In preparation for “The Day of the Doctor,” the BBC’s highly anticipated Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, Red Bee Media and Framestore created a trailer loaded with references from the show’s 798 episodes that takes us on an electrifying tour through Doctor Who history. It begins with the original Doctor, William Hartnell, recreated from a blend of archival footage and new work with a double, standing in Totter’s Yard—the setting of the show’s very first scene.

A great deal of the camerawork was recreated in Flame after shooting, a difficult task, but one that made the final product incredibly smooth. “We had to pretty much take it apart and rebuild it,” says Framestore VFX supervisor Oliver Bersey. “I tracked the cameras, then stabilized them and re-composited all the bits into the stable camera move.” This process also allowed the creative team to work in even more historical Doctor Who references for hard-core fans. You’ll never spot everything in a single viewing—which, of course, is exactly the point.