Series 11 News & Spoilers

[Awesome Possum]

Not to mention how long CGI takes to render and edit at HD/4K quality, or how many people are involved in production elements beyond writing and acting.

People have to build sets, find locations, dress those locations, design and build props. I got a book last Christmas about the production art of Doctor Who and there's a lot of thought put into it and a lot of designs, redesigns and refined designs.

I can only imagine that some people just think the BBC has a room of random junk and they walk in and walk out with a new Sonic Screwdriver.

 

[jaime]

No, he's writing episodes and being the show runner. It's a bit of a process. He has to write, approve other scripts, rewrite due to last minute changes and then approve those scripts, and approve designs and casting. It takes a while, especially for a quality project. But if you think you could do it faster because you can write a few sentences on a message board that no one beyond a few dozen people will ever see, more power to you. It's delusional, but believe whatever you want.

I write a bit more than that

 

[Bob The Skutter]

People have to build sets, find locations, dress those locations, design and build props. I got a book last Christmas about the production art of Doctor Who and there's a lot of thought put into it and a lot of designs, redesigns and refined designs.

I can only imagine that some people just think the BBC has a room of random junk and they walk in and walk out with a new Sonic Screwdriver.

Exactly. And British productions don't have the money to throw around like American productions so it takes longer to produce.

 

[jaime]

I know what goes into a show. I also know that it’s a team of people, and it’s possible to design, write, even scout for locations way ahead of time. And once your script is pretty much locked in, you can just shift pieces into place. It’s a lot of work. But...a fair amount of jobs are a lot of work, and somehow people manage. He’s had x number of years to prepare, knowing he was taking over. If he doesn’t at least have a notebook full of ‘and then the cybermen infiltrate future-google’ ideas, then he’s not really been doing his job.
I do t know that he doesn’t. I don’t know how much ‘break’ he needs, or if it’s the Beeb playing silly buggers. I do know that burnout after a few years is different after one, and that the job can be done because two chaps have done it in recent years. If you are the BBC Wales prop man, it’s probably sensible to have a draw full of concepts ready to go. It’s how things used to be done.
CGI team? They will have a ton of stuff in folders just waiting to be greenlit and finished, and sent to the render farms at Finsbury Park or wherever.
It’s not the dark arts. Otherwise related Courses at universities would be more like hogwarts meets the Jedi temple, and they aren’t.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I write a bit more than that

Okay Hemingway.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Well he sure as fuck doesn't like Doctor Who, since he didn't produce a single episode of it this year, deciding to make a generic YA adventure show with some bland dumbasses doing literally nothing relevant, important or remotely interesting for 12 episodes. The fact that he needs a whole year off to produce more non-Doctor Who bland bullshit is the most entertaining thing related to Doctor Who since Moffat left, since its absolutely hilarious that Chibnail's mediocrity requires so much bullshit that Chibnail can't even do two consecutive seasons, which even for British television is hilariously pathetic.

*reads post, then looks at the most recent series of Doctor Who*

Nope. It was Doctor Who.
Thanks for watching though.

 

[jaime]

Okay Hemingway.

*shrug*
I have a masters degree in the (near enough) field, so I can assure you I am not talking out of my hat. Even if I didn’t, there’s plenty of stuff on writing the show and shows like it that show how long it takes to write an episode, before all the donkey work begins. Given it’s not a one man band writing the show, I just either think it’s not that holding things up, or if it is, the dudes not doing his job properly. It happens.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I know what goes into a show. I also know that it’s a team of people, and it’s possible to design, write, even scout for locations way ahead of time. And once your script is pretty much locked in, you can just shift pieces into place. It’s a lot of work. But...a fair amount of jobs are a lot of work, and somehow people manage. He’s had x number of years to prepare, knowing he was taking over. If he doesn’t at least have a notebook full of ‘and then the cybermen infiltrate future-google’ ideas, then he’s not really been doing his job.
I do t know that he doesn’t. I don’t know how much ‘break’ he needs, or if it’s the Beeb playing silly buggers. I do know that burnout after a few years is different after one, and that the job can be done because two chaps have done it in recent years. If you are the BBC Wales prop man, it’s probably sensible to have a draw full of concepts ready to go. It’s how things used to be done.
CGI team? They will have a ton of stuff in folders just waiting to be greenlit and finished, and sent to the render farms at Finsbury Park or wherever.
It’s not the dark arts. Otherwise related Courses at universities would be more like hogwarts meets the Jedi temple, and they aren’t.

Reality is different. You bring in your own ideas because it's a collaborative process. But generally the showrunner has a decent idea of what they want, the art designer has their own influences and designs it and the CG artists and prop builders make it a practical reality. The actor also gets some input. That's why the 11th Sonic had that button on the bottom. That's how it was supposed to operate it, but Smith didn't like holding it that way. So they moved the button towards the center of it.

You could make the show look like shit if you want it faster though.

 

[jaime]

Reality is different. You bring in your own ideas because it's a collaborative process. But generally the showrunner has a decent idea of what they want, the art designer has their own influences and designs it and the CG artists and prop builders make it a practical reality. The actor also gets some input. That's why the 11th Sonic had that button on the bottom. That's how it was supposed to operate it, but Smith didn't like holding it that way. So they moved the button towards the center of it.

You could make the show look like shit if you want it faster though.

Even toy manufacturers get in on it. But it’s work that is done day to day, and shouldn’t involve protracted levels of navel gazing.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Even toy manufacturers get in on it. But it’s work that is done day to day, and shouldn’t involve protracted levels of navel gazing.

