Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 9, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
MAXON Computer reported that CINEMA 4D played a central role in The Mill receiving a VES Award for the television series Doctor Who. The British production is the world’s longest-running science-fiction television series.
It was the first special-effects award for the programme since its BBC launch in 1963. The Mill, which produced the Doctor Who effects, was already an experienced award winner and had received more computer-animated special-effects trophies than any other European company.
The long gap ended at the seventh annual Visual Effects Society Awards in Los Angeles on February 23, 2009. Work on the Doctor Who episode “Silence in the Library” won Outstanding Matte Paintings in a Broadcast Program.
The term matte painting only partly describes the task, which involved depicting a library the size of an entire planet. The Mill created it entirely in MAXON’s CINEMA 4D modelling, animation, and rendering software.
Planning established that the library was central to the story and needed to be built entirely in 3D to create the intended atmosphere. As a central element of the episode, it had to function almost as a character in its own right, drawing viewers in as the Doctor discovers why the universe’s largest library had been sealed for more than a century with the warning “Count the shadows.”
Developing the shots within a television production schedule was demanding. Scenes contained as many as six million polygons and used global illumination throughout. The Mill selected CINEMA 4D and the new Advanced Render 3 module for rapid, flicker-free GI animation. The large scenes required the 64-bit version of CINEMA 4D because of their memory demands.
“The results were stunning,” said Simon Wicker, Lead Matte Painter at The Mill. “I could render a seven-second animation in 16:9 PAL overnight on a single eight-core Mac Pro without sacrificing quality. That was the only way we could complete the demanding matte paintings on schedule. I can rely on CINEMA 4D completely.”
The matte-painting department used CINEMA 4D beyond Doctor Who. “CINEMA 4D is a tool for artists, so it is naturally suited to creating backgrounds,” Wicker said. “I have used several 3D applications, but CINEMA 4D did not obstruct me; it enabled me to realize my ideas. It is the equivalent of a sketch pad and pencil: take it out and start.”
Liam Stacy, Managing Director of MAXON England, added: “We are delighted that The Mill’s outstanding work received a respected VES Award, and proud that CINEMA 4D and Advanced Render 3 played a key role. The new global illumination, which enables completely flicker-free animation in a short time, was used extensively. This again demonstrates GI’s versatility even in time-critical television production.”
The Mill’s artists were already working on four Doctor Who specials planned for that year, again using CINEMA 4D.
MAXON offered a separate interview with Simon Wicker describing CINEMA 4D’s use on Doctor Who.
VES 2009 Winner
Outstanding Matte Paintings in a Broadcast Program or Commercial: Doctor Who, Series 4, “Silence in the Library”; Simon Wicker, Charlie Bennett, Tim Barter, and Arianna Lago; effects by The Mill.
