Digit 2005-04 - Clevernotions.com

series there were a lot of detailed, varied scripts involved that meant a huge
range of effects. What the BBC needed was a commitment to communication
from us so there were no surprises, especially in terms of the schedule. From
there, it all organically developed.”
The pitch itself was based on the scripts for the first two episodes –
“I remember reading them and blocking out the number of effects. And there
were a lot of effects – it did make me sweat a bit,” says Will. From there, the
team created some examples of the type of effects that they felt would work
with the scripts, plus drafted out a series of concept artwork and created a
few test shots. They also went armed with animatics of some of the scenes
to show an idea of pacing, and how
completed shots could work.
With shooting pencilled in for the end of
July, and the cast on board, The Mill and the
BBC held a series of production meetings
from June 2004: “basically, we locked the
meeting room door for ten hours and went
through everything,” says Will. The meetings
reviewed production design and models,
looking at which scenes would work best with
physical models, and which would look better
as CG. “It also gave us and the BBC a chance
EACH EPISODE
IS SET IN A
COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT
PLACE – FROM
SPACE TO
LONDON
WILL COHEN
to lay down some ground rules for the production, to ensure the schedule
was achieved.”
The Mill then broke each script down and blocked out the sequences as
a series of storyboards, detailing what additional design would be required,
and what digital effects were needed. An effects list was then drawn up
with deadlines, with the 3D people on the team jumping in and working on
concepts and designs right from the off. By July, the first batch of physical
models from the BBC’s production department rolled up at The Mill, allowing
the team to scan in the models and use them as a basis for CG work.
Some of the CG modelling work evolved during the process, says Will.
One character in episode two, a creature who is seen as a stretched piece
CG creatures abound.
These spiders from
the new series were
created in Alias Maya,
and are fully rigged.
They were then
composited with
Shake and Inferno.
Billie Piper becomes the latest to
try to better Bonnie Langford’s
performance as the Doctor’s
assistant.
of skin stitched to a metal frame, was originally
slated to be a physical model, with minimal
CG work. Yet the need to show her with
translucent skin with effects such as blood
flow, meant that it quickly moved to being
a full CG character.
“The alien, played by Zoë Wannamaker, is
one of my favourite CG characters,” says Will.
“We shot Zoë delivering her lines, and then
recreated the CG character with all the facial
expressions based on her.”
The upshot is that the
character looks… well, like
a flattened version of Zoë. To
create her, The Mill deployed
Alias Maya to build and rig the
model, adding texture and
lighting detail. The animators
then used both the shots of
Zoë acting her lines, and DAT
audio recordings, to build a
series of blend shapes for key
mouth and facial expression shapes. Even
her eye colour and mascara were faithfully
reproduced as textures, with the
lip-syncing created by hand in Maya.
With the CG model appearing full-screen as a
major character, the CG had to be believable,
but also represented another challenge for the
series workflow.
“Creating the effects has been a
challenge,” admits Will, “especially compared
to other TV series or sci-fi series. Other shows
are typically set in the same place – such as
a spaceship in the likes of Battlestar Galactica,
or graveyards in the case of Buffy – so the
effects are continuous from one episode to
the next. A prime example is a scene through
a spacestation’s window that shows a very
good starscape. If the series is set in space
each week, those effects can be reused with
minimal hassle.
“Doctor Who, on the other hand, is more
fleeting; each episode is set in a completely
different place and time – from space to the
streets of London – so the challenge is to
create different effects for all these different
environments,” he adds. “Shows like Buffy will
reuse an effect, such as a vampire turning to
dust, and the team will then put their efforts
into the CG needed for the series finale, such
as a CG dragon or something. Each episode
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