This post first appeared on Ren’s Patreon page.

It’s 3am and I’m backing up the footage from the final day of shooting on Ren: The Girl with the Mark – Season Two. We did it.

Last time I checked in with you wonderful Patrons we had just completed the Wales location shoot. The travel and rest day went very quickly and we were back in Cambridgeshire on the 17th to complete Episode 203, shooting at various spots around Burleigh Hill Farm. It was another night shoot, and no-one had quite recovered from the Welsh marathon of nights, so it was tough going, but we captured some nice material including a scene featuring an impressive fake deer built by Tom O’Hare.

On the 20th we began a new marathon: five days shooting the Heretics’ Market for Episode 204, directed by Sophie Black. Much like Karn’s house in Season One, this was the first set to be built and the last to be shot, so anticipation was high. On the other hand we were also nervous about the number of people that would be involved, with all the extras playing stallholders and punters, not to mention that Rose and Ash in the art department almost worked themselves to death to get the set dressed and ready in time.

They were a very busy five days, especially the 21st when we shot a fight scene at lightning speed. The set looked absolutely stunning – Sophie was gasping with delight at the monitor – and with the help of all the lovely people who came along to be supporting artists and their costumes provided by Suzanne, Hanna and Ana, the market came alive at last. Several new actors joined the cast, extending the Ren family that had become closer and closer over the previous few weeks.

On Thursday we left the market behind and made one last road-trip, this time to the beautiful Sandon Hall in Staffordshire. This was a breath of fresh air both literally and figuratively from the Heretics’ Market, which for all its merits was a dark, dusty and dirty place to work.

Sandon Hall’s staff were very kind and helpful, and we spent a fairly chilled afternoon recording the final scene of Season Two and the first scene of Season Three. Yes, you read that right, the camera has rolled on the first piece of Season Three already. And remember, it’s your subscription that makes that possible! Be sure to encourage your friends and family to sign up if you want the rest of that season to get made.

Friday was the final day of the shooting schedule and had always been reserved for pick-ups – shots or scenes that had been dropped due to lack of time earlier. We had done so well that the pick-ups list was pretty minimal, mainly extra shots of Ren, Hunter and Kah’Nath archers on “horseback”. This time we didn’t even use the phoney ponies, instead shooting the cast in close-up and having them rock up and down on a box and a couple of cushions! It looked ridiculous to everyone else, but to me with my eye glued to the eyepiece of the camera it was completely convincing.

A few more simple close-ups followed, a couple of them back in the market set, where we got to feature Hans Goosen as a stallholder. Hans made props for both Seasons One and Two and had flown over from the Netherlands just in time to help with our last day of filming.

The very last shot was a reshoot of one originally done at about 4am in Wales. It had multiple problems that prompted us to give it another attempt. We didn’t want to wait for it to get dark, so Rose and Ash – in one more act of heroism – rustled up a forest in the studio in less than an hour. It turned out much better than the original! After four takes Jonnie called “cut!” and I had the pleasure of announcing that Season Two of Ren: The Girl with the Mark had wrapped.

There followed a very lovely wrap party around a bonfire. Everyone told me they had had a fantastic time on the shoot, especially the lead actors. Alex said it was one of the best experiences of his life. That’s exactly how I felt about working on Season One; it’s the main reason I wanted to make Season Two and I’m so happy that I’ve been able to pass that on.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone on the cast and crew for making the shoot the huge success that it was.