Digit 2005-04 - Clevernotions.com

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THE NUMBER
OF EFFECTS IN
THE SCRIPTS
DID MAKE ME
SWEAT A BIT
WILL COHEN
50 d
The teaser trailer for the series
shows the camera zooming into
a CG earth and smacking down
into the heart of London.
blast the first glimpse of an almost completed
trailer of the first half of the series. It’s big stuff.
The music has been subtly updated by Murray
Gold, while the timetunnel title sequence is a
modern take on the classic. In the series, it’s
coloured red when the Tardis is travelling
forwards through time, and blue when heading
back. The logo – set on a gold oval with plenty
of flare and corona detail – has been crafted
for widescreen viewing.
Will is instantly onto the detail as first the
teaser, then scenes from the first few episodes,
play out. “It’s all about detail,” he enthuses,
as a snow-bound Tardis disappears from
view. “Look at the snow flakes that fall from
the Tardis’ window sills as it disappears – it’s
all subtle particle effects that we just keep
layering onto the scenes.” Indeed, it’s a fleeting
effect, but one that adds to an almost subconscious level of realism. The
Tardis itself was rendered with multiple passes, including one specifically
for paint chips and scratches that it has picked up on its adventures.
What is obvious during the viewing is the sheer range of effects The
Mill has created. From fully rigged CG characters and aliens – themselves
all different – to fluid and water effects, to a fantastic scene in episode one
that features a fully CG earth that positively glows against the backdrop of
space. And as for episode two – which mixes in greenscreen work, complete
CG scenes, and a parade of CG characters and effects – “it’s like nothing
that has before been seen on British television,” says Will.
Because we want to
Yet, in true Doctor Who style, in order to get to here, we need to travel
back a year to when The Mill first pitched for the project.
“We pitched for the project roughly a year ago,” says Will, “and we knew
from April 2004 that we had got it – and we’ve been planning and working
on it since then,” he says. “We knew the pitch would be fierce – and we had
to make an impact at the pitch. A pitch is a lot about trust, and with the