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21 December 2004
Million Dollar Devious *
Construction has been underway since July 2004 to build the most elaborate Devious studios to date. The final Tardis scene is to be shot in January in a purpose built stage with 4 metre high vaulted ceilings and a 5 x 10 metre control room. The new studios has also been equipped with electricity and running water, and have been built following the closure of the original Chute Grove and Old Shoreham Grove studios which were decommissioned in the 90's and 00's.
A Devious Spokesperson said
"With the advent of high definition cameras and the new digital age, it was only a matter of time before we needed new high tech studios. Even though it is likely to cost £250k it is worth it as it's the final studio scene to be shot, making the programme really, nearly almost finished."
Steve from the Devious team has decided that when filming is complete, he may just be able to convert the new Studio complex into a new home - something that Sarah Beaney would approve of.
[ * - 1 Million Australian Dollars = approx £250K unless you tell us otherwise ]
20 December 2004
Merry Christmas and new filming update
Well before we go on we'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas - that's to everyone who's worked with us over the year as well as those who've supported us, and also those who've wandered by this humble website once in a while.
[pictures - Colin & Christopher Vincent prepare for their roles earlier this year]
We're frantically preparing for some new filming now in the first non-holiday weekend of January if all goes to plan (see other news item dated today). We're concentrating on the final tardis scenes (what was originally going to be a church-crypt set) and final scenes involving members of the rescue crew and a short dalek production line scene will be done in February. That should complete the filming at last for Devious so it's fingers crossed that all goes well after Christmas.
23 November 2004
new filming
Well, we thought we ought to have something on the site on the anniversary date! Our planned filming for Oct/Nov this year has been put back to just after Christmas (or thereabouts) - although this is nothing to do with Ashley needing to wait til all his Christmas fairy lights have all been used before they go back into the tardis console. Rather our location needs a few finishing touches - like a roof !!! More news as and when. We hope to film two sets at this location - one is the third and final tardis interior, as well as the dalek "conditioning room" (where newly constructed daleks wait for, er, conditioning). For now here's some random imagery...
03 November 2004
New series dalek spoilers... (not that we're any the wiser than you lot)
NEW SERIES DALEKS SPOILERS - the following text was originally hidden for viewers unless they specifically wanted to read it - but as the time has passed here it is in full...
For those of you who have heard that the new tv series daleks are to fly, and have seen the images in the newspapers (chiefly - or solely! - The Sun, 2nd Nov) showing a technician with a radio-control transmitter - don't think it's all new! 'Devious' features flying / hovering daleks (we only do it a couple of times) and we have had radio-control for our chief dalek. So if the BBC are having some fun with their radio-powered model we wish them well - it was certainly 'interesting' for us. Ours was reasonably ok but given the chance we may have had a standard one due to it misbehaving on occasions - we had problems with one of its tyres and the operator could have had more intensive training!!! (Ashley please note). It was an experiment and we are glad we did it, however the BBC series would have had more time and money to throw at this issue and so we not only wish them well but look forward to the end results! We have resisted the urge to include an image or description of thse new series daleks - if you want to find out it's easy enough and if you don't want to know - like some of our team who don't want too many spoilers before the series arrive then we'll respect your views. And as for the flying - well we're hoping our cgi will help a bit since lifting one of our props was a bit prohibitive (especially next to a cliff-top...)...Good luck BBC !!! (We're not claiming any sort of prize here, just a bit of fun, before all you owners of radio-powered monsters come out of the woodwork and remind us you were first!!!)
19 October 2004
news.doctorwho-devious.com
You can now use http://news.doctorwho-devious.com to check on the latest news from the Devious Project. Other sub-domains may follow, depending on how much time we have to spend on the website. Obviously we should be spending very little time on it as we're so busy editing and set-building. So, that's the end of this news item then, if you'd rather we were elsewhere...
Oh all right, here's some new images...
P.S. If you're (also) getting problems with our snazzy menu then let us know as it does misbehave at times and is looking for a fight so it's likely to be replaced soon. It's driving Ashley crazy with it's habit of forgetting to put a left hand border down the page first especially if you've entered the site via news.doctorwho-devious.com - MAC users are doubtless especially aware of this tendency however you enter the site. So, a new menu will have to be created - perhaps one along the top would be more exciting ???? Not that these things get particularly exciting, that is...
