Day 507: Destiny of the Daleks Episode 2

The second voice that I want to look at is that of the director, Ken Grieve. He too is new to the series, but he quickly makes an impression, through his innovative use of cameras. For instance, there's a scene partway through this episode where a Dalek advances down a corridor. He makes the decision to have this be a tracking shot, but shot directly from the ground, looking up. It makes the Daleks feel far more oppressive, and the fact that this is a tracking shot gives the sensation that the Daleks are constantly advancing to overpower you. It's a far cry from the normal shots of cutting back and forth between characters speaking.

Similarly, he uses the new technique of Steadicam. This allows for a film camera to used in a handheld fashion, giving the camera operator more freedom of movement. It also means that the film sections of the story gain a somewhat more realistic feeling to them. The slightly shaky nature of the handheld combined with the already rough ground of the quarry that they are filming in makes us feel like we're on the planet Skaro with the Doctor and Romana. This realistic feeling can also be attributed to the soundscape, which is minimal, focussing mainly on background sound effects and having little to no music.

So we have a story that's got jokes and gags in it, and is filmed in an innovative and realistic fashion. Tomorrow, we'll look at the third voice, and see what he brings to the table of Destiny of the Daleks.