A Series 3 update

Although news of Christel Doctor Who series 3 has been in short supply recently the reason is that I have been beavering away quietly putting the finishing touches to the series and working my way around the problems experienced with the Movies Stunts and Effects.

I am pleased to inform you that I have now finished adding the subtitles to four of the six episodes and I am beginning episode 5 this week. I have also finished the two pickup shots that were needed for episodes 4 and 6 and they will be exported soon.

The next phase of production will be adding the soundtrack, which I have actually done to parts of episode 6 already. As with previous Christel Doctor Who series I shall be using the traditional music from the Doctor Who soundtrack as well as various other classical tracks that help to fit the mood.

Also, for your information here are the latest run times for the episodes.

1. An Imperfect World - 14 minutes
2. Evil of a Timelord - 13minutes
3. War of the Worlds - 16 minutes
4. False Dawn - 13 minutes
5. The Halls of Creation - 11 minutes
6. 32 minutes...without 5 minute pickup...eeek.

So as you can see you are going to need to be free for quite a while on New Years Eve because by the time it is completely finished I can see episode 6 running to nearly 40 minutes, making it almost feature length. The smart question is why not put some of episode 6 into 5, but when you see the episode you will understand why I didn't.

Anyways, I hope this little update has served to whet appetites sufficiently. I shall soon be releasing the plot synopsis for episodes 1,2 and 3 and I shall be doing the customary series countdown posts for 10 days before series 3 commences...it is actually quite close now!

Series 4?!

Although it is probably more than a year away I have begun to turn my attention towards series 4 of Christel Doctor Who and with that in mind I can confirm that there will be small teaser at the end of series 3. I cannot stress enough how small this teaser will be but it should prove as an early statement of intent as to how I want to ramp up the quality of the series and change the look when it returns. Be sure to look out for it.

The ARNIE Conundrum

I have always said that Christel Doctor Who series 3 will answer a great many of the questions and satisfy a lot of the plot arcs that have been running since series 1. However, the only question that it won't answer is perhaps one that has been somewhat overlooked within Christel canon; who created ARNIE?

I do intend to answer the question, I even have a rough plan for how I would like to do it but there are no plans to reveal that information yet. I like the fact that it is a mystery and it allows me to go in a number of different directions with the character. As you will learn in series 3 and then the new year, ARNIE does have a future (woops...have I given too much away)...

Christel Doctor Who of the Week - Nostalgia

Tabitha has a very interesting line in episode 4 of series 3. She says "Since we are racking up the nostalgia points I thought I might as well join in with my two penneth". I will tell you that this line refers to a returning character but obviously I won't say which one.

Jack Harkness character trailer

I am pleased to present the second of the series 3 character trailers. This is a new character to the christel doctor who world but one that regular doctor who fans will be more than familiar with...that's right it's captain jack...

Phew...

I am pleased to report that I have found a temporary solution to my Movies Stunts and Effects Problems. I have been worried that my not being able to access the game anymore would not allow me to get the final few shots I needed for series 3 of Christel Doctor Who but everything is okay now and I'll crack on with the final few pickups before anything goes wrong again (Which hopefully it won't).

You NEED to see this...

A few days ago I posted a review of episodes 2 and 3 of Burkeys Doctor Who series. As you will know if you are a long time Christel fan Burkey is a long time supporter and friend of the series and I am imploring you to head over to his blog and support that as well as you do Christel Doctor Who.

I can personally guarantee that he has some great episodes coming up because as script editor for the series I have had the privilege to read some of what is to come. So I urge you, whilst there is a lull in Christel Doctor Who news and activity you have the perfect opportunity to head over the The Writers Blog and check the three episodes that Burkey has produced so far. I shall be linking them here later in the week for you to see but I know he would really appreciate the traffic to his blog.

Character Trailer - Tabitha Mortimer

As part of a countdown to series 3 of Christel Doctor Who I am releasing a number of character trailers based on the many different characters that will be appearing in the series. I thought it very apt to start with the second most famous Christel Doctor Who character(The Doctor being number 1 of course), Tabitha Mortimer.

As you will see from the trailer a lot has happened to Tabitha since we saw her at the end of series 2 and she is still very much missing the Doctor. The next trailer will be for ARNIE and should be released quite soon. Enjoy...

The Burkey Review...

Long time follower and supporter of Christel Doctor Who, Burkey, has recently released episodes 2 and 3 of his animated Doctor Who series. If you haven't seen the episodes yet then be sure to catch them here.

Entitled "Terror of the Meduzans" Parts 1 and 2 the two episodes focus on the mysterious events that take place in a futuristic university party that the Doctor is invited to. The dynamic that has already been built up between this version of the Doctor and his fiesty companion Eve is familiar to most "Who" fans but still refreshing and you get the sense that although Eve is still slightly overawed by the Doctors world she can still hold her own when she needs to. Infact these episodes provide a great deal of opportunity for both the characters of the Doctor and Eve to be developed. We see a playful and flirtatious Eve and a Doctor who is not afraid to make the grand and almost dark decisions as he rather ruthlessly dispatches of the Meduzans leaders, an alien race called the Versinori. One is left wondering whether there are darker days to come for this Doctor?

The two part story is handled brilliantly and although it was a brave decision not to show the Meduzans at all in episode 2 it pays off ten fold in the tension, drama and anticipation that is built up. My personal preference would be that the avatars used for the Meduzans and the Versinori were swapped as the picture of the Meduzans that had been built in my head was more of an organic one rather than robotic, but this is simply down to personal tastes and takes nothing away from the quality of the episodes and indeed the story telling.

We already know that this is a Doctor that is ready to take risks but it's when Eve realises the decisions that he has to make that we really see the characters shine. The dialogue between the Doctor and Eve on the TARDIS is fantastic and we can see the Doctor through Eve's eyes. The two share a good rapport and the Doctor seems to have taken on the role of mentor to Eve as he shows her the stars.

Overall these are two brilliant episodes, the production quality is amazing and the voice acting adds a whole new level to the quality of the story telling. The auxiallary characters are handled brilliantly and you feel like you can immediately identify with them. With the addition of Wesley, Eve's brother there are surely some more fantastic adventures ahead. Two great episodes that I implore you to watch!

10/10

Coming up in...November

As I did in October here is a quick run-down of what to expect from Christel Films in November of 2011. As Series 3 of Christel Doctor Who draws closer I am afraid that there will be a little less on offer than usual during this month. I am crossing the I's and dotting the T's on the series in preperation for the December release. But do not fear. Here is what November has to offer...

- ARNIE Special Episode - Hunt for the Doctor. (Barring no problems with voice acting).

- CDW Series 3 character trailers - Jack, ARNIE, Roger.

- CDW Series 3 episodes 1,2 and 3 plot synopsis.