#whoBtsSatan

[mizgnomer]

Behind the scenes of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (Part 10)

From a June 2006 SFX article from the set:

We break for lunch (on a bus - it’s just like being in Extras!).  “Steve!!!” Tennant squeals, sitting down for a flick through the new ish of your favorite mag and a gossip about the Star Wars TV series.  After a photo shoot of the entire production team for Radio Times (we considered sneaking in at the back but, erm, bottled it), it’s back to... standing around.  We sneak a peek at Billie’s continuity sheet. It has a photo of her outfit and a breakdown, right down to “pink Calvin Klein bikini bottoms over a black g-string”.  Hmmm... do you think Rose changes both pairs every day, or just the inside pair?  Sadly, we’re unable to establish what keeps David Tennant’s tackle snug, but our money’s on a vintage pair of Doctor Who underpants with Tom Baker’s grinning fizzog on the groin.

On spotting a copy of SFX, Billie “ooh”s at our Doctor Who cover, “ew!”s at our Slither feature, and giggles at a shot of Tennant standing with thighs manfully thrust apart:  “Check it out!” she purrs, “Sexual!”

“I know what I want to ask you!” David says, rattling off a question for Ask the SFXperts.  This prompts Billie to declare her love for the Jim Henson series The Storyteller.  “My friend bought me the DVD box set!  It’s brilliant!”

Link to [ Part One ] of this set (or click the #whoBtsSatan tag for all parts). The full Behind-the-Scenes episode list is [ here ]

[mizgnomer]

Behind the scenes of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (Part 9)

From a June 2006 SFX article from the set:

Today, director James Strong is shooting the pre-credits sequence for the episode, in which the Doctor and Rose arrive and are menaced by freaky-looking aliens.  We’re introduced to the Ood, currently lolling around on a row of jobcentre chairs: 12 chaps in grey boiler suits, wearing face masks with tentacles where their mouths should be.  “Hello Ood!”  It’s rather like talking to someone with a large, hairy mole on their face. “Sorry! But it’s really difficult not to stare at your giblets”.  

“What, these?” an anonymous Welshman lilts, stroking his tentacles like a goatee.  “They’re my testicles!”

The actors are practically blind, and have to be taken by the hand and led to their marks so they don’t trip over.  It looks strangely sweet.

Link to [ Part One ] of this set (or click the #whoBtsSatan tag for all parts). The full Behind-the-Scenes episode list is [ here ]

[mizgnomer]

Behind the scenes of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (Part 8)

From a June 2006 SFX interview with director James Strong:

What sort of tone does the story have?

It’s certainly one of the darker episodes of the series, if not the darkest. The main thing that came from the script was how real it has to feel.  It think it would be fair to say there’s been a lot of homage to Alien.  A lot of the references we looked at when we were designing the costumes and the set came from the Alien series, particularly the first one.  The crew of the Nostromo in the first film, they were just ordinary guys, and that’s what our guys are: they’re not soldiers, they’re just explorers and engineers.

We hear that you’ve been shooting in a query to represent the planet - how traditional! But how do you stop a quarry looking like, well... just another quarry?

It’s trying to use a quarry in a way that’s never been done before, and the main way we’ve done it is to do it at night.  Whenever they went to quarries before in the old series, because they didn’t have any money, they had to shoot them in daytime. But if you go there at night, and you light it in a certain way it doesn’t look like a quarry, it looks like a huge massive cave.  When we put the camera on it, it just looked fantastic, and it had the scale and otherworldliness that we were looking for. It looked like nothing I’d ever seen before on Earth.

Has David found his feet now, or do you think he’s still learning how to interpret the character?

In these two parts I think we see a more vulnerable side to the Doctor. You also see fear in him.  It does get pretty scary, and things get about as bleak as they can get in our episodes.  And they get separated quite early on. They both have to survive apart from each other, so that isolates them and makes them more vulnerable. They both go through these incredibly tough journeys in these episodes.

Link to [ Part One ] of this set (or click the #whoBtsSatan tag for all parts) -  or the full Behind-the-Scenes episode list [ here ]

[mizgnomer]

Behind the scenes of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (Part 7)

From a June 2006 SFX article from the set:

“Er, guys... this just fell off the door!”  The new Who may have the benefit of whizzy CGI, but it’s good to know that some things don’t change.  As a couple of grunting chippies heft a bulkhead door from one end of the set to the other (why build two bulkhead doors when you can recycle one, eh?), part of it drops off.  Cue frantic drilling!

