page_title: The Big Bang (Doctor Who)
section_title: Filming and effects
hierarchical_section_title: The Big Bang (Doctor Who) / Production / Filming and effects
context_page_description: "The Big Bang" is the thirteenth and final episode of the fifth series of British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, first broadcast on 26 June 2010 on BBC One. It is the second part of the two-part series finale; the first part, "The Pandorica Opens", aired on 19 June. The episode was written by head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat and directed by Toby Haynes.
  Following the end of the previous episode, alien time traveller the Doctor is trapped in a prison from which escape is impossible, the space-time vessel the TARDIS has blown up with the time-travelling archaeologist River Song inside, and the Doctor's companion Amy Pond has been shot and killed by an Auton replica of her fiancé Rory Williams. As the universe is collapsing, the Doctor uses time travel to solve these problems and ultimately reboot the universe.
  The episode sees the climax of Amy's character arc and the story arc of the series regarding the cracks in the universe, though Moffat chose to leave a few things unexplained. Taking place mainly in a museum, most scenes in the episode were shot at Brangwyn Hall in February 2010.
context_section_description: The read-through for "The Big Bang" took place on 13 January 2010 in the Upper Boat Studios. The episode was filmed in the sixth production block along with "The Pandorica Opens". The Doctor visits previous episodes as he is being erased from history; these scenes, taking place in "Flesh and Stone" and "The Lodger", were filmed with their respective episodes. The first scenes filmed for "The Big Bang" were shot in the TARDIS set, including the very last scene. The beginning of the episode, in which the fez-wearing Doctor from the future confronts Rory, was filmed on 5 February 2010 at Margam Country Park, Port Talbot. As it was filmed near the end of production of the series, "The Big Bang" had a smaller effects budget than other episodes, but this was compensated with cinematic lighting. The TARDIS appears in the time vortex during the ending credits, an idea of director Toby Haynes.
  Brangwyn Hall in Swansea was used as the museum. Haynes wanted the museum to feel "massive and eerie", and coached Blackwood to "live in the moment". The opening sequence featuring young Amelia is filmed from her height, and was inspired by Steven Spielberg films in which people would look at things in awe. During this scene Haynes played appropriate music to help Blackwood get into the mood, as he had done during similar scenes when directing "The Pandorica Opens". The set was filled with things that would seem like typical exhibits in the daytime, but appeared spooky at night. The exhibits also included historical anomalies which were the result of history collapsing, such as penguins on the Nile. Though Blackwood appeared as the seven-year-old version of Amy in "The Eleventh Hour", the episode marked the first time Gillan and Blackwood—who are actually cousins—acted together. Gillan initially found this "weird", but she commented that they quickly got used to it. The two versions of Amy were purposely dressed in similar colours. The cold open ends with Amy telling her younger self "Okay kid, this is where it gets complicated" after she has been revealed in the Pandorica. Moffat, after viewing the rushes, ordered the sequence to be reshot as Gillan had said "really complicated", which conveyed a different meaning. As they had run out of time filming in the museum, all of the shots looking into the Pandorica were filmed three weeks later in the Pandorica chamber set.
  During the scene in which the Doctor and Rory are talking after Rory has let him out of the Pandorica, one of the stone Daleks was originally supposed to move, operated by Haynes himself. However, the scene was cut from the final episode. A stunt performer for Smith performed the sequence in which a future version of the Doctor who had been shot by a Dalek fell down the museum stairs; he did the stunt three times before Haynes captured the angles and shots he wanted. On the DVD commentary, Haynes stated that the shot in the episode is mostly the first take. River's costume in the episode was intended to resemble both the costumes of Princess Leia and Han Solo in the Star Wars films, so she appeared like a "female Han Solo".
  Originally there was a scene after the four had been reunited in the museum where Amy had a "meltdown" and Rory assured her it was okay; this was cut due to pacing issues, which pleased Darvill as he disliked his performance in the scene. Gillan stated that the episode was the "most difficult" for her, as it was "a big climax for Amy and her story that's been building through the series...it just required a lot of kind of concentration and emotion." In August 2011 she stated that the Doctor and Amy's farewell was the most emotional scene for her to film. The scene in which the Doctor gives a final speech to young Amelia was not filmed with Smith and Blackwood on the same set. Smith's dialogue was shot first in the bedroom set, while the corner with the bed was recreated and filmed with Blackwood as a pick-up. Blackwood fell asleep during filming. Amy and Rory's wedding reception was filmed at Miskin Manor. Gillan found wearing the dress strange, while Darvi
caption: Brangwyn Hall, which was used as the primary location for the museum.
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