30 September 2004
Guest Artwork - Devious Cover 2
Some time ago he did us a great cover for our piece, and has just sent us another one, drawn up without full knowledge of our story (not that we know it!!) and without hi-res bespoke artwork - i.e. compiled entirely from what he's een on the website over the years.
We think you'll agree it's excellent, and a real spur to make us want to complete this project at last. Although we've made our own spoof BBC dvd cover for fun amongst ourselves to put our own copy of the edits on we've never really bothered since we're more concerned about actually getting things done, so we're really flattered that someone has taken the time out to do this...
Thanks Gary...
30 September 2004
New Images from September 2004 edit...
A few images from the edit of the new footage shot back in May this year. The first image shows a strange eye-view of some of the goings-on in episode six. Don't worry - not all the footage will have this colour and treatment added, but this particular bit fits the bill.
Secondly we see Tony as the Doctor expressing some indignation! Or indigestion! Seriously though, it all get's a bit tricky for our Interim Doctor and here he's seeing his fate unfold...
Finally a more standard shot, which does show off the rather superior build of our "guest dalek" from Chris Quinn who came down from Surrey with this fine example giving us a total of nine for the shoot that day.
More news as and when. You know us - regular, every blue moon....
29 September 2004
New Filming Dates (update)...
Blimey - we're at it again! In a bold attempt to finish our filming before the end of the year we're hoping to film at a new location the final Tardis interior shots in October/November more likely mid Nov. This will be the third Tardis used in the story and was originally going to be the church crypt interior. As Ashley moved house this set was dismantled and consequently a rethink is in progress as to how this set will now appear. More news as and when... (and some more pics too soon).
Also a pleasure to add a new link (in the links section, of all places) to a new group of fellow filmmakers (they're at http://www.garscubestudios.tk).
18 August 2004
From Theory to Practice...
We've been working on a few test renders recently; putting a few test effects on to some of the footage from May, and thought you'd like to see how things are coming along. Firstly here's an image of a rough Lightwave model of the Control Room created before the sets were built. And secondly there's an image of the room with a test version of the ceiling and central column effect.
You can see how the design of the control room evolved - the panels round the side now sloped outwards and the central console has lost the red "paddle-steamer" look. Also the long table in the foreground was thankfully lost as the room we filmed in was able to have it's long table demolished in time.
The expectation for the final shots are that the large ring of flashing lights (Gary Numan fans may recognise it from wembley 1981 !!!) will rise and fall during the storyline. This ring of lights is in fact part of the extensive modelwork that is being combined with the live footage; and the shot above shows part of it just to give an impression of how it may look. The lights vary in brightness and colour and can cycle through various sequences.
Anyway, this is just to keep us busy until we start work on the sets for the next scene - i.e. the third Tardis interior. that is now unlikely to be a church crypt, since Ashley moved house before the half-finished crypt set could be used and it was sadly dismantled and chucked - his intent is now to create a set more impressive than that would have been; so we await the designs with some interest...
17 August 2004
More South Today images
Now we really must get a new section on the site to show some images from the "Doctor Who in the South" programme segments from BBC One's "South Today" back in July. Until that time, here's a few to give you a flavour if you were unable to see the transmission...
There's some great shots of the dalek in the school library surrounded by schoolchildren all keen to discover more about it, although I won't show these shots unless I get permission from Rowlie on their behalf - I'm sure they'd like to be seen on the web as well as the telly!
27 July 2004
Further evidence of child labour in 'Devious'
Our spies tell us that there have been more shameful cases of the use child labour by the Devious team. Youngsters as young as seven or eight have been witnessed helping out with the recent filming. These recently discovered photographs expose the whole thing in a shameful manner worthy of the daleks' own mines on Skaro or the working conditions on Exxilon. Here we see Ian Watts entombing his own daughter within a dalek casing...
whilst here these children have been coerced into monitoring the sound levels during filming merely on the promise of a sweet and the chance to avoid going home in the boot of the car.
We will produce more evidence as soon as we can....
15 July 2004
More tonight !!!
The 12th-14th caption we've been using is a little redundant. Today's the 15th and there's more of the South Today "Southern Ways" tonight. Sylvester is guesting in the studio we believe - no more news as yet. Last night featured the Tardis police box again in a jaunt to Arundel Castle West Sussex where Silver Nemesis was filmed. All through this we've been delighted to see our props being used to illustrate these programmes, and have been very happy to help something which has hopefully raised the profile of the programme in the run up to the new series.
