Production GuideObservations: The Rules Of Luton
Production Guide
Wires are visible on the Eagle as it lands.
The position of the hand in the closeup of the commlock screen doesn't match those shots showing Koenig holding it. (thanks to Jang Kwon)
When the aliens are first seen, we see a group shot and individual close ups. The close ups have different backgrounds to the group shot (they are from later in the episode - for example, Alien Transport is in the tree branches, Alien Strong is sitting down waiting for Koenig at the climax of the episode).
How were the aliens fed while trapped on the planet? When Alien Strong escapes, how will he survive, unable to eat anything?
The aliens are clearly wearing clothes (boots, gloves, sleeves, chickenwire, plus glimpses of pink necks).
An unjacketed Alphan with a red sleeve leaves an obvious footprint. Both Koenig and Maya wear jackets at this point.
Tony is ready for lift off in Eagle 4 when Yasko tells him to abort. We cut to Helena saying "Tony, we don't know where that planet is." We then cut back to Tony, reacting. When we first see Tony, both of his jacket collars are under the seat belt. After the cut to Helena, one of his collars is above the seat belt. Thanks to Richard Totis.
As Koenig and Maya swim across the lake, several unusual features are out of focus but just visible on the far bank. Among the items seen are a white post (a sign or life saver), and, marked above, a group of three or four people walking along the bank left to right (unclear in still, but visible in motion), a park bench, and a man in a canoe.
When Koenig and Maya climb up the bank from having swum the river, their clothes are only slightly damp. The commlocks must be waterproofed as the electronics still work.
When Koenig talks to the Judges after seeing the dinosaur skeletons, one of the commlock close ups shows a completely different background. (As mentioned before, his hands are in a different position in every shot throughout the episode). Thanks to Thomas.
When Transport jumps down from the tree, he jumps forwards, landing in front of the others. The earlier view from above shows he must have turned round before he jumped. Thanks to Thomas
" If he could transport, why didn't he do it again to escape?" asks Koenig. "Perhaps they're only permitted to use their abilities once." replies Maya. Alien Strong seems to be able to use his strength throughout the episode whilst Alien Invisible also uses his ability on more than one occasion when tracking the Alphans. Thanks to Richard Totis.
A park bench is seen on the bank as Alien Strong and Alien Invisible cross the water. On the left, a large black bird can be seen landing on the bank. Thanks to Thomas.
Another shot of the aliens crossing with the log shows the same flat lake bank we saw when Koenig and Maya swam across (in the opposite direction). There is a bench on the right, just by the trees.
We see several therapod-type dinosaur skeletons. They are probably just one or two skeletons mounted in different positions. They seem to be based on the late Triassic dinosaur Coelophysis, one of the best known dinosaurs, first identified in the 1880s. Two of the fibreglass skeletons were made for the 1975 Disney film One of our Dinosaurs is Missing, filmed at Pinewood in 1974; they only appeared in the background of the film.
Above: in the background of these shots from One of our Dinosaurs is Missing, the two therapod dinosaurs skeletons.
On the valley floor there are larger bones from sauropod dinosaurs. There are several large ribs, femurs and a large hip bone. There are also two large skulls. The bones are scattered, many bones are missing and there are almost no small bones, unlike the small therapods which are still intact. The bones are in different positions in each shot.
The long thin "bones" are planks of wood with vague bone shapes. Thanks to Simon.
This publicity shot shows the valley floor bones. The smaller therapod dinosaur appears again, top left and propped up by a white pole. There are only six vertebrae, and just 8 ribs and one hip, but there are 5 femurs and two large skulls. The saurapods are from a Diplodocus and an Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus) and were the featured dinosaurs in One of our Dinosaurs is Missing. The Diplodocus skull, with more of the vertebrae, appeared in the desert scenes in Star Wars (1977).
Close ups of the diplodocus skull from One of our Dinosaurs is Missing, one of the two skulls used.
While Maya is a bird, looking for the others, Koenig starts to make the bolas. As she returns, the position of the commlock behind him has changed slightly (the screen no longer points at his head). In forward views of Koenig it has moved back behind the stun gun.
Koenig and Maya hear the sound of Alien Invisible and look down. When they return, the commlock has moved closer to the lance, and the stun gun is pointed in the opposite direction. Thanks to Thomas.
The alien disappears. During the lap dissolve, the clouds move slightly.
A few minutes of climbing later, we see the alien in the same position, at the exact same point on the hill, with the clouds in almost the same position.
When Alien Invisible first disappears, so does his lance. When Koenig and Maya look down, his lance doesn't disappear (this could be the Judges Of Luton limiting his abilities, as they did with Alien Transport to stop him escaping).
When Alien Invisible creeps up on Koenig and Maya, he pushes apart a bush. The wire is just visible.
When the dog first finds the rock, a tall chimney is visible on the horizon on the left. This is the main waste management site on Star Lane, Knowl Hill, Berkshire.
When Maya/dog leaps at the boulder held by Alien Invisible, one shot shows a crew member behind the dog, holding a lead. (thanks to James. C). On the 2015 Blu-rays, the picture is cropped so less is visible.
When Maya/bird has to lift the fabric, the bird lifts its leg revealing the black line attached to its foot. Thanks to Simon.
When Maya is a bird looking for water to clean Koenig's wound, we see a point of view aerial shot of some cliffs. This is stock footage, probably of a location in the UK. The long straight cliffs, scree base and calm water may be a Scottish loch. Along the top of the cliffs, a path is clearly seen. Near the end of the shot, a field wall is visible perpendicular to the cliff.
When Maya/bird flies with the fabric (probably a stuffed bird for this close up), the fabric has no blood stains, and is cleanly cut, without ragged edges.
Maya/bird lands by the water. Of all the places he picked by the lake, he picked the exact spot she would land, and she didn't use the bird's eyesight to spot him. She has already lost the fabric, so she wouldn't be able to bring water back to Koenig.
Alien Strong looks quite different when he traps the bird (left). The mask doesn't seem to fit, and isn't stuck down by the eyes. As the bird has to be put into the cage, it's possible this is the bird handler, not David Jackson.
The bird clearly has jesses on its legs. These thin leather straps are seen in most shots when the bird is on the ground (when it lands, or is in the air, the legs are bare). The jesses are for tethering, so the bird doesn't fly away.
Thanks to Simon.
Koenig look down at Alien Strong, holding up the trapped bird. The long shot shows the alien in a different position- in medium shot, he is 6 metres to the left, in front of the larger mound but behind the trees.
In the cliffs behind the final confrontation, there are many small round holes. These look like the nests of sand martins, birds who tunnel into sand or gravel cliffs in social colonies.
Just before the planet reappears, this is Tony's view of space. A closer view of the shot appears in Space Warp as the Eagle searches for the disappeared Moon, and later in a closer view after they have passed through the warp.
At the end, Yasko calls Koenig on his commlock, but it is Maya who answers with hers.
In Command Center, Koenig's jacket is open in wider shots, but zipped up in his close-ups. The position of the sling over his shoulder varies between shots. He also zips his jacket up for the one shot. (thanks to James. C)
The desk on the right of frame is missing the screen, revealing the wooden interior. Thanks to Simon.
Copyright Martin Willey