The story of the making of my first true adventure in genuine storytelling- a one-hour, no-budget sci-fi/fantasy adventure- continues. If you want to know what happenned before, here’s part one– otherwise, read on…

‘It’s all Kingsley Amis’ fault…’

The ‘flashback’ structure comes to an end, and my VHS-shot action epic- crafted by my sixteen-year-old self with little filmmaking knowledge other than how to film a conversation- edges towards its final showdown. While I would advise any viewers around to turn up their monitor’s brightness levels (Amazingly, I didn’t realise before making The Alchemist that filming down a mineshaft with both lead characters dressed almost head-to-toe in black might not be the wisest idea), the final action sequence here is one of the sections of the film that I’m most proud of. It’s all choreographed and arranged to the Maurice Jarre soundtrack I ended up using (the track is from The Mosquito Coast), and despite my absolutely terrible acting, I’m still pleased with how it turned out.

Come with me down memory lane. Only a short amount to go…

We’re onto part 5– and finally, we get the section of the film that was an insane amount of fun to film (although possibly not quite as much for Tris, who had to spend rather a large amount of time walking around Cornwall College dressed in a gas mask and waving an air pistol). It’s a countdown, as David Harwood has to find a way of recovering the metal carving, and getting it somewhere he can dispose of it, before time runs out and the Alchemist has full control of his friend’s mind. Stand by for plenty of blazing action, disintegrations, punches, loads of enthusiastic running around, loud music, some dazzling special effects, and one particular scene where my character gets his way out of a tight spot in a way that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. My excuse? The location we wanted to use wasn’t available, so we had to think fast. Whatever happenned, here’s Part 5- enjoy…

Here it is. The full story- at least, until my friend Tris reads through it, and points out all the things I’ve forgotten in the comments. The tale begins…

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play…

Here we are, with part 4 of The Alchemist, my VHS-shot mega-epic from the halcyon days of 1991. Last time we saw our heroes, David Harwood (me) had been chloroformed by Darren Johnson (Tris), mainly because of the fact that Darren is now possessed by the spirit of a 12th century Alchemist with the ability to store his mind inside a piece of metal. This episode- to be honest- is even more exposition (which brings us to almost 15 minutes of pure exposition- I have got a little better, storytelling wise…), but by the end of this, we’re finally on the move and heading towards the majesty of the chase sequence. Trust me- it’s worth the wait…

So, we’ve had a mysterious apparition, our heroes have dug a big hole, and recovered an interestingly shaped piece of metal. You’ve seen some suspicious acting, and some even more suspicious hair. We now enter the traditional part of every one of my stories- the “let’s sit down and explain the plot” section. I will freely admit- it’s damn slow in parts (at some point, I’m going to use iMovie and cut a new version of The Alchemist to tighten it up a bit…), but be patient. The chase sequence isn’t too far away.

The story continues…

(And as soon as I get a chance, I’m going to give some serious details about the making of The Alchemist. It’s a fun saga, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.)