14 July 2004
Daleks Go Back To School
* - sorry, we were going to mention you'd see the console but thought you'd spot it anyway...
12 July 2004
tonight ...tonight ...
There's a song that starts like that. Anyway - tonight on BBC 1 South Today (the regional news programme for those people who live in the South of England including Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire (I think) Surrey (possibly), West Sussex, Berkshire (I think) and Oxfordshire (blimey)) you will see Devious dalek(s) and the Tardis which were used by Bill Baggs' Southern Ways documentary segment on Dr Who in the South. (Sorry - overlong sentence that). The piece has been in production for some while and originally was going to include much more - i.e. short drama etc, although that has now been shelved. The transmissions this week will feature locations and people who remember Dr Who when it was filmed in the South of England, and the Devious props were used to assist a certain Sylvester McCoy in his travels around meeting these people.
Play "I-Spy Devious Props" on BBC 1 tonight and during this week!!!! ...
Anyway - it's all a bit of fun and helps to raise the profile of Dr Who ready for the new series and we are very pleased to have helped out in our small way...
28 June 2004
New images and the usual waffle
A few new images now from the last filming batch. What with all the office and house moves by the team we've been a little slow in updating the site! (Users of the AshleyX Gary Numan site get the same excuse!). Anyway here's a few new pics for you to keep you happy until we create a new area especially for them as per the previous filming weekends.
As for the South Today thing we keep alluding to - you will definitely see our daleks and the Tardis over the three segments in July. We're not sure what the composition of the elements are yet so we can't give you any more clues!
22 June 2004
South Today e-cards
You can now send some rather nifty looking e-cards featuring the TARDIS, a dalek and a Doctor from the BBC South website ...
South Today Doctor Who e-cards
Great fun - perhaps we should have our own Devious e-cards in the future !! Hmm, now that'll slow us down. Maybe next year! Here's an obvious candidate ...
17 June 2004
South Today
You may well recognise the Dalek and TARDIS on the BBC South website on their Doctor Who feature. Yes they're from Devious!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/southampton/features/doctor_who/doctorwho.shtml
All we shall say at present is "watch this space" .....
04 June 2004
A revised thank-you
Hi there - thanks to Tim from the team we now have a full list of the people we wish to thank for the recent weekend. We really appreciate the hard work everyone put in to make the weekend a success and it is right that you are all thanked - Tim rather sensibly noted everyone's names, since we had a number of 'first-timers' around! So without further ado here's Tim's notes exactly as he sent them ! (complete with odd references here and then - a result of 'in-jokes' that beset any grouping!!). Others not mentioned (such as Tony, the Doctor) need fret not since you were noted in the previous news item.
DALEK OPERATORS & OTHERS, MAY 29TH – 31ST 2004
ASHLEY CLARKE
LAURA CLARKE
SIMON BAKER
SYLVIE WINN
STEVEN E. KING (ALSO BOOM OPERATOR)
JAMES QUINN
SIMON GOBLE (ALSO BOOM OPERATOR)
ALIA HALSTEAD (ALSO TEA LADY & SEX KITTEN)
COLIN VINCENT
CHRISTOPHER VINCENT
LAUREN WETHERILT
ROB HORN
CARLY HOLMES – TEA LADY
CAROLINE NORMAN – DOOR OPERATOR
JONATHAN MASSEY – MAN WHO POPPED IN AND SAID “OOH, LOTS OF DALEKS!”
SPECIAL MENTION:
RINGO
NICOLA KEITH
CORI SAMUEL
FRANCES WETHERILT
CHIEF STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER – ARTHUR HARROD
SMOKE EFFECTS BY CHRIS KIRK
RAFTER SWINGING BY RINGO
EXTRANEOUS GURGLES BY VARIOUS OFFSPRING
NON-APPEARANCE BY ELIZABETH HURLEY
31 May 2004
Filming 31st of May a success !?!?!?!?!?
