigating the waste dump site, and Sue Crawford back on base, with visions of their child Jackie growing up. Other inspirations are Collision Course and, very strongly, 2001: A Space Odyssey, with astronaut Crawford standing around watching scenes from the future.
Screenplay by Patrick Connellan
Costumes by Natasha Tarmey.
Directed by Doug MacAulay, co-directed by David Connellan
Edited by David Connellan
Filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Total length: 37 minutes, 36 seconds.
Cast
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SetsInt. Eagle command module. Int. Nuclear Generating Area. Int. Travel Tube/ Reception Area. Int. Living Quarters. Int. Medical. Int. Eagle hangar. Int/Ext. Geodesic House. All sets are virtual, created using green screen with background plates made from screen shots from the original series. The only real set construction is part of a communications post. |
The music uses Barry Gray tracks with additional score by Kevin MacLeod.
The SFX was directed by Ed Beals.
The SFX is a mixture of model effects (using the Airfix/MPC Eagle and Alpha Moonbase kits), and computer generated effects. While the "live action" sets use screen shots, the SFX does not use any original footage or stills.
The pure computer generated effects include the travel tube, some shots of the Moon, and the a 2001-inspired star vortex.
The models are well-painted, but the small scale and the imperfections compared to the original studio models are obvious. The camera is obviously shaky, and the compositing awkward, but many shots deserve credit for their ambition.
The green-screen sets are quite successful, but artefacts are visible, particularly around Sarah-Jean Begin's hair.
For an amateur production with a tiny budget, The Passenger is a remarkable achievement. Costumes and virtual sets are particularly well done; model effects and plot cannot be faulted for ambition, but betray their amateur origins. Sound is quite poor, something notoriously difficult for amateur film-making. Editing is a little slow and indulgent, and could have benefited from being much more ruthless.
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