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Doctor Who: examining the show’s new VFX studio: Double Negative

By Raphael Kiyani

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With neither the Mill nor the Milk producing visual effects for Doctor Who, we look at the new studio working for the show, Double Negative, and their vast experience of working in sci-fi.

Since Doctor Who re-launched in 2005, the same people have been behind the visual effects (or VFX) of the show. VFX studio The Mill had been hired right from the start until 2013 when it closed its television department. Workers at The Mill went on to create a spiritual successor called ‘The Milk’ which continued their Doctor Who work.

This is no longer the case. Series Eleven will usher in a completely new team in the form of studio Double Negative. This development is a massive behind the scenes shift that could potentially completely alter the shows aesthetic.

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Recent years has seen Double Negative get much appraisal for their film work. They’ve been producing award-winning VFX for cult-favourite Blade Runner 2049, and science-fiction hits Interstellar, Inception and Ex Machina. They’ve collaborated with Marvel Studios too.

Their television work includes recent dramas such as Black Mirror, Altered Carbon and Young Pope. That’s quite the successful and dynamic portfolio of work they have under their CGI belts. The hiring of Double Negative for Doctor Who can only be a fruitful venture for the franchise. Here are a few reasons why.

They understand sci-fi

Integral to this contract is the fact that they demonstrably show inherent talent when it comes to building science-fiction VFX. Double Negative isn’t a studio that has just dabbled with the genre, but has predominantly worked with it, with great success too.

Their TV experience working with Netflix properties Black Mirror and Altered Carbon laid bare the creative juices that flow in the minds of Double Negative’s artists. Doctor Who is being given a very strong and imaginative pair of guiding hands behind the scenes.

Whilst working with the BBC they obviously won’t have access to the same levels of money a big Hollywood studio or Netflix possesses, but they’ll have experience and smarts on how to creatively get around restrictions.

They’re on form

Not only has Double Negative cultivated much success with science-fiction but they’re currently at the top of their game. They’re in constant demand in Hollywood with big companies that constantly utilize VFX like Marvel Studios.

Doctor Who will now be getting a studio filled with confident artists that are in their creative prime, eager to work on a new property. This will imbue the show with newfound confidence. I think their experience and form will prove to be a step up in the VFX department.

Freshness

The mass changing of the guard behind the scenes of Doctor Who is well under way and the upcoming Series Eleven will be a pseudo re-launch for the show.

In an effort to construct a new aesthetic for Doctor Who, hiring a new VFX studio was a logical move on the part of the BBC.  The Mill/The Milk have produced good work for the show for years, but a change in direction and personnel will prove to be key in forging a fresh path.

Chris Chibnall has promised a more modern, cinematic approach to Doctor Who. Double Negative, given their background, is the right studio to deliver that promise. Doctor Who visually, and arguably writing wise, has felt a little complacent and stale over the past few years. Double Negative will more than likely shake up the VFX status quo in exciting and cinematic ways.

Next: Review: The Bad Penny (Fourth Doctor audio)

What are your thoughts on Double Negative? Will you miss The Mill? Write your thoughts down below.

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