So why do we always seem to film in May? Well, it's June now as I type this (Ashley). It's about 2am in fact and I've just returned from the final day of our marathon. We've 28 tapes from the weekend all told, and until they're copied and viewed we won't know for sure about all the shots - the only missing shot so far we know we can remount anywhere - we just need an actor, a dalek and a black wall. Right now we all need a rest. The main part of the set remains in place this coming week in case any thoughts come to mind regarding additional shots. However, the most important reason for this quick news item is to THANK EVERYONE WHO CAME ALONG OR HELPED IN OTHER WAYS - you know who you are - if I mention you all now I know I'll be missing some, so apologies in advance, but here goes (no particular order)...
All told we must thank David, Stephen, Ashley, Tony, Arthur, Tim, Chris, Ashley (small), Laura, Lauren, Frances, Chris and James (Quinn), Paul, Simon (1), Simon (2), Corrie, Nicola, Ringo, Carly(/ie), Colin & Christopher (Vincent), Ayumi, Lynette, Adam, Bilga, Orkun, Ian, Ian (Watts), Caroline, Alia, Sylvie, Peri, Peri and Bilga's mum, Tesco for their salads, pies, etc, DVC for their hospitality (over the years) - and for the earlier time in May we'd also like to thank Bill and team, Ringo's brother and friends, and others whose names we have a temporary amnesia over. Please let me know if you've been forgotten and I can re-edit this and pretend you were in all along! Cheers!
30 May 2004
Filming 30th May a Success ?!?!?!?!
Original headline this! Well, all I can say is we made it through day two of our big set three-day marathon with no major problems. Ok so we had some entertainment with the Black Dalek doing it's own thing but generally we think we're on course! After tomorrow with any luck we will have finished all the dalek control room scenes - there's only the third tardis interior and some brief production line and external inserts to be done afterwards so here's hoping.......
29 May 2004
Filming 29th May a Success ?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Well, we won't really know until we see some footage back or some rough edits, but so far as I sit here at home after a day's filming all I can see it seemed to go well. We got a lot in the can and we're ready to go for the next two days - whatever the weather may hold for the Bank Holiday Weekend we won't have a clue what it soes - we'll be inside in our Sussex filmset trying to get it all in the can! Until I get some pics back here's a few from our previous session on the 8th and 9th of May. If you know us, then give us a ring and you can come along and give a hand - we think we're okay now for Sunday although we may be a couple short for the Monday 31st - time will tell.
Let's hope we do well this weekend - we'll have absolutely tons of images to filter onto the site over the coming months, as well as some footage with any luck!
11 May 2004
8th-9th of May 2004 Filming a Success
Well, we did it! Over 5 hours to get the set together and then a weekend with 9 daleks. Hard work but worth it! More news later when I've time (Ashley) - but here's a couple of shots to give you an idea of the footage...
The next filming will hopefully be at the end of May over the bank holiday. If you know us and want to come along and help then give us a ring!!
22 April 2004
May filming confirmed
Well, we've set some dates for our filming in the control room set! The set is nearing completion and we're planning for the filming sessions. Although we are intending to film at the beginning of May we are also intending to film over the bank holiday weekend 29th - 31st, so if you are known to us and want to be in a dalek and are local to Sussex then please email us! The days where we need 8 dalek operators are the 30th and 31st - if we get too many volunteers then we can work shifts - we just don't want to do a "Death to the Daleks" where not all our casings are occupied!
More news and set pics when we get a chance. All this filming is fitting in with an office move (the space we use won't be available after the start of June anyway), and two house moves for two of the trio in the project - namely Stephen and Ashley! So its all hands to the pumps as we desperately try to squeeze everything in to the limited time we have. At least we should get a sizeable chunk of the filming completed. After this next period we only have a couple of sets to use and the filming will be complete for Devious!
22 March 2004
Christopher Eccleston - Dr Who Nine - and Devious filming...
Congratulations to the team planning the new series of Doctor Who in their choice of acclaimed Shakespearean actor Christopher Eccleston to play the ninth incarnation of the Doctor. The "edge" has now been returned to the series.
Meanwhile down here in our own little world we've been very busy. And what's more we've also been doing some work on Devious. David has compiled the DVD at last, which includes scenes not yet filmed. This remarkable feat was in fact achieved by filming a script readthrough. This would have made the pacing of the story easier to plan for episodes 5 and 6, only, er, we've largely re-written the ending ! It was felt that as our Doctor Tony Garner is only the Doctor for one occasion (albeit inhabiting the role for longer than anyone) he isn't seen to do enough in the final episodes. He tended to react rather than affact events enough. Some judicious reworking of the script has corrected this and led to an amazing cliff-hanger for the end of part five, of which we will say no more at this time!
