According to Steven Moffat himself, he hasn't really worried about the budget cuts that the BBC have been implementing across the board according to a report on the BBC News website:
Less Money equals better creativity.
- Thread starter DimesDan
- Start date
I love the line "there will never be enough money to make Doctor Who" what exactly has Moffatt been trying to make, if there will never be enough money to make it right.
as for Less money = better creativity, there is obviously a cut off point, that point being when it starts to look cheap on screen.
I do hope Mofft is using alot of new locations, and lot of the ones in End of Time were locations we had already seen at least once before.
7 million action figures, that is the most impressive stat in the entire article.
as for Less money = better creativity, there is obviously a cut off point, that point being when it starts to look cheap on screen.
I do hope Mofft is using alot of new locations, and lot of the ones in End of Time were locations we had already seen at least once before.
7 million action figures, that is the most impressive stat in the entire article.
Of all the shows on the air, Doctor Who has the least to worry about. If it means fewer episodes shot in Dubai, big deal. It's always been about the characters and the writing. And anyway, you got people with homemade green screen outfits making videos for YouTube that have superior SFX to what Star Trek TNG and DS9 (never mind Who) were delivering 17-20 years ago. The notion that all SFX has to be expensive is outdated.
Budget cuts are only an issue if you want to pay big bucks for guest stars, build nothing but practical (as opposed to CG) sets, and travel around the world. It's also an issue if the network itself decides to only make X episodes instead of XX episodes. Otherwise, I don't see the problem. At least not with a series like Doctor Who.
Alex
Budget cuts are only an issue if you want to pay big bucks for guest stars, build nothing but practical (as opposed to CG) sets, and travel around the world. It's also an issue if the network itself decides to only make X episodes instead of XX episodes. Otherwise, I don't see the problem. At least not with a series like Doctor Who.
Alex
He shouldn't admit to it though lest he provide fodder for getting his budget slashed.
Absolutely agreed. Doctor Who, in a way, benefits from a smaller budget. That's one of the things I love about the classic series. It was constantly pushed into a corner financially and it responded with great stories and settings to overcome the limitations.
And great little directors tricks which are, in some instances, ingenious.
It's a double edged sword though. The same catalyst that has been responsible for great things like the design of the TARDIS has also given us aluminium foil Vardans and the Murka.
It's a double edged sword though. The same catalyst that has been responsible for great things like the design of the TARDIS has also given us aluminium foil Vardans and the Murka.
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If you want proof that low budget can mean good stuff, then...
Caves of Androzani was made on a small budget, so it's darkly lit to disguise the fact that only half of the sets are actually there, and the supporting cast are all ;argely unknown, but good, actors.
The Twin Dilemma has a lot of budget, brightly lit sets, and some halfway prominent guest stars who're miscast. (though Warriors of the Deep is a more interesting comparison in some ways).
Guess which one generally comes top of 'Best Who ever made'; polls, and which one often comes right at the bottom.
Caves of Androzani was made on a small budget, so it's darkly lit to disguise the fact that only half of the sets are actually there, and the supporting cast are all ;argely unknown, but good, actors.
The Twin Dilemma has a lot of budget, brightly lit sets, and some halfway prominent guest stars who're miscast. (though Warriors of the Deep is a more interesting comparison in some ways).
Guess which one generally comes top of 'Best Who ever made'; polls, and which one often comes right at the bottom.
Before the massive CGI Daleks and CGI landscapes lets remember the show used tinfoil from someone's kitchen.
Actually I think you'll find it was from the BBC canteen
Frankly budget and creative control are a double edged sword, and I could quite easily throw out countless examples of directors who've let success and funding go to their heads. Terminator is a hundred times the film Avatar is, Heavenly Creatures infinitely better than King Kong, Doomsday is an abomination compared to Dog Soldiers...I could go on. Oft times I think film makers need constraints. Jaws probably wouldn't have been half the film it is if the shark hadn't been so poor that spielberg had to limit its appearances. Same with Star Wars, if you hear some of the things Lucas planned...well again I don't think it would have been nearly so good.
The BBC aren't daft, they know that Who is a critical and commercial success, so I imagine even budget cuts aren't quite so swathing for Who as for a lot of other shows. (And it probably helps that Smith and Gillian won't be earning anywhere near what I imagine Tennant and Tate did--not that they weren't worth every penny)
A smaller budget CAN lead to better creativity.
Or it can just lead to an inability to do anything right. It really depends on the situation. Robot had a self-evidently small budget, but that didn't make it any more watchable -- only Tom Baker's sheer force of charisma rescued that one.
Having said that, I'll trust that Moffat and Company know what they're doing and how to turn their financial constraints into better opportunities for creativity.
Or it can just lead to an inability to do anything right. It really depends on the situation. Robot had a self-evidently small budget, but that didn't make it any more watchable -- only Tom Baker's sheer force of charisma rescued that one.
Having said that, I'll trust that Moffat and Company know what they're doing and how to turn their financial constraints into better opportunities for creativity.
Sometimes.
Previous episode locations unite!
The Next Doctor- the stables where the doctor explained to Jack.
New Earth-Cassandra's hiding place
The Next Doctor- the stables where the doctor explained to Jack.
New Earth-Cassandra's hiding place
you know its possible that I am better at spotting things being done on the cheap after watching Confidential, where they brag about it, and point it out to us.
The examples shown before from End of Time, are just awful.
and Daily Mash on the budget cuts.
The examples shown before from End of Time, are just awful.
and Daily Mash on the budget cuts.
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