Whilst the classic series had it's charms (Tom Baker being one of the biggest) the re-boot has taken Doctor Who to where it needed to be. No longer can people make jokes about dodgy sets and unconvincing monsters. Instead people are now praising the show for what it is (and always wanted to be I guess); mindblowing.
Yes, that's right, I said "mindblowing". You know you can't deny it. Technology has reached such a point that we no longer need to worry about how we're going to make something look real because, with the help of computers, we just can. Of course we're going to have the nay-sayers who bleat on about how "CGI is taking the magic away from movies and TV." and how "Filmmakers are getting lazy"
So I have to say...I'm sorry but, in my humble opinion, well...you're wrong.
It actually takes MORE time to make a film or TV show involving CGI than it does to make one without it. Actors now have to act against nothing but green screens and have very little in the way of props to use as reference. So wouldn't it stand to reason that CGI actually makes the actors work harder?
And as for "taking away the magic" I'm sorry to say this but again...yep you guessed it... YOU'RE WRONG!!
I loved those old movies like Jaws, Star Wars and Tron as well as TV shows like Battlestar Galatica, Thunderbirds and, of course, Doctor Who. But even as a child watching them I used to sit and think "That just doesn't look real". Those dodgy costumes and very wobbly sets took away the reality of the show for me. I would just start to become engrossed and then, all of a sudden, I'd notice the piece of fishing wire that was moving a monsters tentacle or a door would slam shut and the whole set would shake. Today, however, we just don't have that problem. We are at a stage now where we can sit and think "Wow that looks so real" without being drawn out of the story.
Therefore it makes perfect sense that the people who work so hard to bring us that degree of semi-reality would want to show those effects off. And that's where Doctor Who Live comes in.
For me it's an amazing way of taking the wonders of the small screen and allowing you to feel and touch them. It's a chance for children to come face to face with the very thing that makes them dive behind the sofa on a Saturday night. It's also a chance for them to get up close with something more than an £8.99 figure from Argos. So, in my humble opinion, it can only be a good thing right?
Yeah, apparently not...
Since it's initial conception DW Live has had a hard time from the critics and, dare I say, some of the more hardcore fans. With comments being thrown around like "It's just a money spinner" and "What's next? Doctor Who - The Live Sex Show?" (Yeah, I know, that one made me gross out too) it seems the decision to take DW on the road has caused quite a stir. But why kick off such a big fuss over a live rendition of one of the nation's (and possibly the world's) favourtie shows?
Well, it seems that some people just don't think that Doctor Who can cut it live yet it has two VERY sucessful Proms under it's belt and a travelling exhibition that (having seen it with my own eyes) is breath taking. But still people just don't seem to think it will work.
The problem is that this isn't a show aimed at hardcore fans. It's aimed at Kids. And that's no bad thing. Aside from the fact that they'll have the time of their lives being up close and personal with a Judoon or a Cyberman it could actually encourage them to get out of the house and go places. I mean sure a ceratin amount of TV is OK but children today are so engrossed in XBOX, PS3, Wii and Laptops etc that they soon forget we have a whole world of wonders that needs to be explored and taken in.
Theatre takings are down almost 30% and if a show that has such a massive following like DW can help to encourage people to go and see live shows then that has to be a good thing. In our current age of cyber-surfing, online gaming and HD TV we forget the joys of actually touching something. We forget how thrilling it feels when you come face to face with a real person and not just a disembodied voice on the end of a computer.
So please, all you doubters, take a step back before you pull to pieces something that will do good. Take a moment to think about yourselves and how you would have felt as a child if you could have gone to a theatre and come in close contact with a Dalek. Because I can honestly say; it would have made my day, if not my whole life...
Lee.
Whoville admin and Doctor Who fan.
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