We’re here at the Q2 studio in Newport for filming on episode eight, “The Impossible Planet”, first half of a dark two parter that concludes with the ominously-titled “The Satan Pit”.

Time for a rehearsal.  David and Billie enter the room, noting “WELCOME TO HELL” spray-painted on the wall.  Tennant skips urgently up a flight of stairs to examine some strange alien hieroglyphics... and trips.  “Fuck, fuck, fuckety-fuck!” he spits.  After another rehearsal, we go for a take.

[...]  Time for another take. When it’s finished, Billie and David spontaneously burst into comedy hoofing - half tap-dancing, half dad-dancing.  You can’t imagine Billie Hartnell doing that, can you? Or, indeed, Chris Eccleston - well, not eight months into a grueling shooting schedule, anyway.  There’s no doubt that these two get on like a house on fire.  We’re starting to feel at home.  When the time comes to leg it for the train home, it’s quite a wrench to have to leave...

Link to [ Part One ] of this set (or click the #whoBtsSatan tag for all parts) -  or the full Behind-the-Scenes episode list [ here ]

[mizgnomer]

Behind the scenes of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (Part 6)

Excerpts from the DVD commentary for The Impossible Planet (with David Tennant, Shaun Parkes [played Zachary Cross Flane], and Will Cohen [visual effects producer] )

Will Cohen: This - not that I often go into fan forums or anything, but this scene caused a bit of controversy.

DT:  Did it really? Why?

WC: ...and a certain amount of delight amongst fans because - the sort-of domestic conversation that you have with Rose Tyler.

DT: Ahhh

WC: Talking about mortgages and settling down.

DT: Right

WC: It was the subject of many threads.

Shaun Parkes: They didn't like that?

WC: Well, there was the usual split

DT: For and against?

WC: That's what makes it brilliant

DT: Part of this is, of course, as the series goes on there's a cranking-up of this whole idea of the Doctor and Rose being inseparable and talking about things like this is part of that, I suppose.  Just so the finale of the season, which - if you're listening to this commentary I presume you know what's coming for Rose - it's just to, you know, make that feel all the more painful and poignant when they're finally torn apart forever.  In fact, I think it's episode nine when the devil says,"The young girl who will die in battle very soon," was the first bald reference to what was coming at the end.

SP:   Ooooooohhhhhh

DT:  Yeah, you got it?

SP: But she didn't die... but she did...

DT:  Well, she sort-of died, didn't she?  She's dead in the real world.

SP: She's dead in the real world.  Hmmmmm.

Other parts of this set: [ one ] [ two ] [ three ] [ four ] [ five ] [ List of Behind-the-Sceness PhotoSets ]

[mizgnomer]

Behind the scenes of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (Part 5)

Excerpt from director James Strong’s “Director’s Diary” (DWM #371)

It’s the week before we start shooting. The cast arrives in Cardiff for a read-through, followed by a rehearsal. This is such a treat. Too often, the first time that you’ll meet an actor is on set, and you’re straight into the work. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t do enormous amounts in a few hours, but any time with the cast in a room just talking through the script and the story can really help the end result. I tend to leave the script alone, and ask the actors to tell me who they think their character is? What do they like? We invent history and background, as well as exploring the relationships between the characters so when they arrive on set, hopefully they’ll have some concrete character notes in their minds.  This will enable them to launch straight into our story, as sadly on the day there will be no time to stop and ponder their ‘motivation’.

We gather early in the morning for the read-through. I nervously drink too much tea and need the loo constantly. It’s amazing the transformation that occurs when a script is read aloud. All the emotion and excitement of the page suddenly fills the room. It is so intoxicating, and, despite my dodgy reading of Zack (as Shaun couldn’t make it), the read-through goes really well, and everyone is looking forward to the shoot... regardless of the rather ominous weather reports, which warn of a major snow-front heading straight for us the day we start shooting!  Also, it’s my first chance to chat with Billie and David, who talk enthusiastically of the story as the scariest they’ve done!

Other parts of this set: [ one ] [ two ] [ three ] [ four ] [ six ] [ List of Behind-the-Sceness PhotoSets ]