Doctor Who (2015)

You might be right. I had a recollection of a picture of a box of DVCPRO50 tapes on WhoSpy (the teaser photo section of the official website during the first season) but I might have been thinking of a picture of a box of MiniDV tapes used for rushes (why I still remembered even that much after 11 years is beyond me).



http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/e67cb1489497f6af8acb6a1e01ff3997e4ea9bd5.jpg

Well that's a Sony DigiBeta camcorder - so wouldn't have shot DVC Pro 50 or MiniDV (or DV Cam on MiniDV tapes) From memory the only bit of the BBC that was a widespread user of DVC Pro 50 was EastEnders. (Antiques Roadshow used the JVC VHS-based equivalent called Digital-S aka D9 for their move to 16:9 component SD ISTR)

Drama was pretty universally DigiBeta (though Doctors used DV - DV Cam I think), Factual was DV Cam or Digi Beta.

I am pretty certain Doctor Who was shot 50i DigiBeta (and given a good film effect treatment) prior to the switch to HD.

They won't have been camera rushes if they were on DV tapes - they will have been copies. (Possibly for a cheap offline)

Can't find it now, but I did stumble across a page yesterday that suggested the BBC made wide use of DVCPRO50 in drama around that time, but I'll take your word over that!

Apparently some stuff like green-screen shots was shot on DVCPRO HD. Could be where I got confused.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/ca23681188d836c42e1e4a5469dc852e0448f825.jpg

"Mini DV tapes used for making a rough assembly of rushes."

EastEnders used it for recording their multicamera cuts AND for their location PSC - that's a lot of output! They used Philips LDK100s (or possibly 200) as studio/back-lot multi-cameras, and there was a DVC Pro version with the same camera head (so the same look could be achieved PSC). This was a major boon over Panasonic (who have never had success with studio / OB system cameras here)



Ah - they could have shot effects shot in HD (though hadn't heard that they did) when the show was SD. Lots of shows moved from DigiBeta to DVC Pro HD when they first went HD, rather than switching to Sony's HD Cam.

The Natural History Unit and Countryfile were fans of the DVC Pro HD-based Panasonic Varicam when they first went HD (and then followed the range to DVC Pro HD on P2 in the case of the NHU.

Holby did an experiment shooting in HD a bit before BBC HD started - and ISTR that they may have used DVC Pro HD camcorders rather than HD Cam (but it's a fuzzy memory)

DVC Pro HD isn't DVC Pro 50 though.



Yep - dubs of camera rushes to allow for a cheaper offline without any danger of mangling the DigiBeta camera rushes.

Dubbing to DV would be cheaper and easier than dubbing or cloning to DigiBeta and DV capture over Firewire made DV offlines very cost-effective (no AJA or similar card required to capture - which would have been the case if you were offlining from Digi)

So DV tapes would likely be DV25 copies of the camera rushes, not the rushes themselves. (Which would be preciously guarded). So unless the DigiBeta camera rushes have been disposed of or lost - a DV copy is unlikely to be the only copy?

From what I recall at the time, the computer files were lost after outputting the finished program. You'd have to watch all the rushes existing, to find the cut scenes, and then put them into place.

Peter Capaldi to leave Doctor Who: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38805151

I thought he cant regenerate anymore since he's used up all his lifes?

Time for a return of Tom Baker then ... well we can dream!

That issue was resolved in Matt Smith's final episode, when The Doctor was given a new regeneration cycle by the Time Lords.

So we have another 12 to go?

Time to give the series a rest. After the dreadful Christmas episode, I strongly feel that Doctor Who has run its course for the time being. Put it out of its current misery now, and perhaps - only perhaps - bring it back in a few year's time when there might be a new appetite from the viewers, rather than being forced to continue for the sake of commercial exploitation.

BBC will never do that. Now that Top Gear is dead, Who is their big US moneyspinner.

I don't think it needs to go off screen, but it should leave the good ship Moffat, who being so busy making 3 rather lacking episodes of Sherlock, couldn't produce any Who this year. Fresh team, fresh writers, fresh doctor is what's needed.