It's been some time since we've had an update on what exactly is going on with the second half of series three, so allow me to break the silence and fill you all in on what's going on! Now as many of you will know, Part Two of The Treasure of Mars was the final episode of the 'first half' of the season; this wasn't an ideal situation, but if I hadn't have decided on the split series route the most recent episodes would not be on YouTube. For those of you who have missed the first half of the series, you can find a complete playlist here.
Presently I am halfway through filming the second half of the series, in fact it could be slightly over that. There are a few more scenes that need to be filmed from Rise of the Time Lords and then it's full steam on the grand finale, The Final Days. With regards to editing, I am halfway through a rough assembly of part one of The gates of Elysium. I had hoped to have been further into the editing by this point, but a series of other commitments has meant that has been pushed on hold. However, I hope to make greater progress with the editing during this week.
It's no secret that this final half of the series will see a new look for the Doctor, in particular his look from Big Finish's Dark Eyes series of audio adventures. So why the change? Well you can hardly fight a war for centuries and keep up the pomp and circumstance of a frock coat and cravat!
"But what about The Night of the Doctor?" I hear someone shout at the back there. Despite saying this until I'm blue in the face, people still ask me where does the 8th Doctor's recent TV appearance fit into this series and as such, where does the War Doctor fit in. The answer? Nowhere! This is an alternative universe where the 8th Doctor was not the pacifist we saw in The Night of the Doctor. There is no John Hurt regeneration to do the dirty work for him. This is a version of the 8th Doctor that is ready to get his hands dirty in the pursuit of finding and rescuing Emily, and of course to rid the universe of the Daleks once and for all.
Alongside a new look for the Doctor comes a new look for the title sequence! Yes, I know we already had one, but if Series 7 started off with a different logo week in and week out then this is no big deal. Created by Dave Hartnell of Cloister Productions and with a new theme arrangement by Ned 'Gwylock1' Warren, the new titles reflect the darker element of this half of the series.
Of course the series would not be complete without the incredible CG sequences of Chris Clark. The response to War Drums was staggering, and I believe that was in no small part due to Chris' amazing Dalek Saucers vs Bowship sequences. They took that story to a whole new level. As such, Chris is back on board with even more impressive work from Gallifreyan Mother Ships, Battle TARDISes and Daleks invading Gallifrey. It has been a joy editing these sequences alongside the stop-motion animation.
The latter half of the series will also see the return of Leela, who was last seen in Rebirth and name checked in War Drums. As the new Commander of the Chancellery guards, Leela finds herself on the front line with the Doctor.
And of course there's lots of stuff blowing up and lots of people being exterminated. Time Lords, alien civilisations, even planets get obliterated as the Dalek menace spreads throughout the universe. How will centuries of battle be condensed into a few episodes? Well this is a whistle stop tour of the Time War focusing on all of the major events, so don't expect to see everything you heard about in the TV series, although they might get a name check as an 'unseen adventure'.
And finally we have the Key to Time and the Gates of Elysium... Something that is going to cause havoc with the Doctor and time and space...
Thanks for reading folks! Stay tuned for more updates!
This looks awesome! I know this may have been asked before, but could you do a video on how you made the custom Dark Eyes 8th Doctor by any chance?
ReplyDeleteAnother reason to look forward to August. And sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but is there a reason for the removal of the series 7 reviews?
ReplyDeleteLooks Excellent! I don't like the parallel universe idea though. Remember: The Doctor only told Cass he wasn't in the Time War... could he have been lying, to get her to come with him? Or maybe, The Doctor realise that time has changed, and taken a wrong course that he has to correct! If you do stick with the parallel universe though, maybe, The Doctor could properly die! Now that would be interesting! Whatever you do, though, will be, as always amazing!
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