The Tripods, How They Walked (BBC, Windmill)

Chris Serle from the BBC television programme 'Windmill' demonstrates how the models in the 1984/85 sci fi series 'The Tripods' were made to walk.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Windmill
• Tripods

[TheHade]

That was just awesome! Thanks a lot for sharing this clip!!!

What's he starting to say at the end? It sounds like "The possible ...".

[grazza2a]

Unfortunately, I've long since lost the full tape and edited the Tripod clip to another tape around the time of broadcast, nearly 20 years ago. But from memory, he goes on to talk about the possibilities of CSO or blue screen but this did not feature The Tripods. Cheers, G.

[Mekonta]

@collegeman1988 At the time, The Tripods was one of the BBC's most expensive shows. t also utilised what was available in TV technology during the early to mid 80's, sometimes pioneering effects technology. It puzzles me everytime someone compares sfx from early years to that of today - such a lazy remark to make. Of course people in the 60's to 80's realised they were watching fiction, they weren't that naive, yet many didn't know the process of CSO and perhaps delighted in the magic of how.

[ZankuroMinazuki]

What a wonderful clip! I was just thinking yesterday how great model FX were before everything went to CG absurdity. A blending of the two would be so fantastic to see these days! Tripods was a marvelous series, both for its involving stories and great FX!

[kmj2000]

I've never seen this but those things are freaky as fuck. I wonder if the episodes are available on dvd.

[GregoryTheGr8ster]

Did the show's makers destroy real trees just for this show (like at 0:29 and 0:35)? I will be very angry if they ravaged the environment just for a TV show.

[78rikkers]

not not the red one...that was the scariest

[PriusRider]

nowerdays its all coputergrafics i assume...

[hamelyn06]

And here I was thinking that they were real!!..........I'm going off to my room now to cry.

[conoba]

As a kid I used to have nightmares about the tripods grabbing me and implanting a mind control device into my head. That is what a children's show should be like. Fuck yeah!

[blamd1]

no joke but the actor who plays beanpole works at my school and taught my class for part of the year lol he was all sweaty and stuff

[Ryushinku]

Pretty dang good for 1985.

[mxu79]

This was fuckin scary when i was child :)

[Galindorf]

@Chimel23 Tripods was definitely aired in the states, I remember watching it when I was very young on PBS in West Virginia. WV has always had a phenomenal PBS station, and we got a lot of really wonderful BBC shows. This scared the BEJEEZUS out of me when I was little!!!