Who's afraid of the big bad Ogron?
- Publication: The Scotsman
- Date: 1973-03-21
- Author: Barbara Brandenburger
- Page: 8
- Language: English
Barbara Brandenburger on fear and children's television
Is your child ever frightened by television? A powerful antidote could be a visit to the BBC's wildly successful Special Effects Exhibition a record 125,000 visitors in its first ten weeks where he can see exactly how some of the most fearsome dramatic effects on television are produced. (At the Science Museum, London, until June: in the Town Hall, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, from July to December; details of other centres not yet finalised.)
Never again, after he has seen this exhibition, will he hide his eyes when the hero's arm spouts blood profusely from a bullet wound. The secret? Under his sleeve is, a metal plate with a detonator covered by a small plastic bag containing imitation blood.
When this explodes the blood sack disintegrates with part of the actor's clothing. Nor should he shiver with horror at one of those fog-drenched, doom-laden scenes when he remembers just how this effect is produced. Dry Ice a commercially produced form of solid carbon dioxide (used for deep freezing processes) is made to react with hot water. The manufacturing process is reversed, so that the solid becomes a liquid which in turn, becomes the original gas. Taking with it moisture from the hot air, it appears as a dense, white cloud of swirly, dispersing, condensing fog.
A collection of dummy weapons are bound to take the edge off any scenes of violence. There's a knife which leaves a trail of blood when drawn across the skin, a dagger with a harness fitting for a knife in the back effect, and a rubber truncheon. Then there are bricks made of expanded polystyrene, ideal for throwing or for use in collapsing wall effects, or wood made of foamed polyurethene, which breaks up dramatically in fight sequences.
The centrepiece of the exhibibition is a marvellously authentic reproduction of a decaying mill, with working machinery, a gibbering skull, a baleful owl, and scrabbling rats the effect quite terrifying until you are shown some of the mechanics of the operation - among them spiders' webs spun from fine fuse wire cobwebs of plastic latex, and the entire scene dusted over with baby powder.
A magnet for the children, apparently, is the full-scale model of Dr Who's Tardis, complete with main control panel and computer units. Through the observation portholes can be seen animated Daleks and some of the alien space-craft and creatures encountered by the daring medico during his travels.
Many children find the Dr Who characters scaring: Draconian Prince (above) and two Ogron monsters.
It's the monsters in Dr which really frighten "(six-year-old).
"I like a lot of fighting goodies against baddles sort of thing, but I don't like it when It looks real" (nine-year-old).
"I once saw a film about a lady who was very ill. Well, was on her death-bed really, and her son cried a lot. I cried too, and I'm always dreaming about it" (seven-year-old).
"I know that the films aren't true, so they never scare me, but the news is true, and I worry about it and ask my mum and dad. But it doesn't make much difference. I still get nightmares" (11-year-old).
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Brandenburger, Barbara (1973-03-21). Who's afraid of the big bad Ogron?. The Scotsman p. 8.
- MLA 7th ed.: Brandenburger, Barbara. "Who's afraid of the big bad Ogron?." The Scotsman [add city] 1973-03-21, 8. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Brandenburger, Barbara. "Who's afraid of the big bad Ogron?." The Scotsman, edition, sec., 1973-03-21
- Turabian: Brandenburger, Barbara. "Who's afraid of the big bad Ogron?." The Scotsman, 1973-03-21, section, 8 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Who's afraid of the big bad Ogron? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_afraid_of_the_big_bad_Ogron%3F | work=The Scotsman | pages=8 | date=1973-03-21 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Who's afraid of the big bad Ogron? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_afraid_of_the_big_bad_Ogron%3F | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 March 2025}}</ref>
