Doctor Who s8e10 - "In the Forest of the Night" [spoilers]

[Nellisir]

Nah. There are plenty of modern shows with rubbish CGI. Man, that Terra Nova thing a couple of years back was cringeworthy, and it was touted as all big-budgety and Spielbergy. And the SFX last year (and for the preceding three years) was generally top-notch.

I haven't seen Terra Nova, so dunno. I don't really watch tv anymore. Who; Sherlock; Shield; that's about it.

I get the impression that a lot of the SFX budget was saved for the finale. Then again, I don't think they use The Mill any more, so that may be part of it. There are plenty of good effects this year (and the TARDIS interior this year is enormous and gorgeous!)

The sets are generally top-notch; it's the CGI that's lacking.

 

[Morrus]

I haven't seen Terra Nova, so dunno. I don't really watch tv anymore. Who; Sherlock; Shield; that's about it.

The sets are generally top-notch; it's the CGI that's lacking.

Well, CGI is only one part of SFX. But if you don't really watch TV you don't have anything to compare it to. Believe me, it's ten times better than decade old stuff; you're misremembering.

I agree there have been some dodgy bits - the train exterior was probably the worst. But then that big forested view of London with Nelson's Column in the foreground and the London Eye in the background was CGI, and it looked great. There have definitely been some excellent bits. But I agree, in general, it's not as good as it was for Smith's last few years. Mainly, it's less frequent.

 

[Nellisir]

But if you don't really watch TV you don't have anything to compare it to. Believe me, it's ten times better than decade old stuff; you're misremembering.

I don't really watch TV any more. I watched plenty of it from my mid-twenties to my mid-thirties; very intentionally making up for my unaugmented childhood in the woods. Now I watch Netflix or read. I'm pretty sure that Battlestar Galactica (2004) had better CGI, and I thought Doctor Who might be able to pull more eyes and more dollars than some resurrected camp tv series on the "SyFy" channel, but maybe not. Right now DW reminds me more of Farscape (1998-2002). Sometimes the CGI is OK, but the integration into the rest of the scene is poor.

It's probably just me; I could never watch Babylon 5 because of the CGI.

Just my opinion anyways.

 

[Morrus]

I don't really watch TV any more. I watched plenty of it from my mid-twenties to my mid-thirties; very intentionally making up for my unaugmented childhood in the woods. Now I watch Netflix or read. I'm pretty sure that Battlestar Galactica (2004) had better CGI, and I thought Doctor Who might be able to pull more eyes and more dollars than some resurrected camp tv series on the "SyFy" channel, but maybe not. Right now DW reminds me more of Farscape (1998-2002). Sometimes the CGI is OK, but the integration into the rest of the scene is poor.

It's probably just me; I could never watch Babylon 5 because of the CGI.

Just my opinion anyways.

BSG was, indeed, excellent. B5 was, as you say, less good. Of course, a lot of years separated them! When I first watched B5 it didn't bother me, but I struggle to watch it now. Same with early Star Trek: TNG, though that got better towards the end.

 

[Nellisir]

BSG was, indeed, excellent. B5 was, as you say, less good. Of course, a lot of years separated them! When I first watched B5 it didn't bother me, but I struggle to watch it now. Same with early Star Trek: TNG, though that got better towards the end.

It was the era, and that's fine; I'm not complaining about the CGI "back when"; I'm saying that perhaps I get more distracted by sub-par CGI than most people. Lots of people loved B5 and by all accounts it was really good and well-written. ST:TNG, STS9, and even STV have their fans; I have issues with ST so I generally don't watch the series. My tastes run more toward Farscape, BSG, and SGU.

I've said before I find Who simultaneously interesting and frustrating; but however frustrating I find it, I'm still watching.

 

[Ryujin]

It was the era, and that's fine; I'm not complaining about the CGI "back when"; I'm saying that perhaps I get more distracted by sub-par CGI than most people. Lots of people loved B5 and by all accounts it was really good and well-written. ST:TNG, STS9, and even STV have their fans; I have issues with ST so I generally don't watch the series. My tastes run more toward Farscape, BSG, and SGU.

I've said before I find Who simultaneously interesting and frustrating; but however frustrating I find it, I'm still watching.

B5 had, in a continuity consultant, one of the greatest (and most arrogant) science fiction writers of the 20th century. Also when the movie was first made the CGI was cutting edge, produced on a relative shoestring budget. Certainly it remained stagnant for the run of the series and doesn't hold up compared to today's, but neither does the 1933 version of King Kong compare to Pacific Rim. Times and tech changes.