Of more interest perhaps is the fact that we are intending to film in May. There are five or six weekends of filming to be done in our big set, with eight daleks and two actors. If you know us then contact us if you can help on one of the days we're filming (near Brighton) - more details nearer the tim e (i.e. the week before!)
Here's Stephen walking around the space that will be occupied with the new set. The dalek is next to an unfinished quarter segment of the middle part of the set, which was brought in and erected to check on measurements before its completion and lighting. The black material behind may now not be used, we have plans to mask the entire ceiling in black instead, and have fully silver walls (the room is 12 yards by 12 yards so that's a lot of silver!)
09 February 2004
Brighton Show Dalek - not this year!
15 January 2004
New Episode Viewings
Congratulations to the Restoration Team who've just had an old believed-missing episode returned. There'll be dancing in the streets tonight I'm sure of that!
And in the parallel universe of Devious, a hitherto-unseen-in-their-entirety set of six episodes were watched for the first time by our team last night on our big screen (projector etc etc). For the first time seven of us sat round and saw the first rough edit in a long time of the whole story. With edits composed of a mixture of new dv footage combined with previous years-old rough edits of old material it was purely designed to see if the story hung together well and to give us a guide as to how to edit the piece when we get to do that properly! It also gave us a guide as to the huge amount of post-production work needed to get it to the standard we require. Unfilmed scenes from the latter episodes were represented by a filmed script read-through, and unfinished modelwork represented, well, final modelwork! Some of you would have heard parts of the final episode before if you've got a copy of Zagreus !!!!! (see earlier news)
All in all we ended the evening after some 3 hours seeing some things even we had forgotten existed in a consumate whole. A great feeling. A lift to help us complete the filming this year. We're going for it again in March/April with sets being built now, and eight daleks. Organised chaos may well be the watchword.
Now we may get a chance after last night's viewing, which we had been preparing for, to put some things on the website for the Pertwee scene, and also to include some new screen-grabs from each episode, since it's been a while since we've shown any new images. Although do we want to give too much away????? The perennial problem.
Back over in the real world we'd just like to congratulate the team - and to realise one mustn't give up hope of seeing these missing episodes. So come on - now's the time to return that old film can of the penultimate episode of Evil of the Daleks you've been hoarding...
12 January 2004
Zagreus and Jon Pertwee
Well, the secret is well and truly out now! Thanks to clever planning by Big Finish something of the spirit of Jon Pertwee was around for the 40th Anniversary.
We were approached by Gary Russell some two years ago as he knew of the scene from Devious with Jon Pertwee playing the vision of the 3rd Doctor alongside our own Interim Doctor Tony Garner. The article on the Big Finish site gives some of the background from our perspective (a few words from Ashley) and also from theirs. It did emphasise the quality of the recordings and that much of it was gleaned from "off-mike" dialogue, which we felt gave the BF team more lines to work with although the quality would have been much lower.
At some point soon we will have a feature on the Jon Pertwee scene, along with a couple of audio clips showing what the quality was like from our 1995 recording!! We do feel however that over the years our own technical quality has improved, and we like to think we've moved on from that time. The whole "Pertwee scene" has recently been re-edited and of course we've tried to work on the sound as much as possible - but then again we as amateurs only have a limited budget - that is our bounding box on all things as always!
VISION
It's not going to work you know.
DOCTOR
There's no harm in trying.
...he replies, and then realises he is not alone...
DOCTOR
Who are you?
We see it is the Third Doctor - is it a vision, or a ghost, or the real thing? We are not sure.
VISION
I'm who you should be. Your regeneration was unfinished - you need me to complete it.
If you're new to our site then please take a moment to see what a small team of people from Sussex have spent loads of weekends on over the past decade or so... Well it's a hobby.
Here's the link to the Big Finish article...
07 January 2004
Voices
We said there'd be more news on something rather interesting... A voice you may have heard somewhere... Rest assured we'll have a feature on this in the next week or so... Sorry for the delay...
Here's a totally unrelated picture to keep you going until then...