What makes you think that's happening? They took a two month break between filming, that's pretty standard. The cast and crew do have other obligations and their lives do not revolve around making Doctor Who. They're going to be filming for most of 2019. Do you think they should take a whip to them to make them go faster?

 

[EnderAKH]

Exactly. And British productions don't have the money to throw around like American productions so it takes longer to produce.

And, it is my understanding, there are strict overtime rules so whereas on American TV they can spend 16-18 hours a day, 6 days a week filming, British labor laws limit workers to 48 hours a week, so they can't pump out TV at the same rate their American counterparts can.

 

[jaime]

What makes you think that's happening? They took a two month break between filming, that's pretty standard. The cast and crew do have other obligations and their lives do not revolve around making Doctor Who. They're going to be filming for most of 2019. Do you think they should take a whip to them to make them go faster?

Find the place where I said any of that. All I said was a large break between seasons is not necessary if planned well (implied that at any rate) and that Chibnall is not doing everything by himself. Oh, and that writing, when your full time job is writing, with the resources of the bbc at your back, shouldn’t require much of a break...particularly in year one. I accept the showrunner job is many hats at once, but....Moff and Rusty managed it. They only burned out a bit after a few solid years.
I suspect one of the reasons is they both had a much greater love for the show and it’s past than is apparent in the work of Chibnall.
Of course if it’s the Beeb itself causing the break that’s different.
I still think Chibnall isn’t very good at writing for the show, but that is a separate thing...in a way.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Find the place where I said any of that. All I said was a large break between seasons is not necessary if planned well (implied that at any rate) and that Chibnall is not doing everything by himself. Oh, and that writing, when your full time job is writing, with the resources of the bbc at your back, shouldn’t require much of a break...particularly in year one. I accept the showrunner job is many hats at once, but....Moff and Rusty managed it. They only burned out a bit after a few solid years.
I suspect one of the reasons is they both had a much greater love for the show and it’s past than is apparent in the work of Chibnall.
Of course if it’s the Beeb itself causing the break that’s different.
I still think Chibnall isn’t very good at writing for the show, but that is a separate thing...in a way.

Ahh, so it comes out. Chibnall doesn't love the show enough, so he's somehow sabotaging it. In reality it is probably the BBC, but let's just attack his character.

And yes breaks are required. They're probably a regulation, but I'm not familiar with British filming rules. Making a show is a job, there does need to be downtime. Mostly because the cast and crew aren't exclusive to Doctor Who, they work on other shows and movies too. That's how the business works and has worked for decades. They can't stop that because you want a specific show at a specific time.

 

[Photoman15]

No, he's writing episodes and being the show runner. It's a bit of a process. He has to write, approve other scripts, rewrite due to last minute changes and then approve those scripts, and approve designs and casting. It takes a while, especially for a quality project. But if you think you could do it faster because you can write a few sentences on a message board that no one beyond a few dozen people will ever see, more power to you. It's delusional, but believe whatever you want.

I don't know. Sitcom writers Russell T. Davies and Stephen Moffatt were (for the most part) able to deliver 12 or so episodes a year with CGI done.

 

[jaime]

Ahh, so it comes out. Chibnall doesn't love the show enough, so he's somehow sabotaging it. In reality it is probably the BBC, but let's just attack his character.

And yes breaks are required. They're probably a regulation, but I'm not familiar with British filming rules. Making a show is a job, there does need to be downtime. Mostly because the cast and crew aren't exclusive to Doctor Who, they work on other shows and movies too. That's how the business works and has worked for decades. They can't stop that because you want a specific show at a specific time.

*shrug*
I just said it doesn’t come over in his writing.
And I know plenty about British filming stuff. Breaks? Yeah same as any other job.
And I don’t give a pair of fetid dingoes kidneys when it come back, as such, I do hold the opinion it works best in autumn, early evening. I probably even hold to the Saturday tradition, though it’s hardly where it was when I started (coronation effing street) as opposed to the Sunday summer wine slot.
I do think a year, after a year, without who, so early in a ‘new’ doctor and ‘new’ style is absolutely a terrible idea.

And I think I already posited that it might not be Chibnalls decision.

He is not a very good writer for Who. *shrug*

He might get better.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I don't know. Sitcom writers Russell T. Davies and Stephen Moffatt were (for the most part) able to deliver 12 or so episodes a year with CGI done.

The BBC was also more focused on getting it out as quickly as possible and funded it by itself. They don't seem to care as much, last time I checked BBC America was funding half of it.

 

[jaime]

I don't know. Sitcom writers Russell T. Davies and Stephen Moffatt were (for the most part) able to deliver 12 or so episodes a year with CGI done.

Both of them had done really really good work for decades before Who as well. Chibnall...doesn’t have a lot of ‘creator’ credits to his name, and has a less varied portfolio.

 

[Awesome Possum]

The CG wasn't as good either as wasn't as widely used as some think.

 

[Marc]

And, it is my understanding, there are strict overtime rules so whereas on American TV they can spend 16-18 hours a day, 6 days a week filming, British labor laws limit workers to 48 hours a week, so they can't pump out TV at the same rate their American counterparts can.

And that's been the bane of the show since the get go (the 10pm lights out during the classic era productions are legendary).

Another issue even with CGI is that they need new sets/designs pretty much every week unlike many other shows that can take advantage of standing sets.

 

[Awesome Possum]

The show has been using a lot more location filming as well instead of just driving around Cardiff till they find a nice spot.