'˜It's like Star Trek under sea'
Using scaled-down sets and backdrops not dissimilar to something from a Hollywood studio, he also employs a cast of model figures specially imported from the Far East.
The result is Seastar 5, a sci-fi comic strip which follows the crew of a giant supersonic submarine who come into conflict with an under-sea alien race plotting to take over the earth.
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Hide AdRichard, 63, of Skipton Avenue, Poulton, spent 30 years as an advertising photographer for the toy industry, and that has helped him to pull all the stops out for his creation.
He has so far written and shot six episodes of the adventure, available to follow on Richard’s website.
Each is framed in the style of a classic adventure comic strip, but created by using state-of-the art cameras to capture the models on the futuristic sets.
And it seems to be paying off in terms of his online audience - over the past two years he says it has pulled in 51,000 viewers.
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Hide AdA seventh episode is due to appear shortly - and next year there are plans to get the series literally moving on YouTube using a stop-motion method.
Richard, a married dad-of one, said: “The whole sets are put together at my home and at a warehouse in Poulton.
“I suppose it’s a bit like Star Trek, under the sea.
“I originally planned it as a kind of showcase to advertise my services as a freelance advertising photographer, but it has taken on a life of its own.
“I think it shows what’s possible with a slim budget.”