As scripts became more demanding, everyone contributing to the series’ ingenious special effects rose to the challenge.

By JONATHAN HELM

CGI work in progress and finished renders of the ancient Doctor and the Valiant from Last of the Time Lords.

The Mill had been providing computer-generated effects for Doctor Who since the series resumed production in 2004.

Series 1 (2005) had been a steep learning curve for all concerned, because no one had really known how to budget for a television series of this scale. The visual effects budget had been significantly increased for the second series in 2006, and by Series 3 the production team was feeling more confident about what could be achieved.

Showrunner Russell T Davies was determined not to let practical considerations restrict his imagination, but the programme was still being made to a strict schedule and a relatively modest budget.

The Mill’s Doctor Who team was headed up by VFX producer Will Cohen and VFX supervisor Dave Houghton, working with a dedicated group of 2D and 3D artists. After collaborating for two years, Davies had developed a close working relationship with The Mill, and he knew the company included a number of Doctor Who fans who could be relied upon to provide enough shots to convey a sense of scale and wonder. For Series 3, the showrunner’s motto was “Give ’em something that they’re dying to do.”

In the preliminary planning stages for the 2007 series, discussions took place regarding which episodes would require the biggest share of the budget for complex CGI sequences. During the tone meeting for each episode, The Mill went through the script to determine which effects would be computer-generated, estimate the budget and decide how many effects they could create in the time available. They would then submit a detailed visual effects budget breakdown for each episode, which was costed on a shot-by-shot basis. If the figure was too high, the script would be amended accordingly.