American mass-entertainment has a stranglehold on fan films. I mean, amateur tribute flicks are made all over the world, as noted just the other day when I wrote about the Australian fan flick Suburban Knights, but generally, if a franchise is getting a homemade rendition from a fan, odds are that it’s an American franchise…unless you’re talking about Doctor Who.
While the long-running BBC show has a presence in the U.S. on SciFi Channel and has a legion of followers in this country, Doctor Who is an undeniably English creation, and simply doesn’t have the following in the U.S. that, say, Battlestar Galactica does (or even my late, lamented pet series, Journeyman). It’s ironic then, that due to that gap of awareness, most U.S. fan film followers don’t realize that Dr. Who is the subject of more fan films than any other franchise except for Star Wars. So then—where to enter the world of the legendary show’s fan films?
There’s a few stops; for instance, Clifford Hoeft’s Doctor Who fan film page, the 114 Who flicks listed at fanfilms.net, and my personal favorite, The Doctor Who Fan Film Database, which lists related fan shorts running back to 1985.
As good a place to start as any is the fun, three-part flick, Tyranny of the Daleks, 4198 A.D., produced by the mysterious UK outfit, Cheeky Monkey Productions. One of the first things that jumps out at you is the quality of acting; these people can spill extensive exposition without batting an eye (particularly the cute Lizzie Whitting, playing Romana), and the cast clearly has a blast in the movie. Pay attention and you’ll even notice a Star Trek crossover of sorts!
If you’d rather just read, you can always check out the aptly titled Doctor Who Fan Film Magazine (you’ll never guess what it’s about). Produced as a free downloadable PDF file by teen fan film fan Billy Treacy, the nine-page zine covers the production of a number of flicks, most noticably fan films by, erm, Billy Treacy.
That said, it’s all in good fun, he gets other filmmakers in there, and the layout quality is impressive for a first-time zine. Topics in the current issue include a preview of the fan film Time Agent, a chat with Chris Thompson, creator of a fan production called The Final Adventure, and some other bits and pieces.
Got a Who flick the world ought to check out? Tell all about it in the comments section below!
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