The War At Home: Tauranga man makes online series to recreate history

Lewis Roscoe is the creator of a war drama series called 'The War At Home.' Photo / Supplied

Inspired by war films, Tom Clancy novels and growing up in the "nostalgic" 1980s, Lewis Roscoe spends his free time making an online "war drama" series from his Tauranga home.

The 40-year-old works full-time doing video editing and animation.

But he spends another 40 hours a week creating the series The War At Home - his own creative take on what would have happened if Russia hadn't invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and how New Zealand would have been affected.

Set in an "alternate 1989," Roscoe illustrates what would have happened if historical world events turned out differently and if the Cold War had turned "hot".

Growing up in the 1980s, Roscoe said he was "very nostalgic" about that time period. He also grew up watching war movies and reading Clancy novels.

"It's always a sort of generic, America fighting someone. And I thought, what if you took that same premise but looked wider afield at how it would affect other people and other countries?"

"I thought, how cool would it be recreating New Zealand in that time period."

The series has four episodes so far. Photo / Supplied

Roscoe has made four episodes since he started working on the series in 2014, with the most recent taking him just over a year to make. He plans to make seven episodes for the first season and then to try and get backing so that he can pursue it full-time.

He relies on Patreons for funding, which covers advertising on Facebook to get the word out about his series and building an audience.

Roscoe said he has several Kiwi actors who volunteer to voice his characters.

"If I reach a point where it can be something I can do full-time, it would be lovely to be able to back pay everybody who's done a voice."

Roscoe said reality had somewhat caught up with his series due to the war in Ukraine.

"It's horrific - so it makes the tone of what I'm doing feel that much heavier because it doesn't feel so much like some make-believe story that you can play around with because it feels like it's ... that much more important to be more careful, more respectful with the story you're telling."

Lewis Roscoe said the series is set in an alternate 1989. Photo / Supplied

Roscoe described himself as someone who has always been creative. After high school, he got into indie filmmaking and eventually went to animation school.

"I feel like I've got to be doing something creative or I think I'd go mad."

Actor Karl Burnett voices the character of Corporal Ernie Pringle. Photo / Supplied

Auckland-based actor Karl Burnett voices the character of Corporal Ernie Pringle. He said he recorded some voiceover a couple of years ago and was expecting to do more in the future.

"I think it's pretty incredible the amount of work he [Roscoe] puts into it - it's definitely looking really cool."

Burnett, who is best known for his work on Shortland Street, said the series was "awesome" and "really well-directed".

"The story's interesting as well - I've often thought of it myself, what would happen if New Zealand was in an all-out war."

Roscoe said anyone who liked political fiction, military thrillers, Kiwi nostalgia and animation would enjoy the series.