The Catacombs Production Guide
Storyboards
Force Of Life

These are some of the special effects storyboards for the episode Force Of Life. The episode script has just 10 effects shots, 2 of which could be library shots. At some point it was decided to add 13 new special effects shots, expanding some of the early and last shots from the episode. At least some of the original scenes were shot and can be seen in the episode. Three of the shots are marked "R", for replacement. It is unlikely the new effects shots were scripted, as they do not add any story content.

The special effects scenes from the script were typed up on 2 pages, dated 24th May 1974 (the same date as the final shooting script, although it is possible this is based on the 15th May script as the effects scenes are unchanged). Scenes 3, an establishing shot of Moonbase Alpha, and scene 71, the travel tube, would be library shots, filmed for previous episodes. There are two versions of this, one of them marked with ticks and notes. A scene 74A is added ("lights going out") and in scene 88, the scripted direction that "the whole area is shuddering" is crossed out.

Brian Johnson then made rough sketches of 9 effects shots, on these 3 pages. Most of these shots were filmed 28th May 1974, with one Moonbase shot dated 24th May 1974 (24th May was Friday, 25-27 was the weekend plus May bank holiday, Tuesday 28th May was the first day back). 28th May was also the first day of live action filming for Force Of Life, a rare example when the Bray unit was working ahead of the Pinewood unit.

Scene 3 shows the Moonbase with a zoom to a specific section. It is marked as 24th May, so would have been filmed, but the initial tick has a cross on it; it does not appear in the episode.

Force Of Life

There are some additional shots here already. In particular, on page 2, scenes pt 10 and 14 "window as Davids shot. Gen set. Blue blob thru past camera". David is the live action director, David Tomblin, who would have shot the generator set, giving the film to Brian Johnson to add the blue blob.

This is a storyboard for the original script scenes, showing the moonbase buildings exploding at the end of the episode. Two of these shots will be replaced. There was probably the second page of the original storyboard. The first page would have had scenes 1, 8 and 74 (which are seen in the episode), and as there are four shots per page, it may have already split 74 into two shots. A third page would have scene 96, the final shot of the blue comet in space.

These four sheets contain the 13 new effects scenes. The blue light is called the "blue meanie".