Customer Reviews

Calling the Shots: Directing the New Series of Doctor Who

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Graeme Harper may well be the best director on the revived Doctor Who TV series. While many making of books can be dull, Harper and coauthor Adrain Rigelsford bring the director's energy and movement to this book. The result is anything but dull: Calling The Shots is a well-paced making of that should make fans happy.

Harper begins with the pre-production work on his four episodes from series two (Rise Of The Cybermen, Age Of Steel, Army Of Ghosts, Doomsday) and how the return of the Cybermen came about. Harper then goes from the pre-production work into the filming of the episodes themselves. This section is full of what makes the book work: a combination of anecdotes, observations on the complexities and difficulties of making the series, and the sheer joy at the heart of it all. Harper's full of praise at times, especially when dealing with scenes like the emotional finale of Doomsday. Fans of the classic series will be intrigued by the third section of the book as Harper looks back at his work on Power Of The Daleks, The Caves Of Androzani, Revelation Of The Daleks, and the aborted thirtieth anniversary story The Dark Dimension. Though it is an intriguing comparison of production methods and even insightful (especially on Dark Dimension), this section is also frustratingly short. From there it's back to the new series with Harper's two episodes from series three (42, Utopia). Harper's energy is there as his is praise for the cast and crew, especially Derek Jacobi as Professor Yana in Utopia. To wrap it all up, we're then given a teaser of Harper's work on series four which is now broadcasting as of this writing.

While having a frustrating short section on the classic series, Harper's book is a interesting look at the making of the new series. Instead of being dull and matte rof fact ins style, Harper brings the energy of his direction from the screen to the page. Fans will find plenty to read about as will filmmakers, who will enjoy the insights into the complexities of making the show. This book may be THE making of book on the new series.