This post first appeared on Ren’s Patreon page.
When I last updated you, we were en route to Colchester to have fun storming the castle. Aside from some traffic headaches, our two days there went very smoothly. We had a filming window of about 5pm-11:30pm each day, working after the castle had closed to the public. Across the two days we had key scenes from all three episodes to shoot, so they were always going to be fast-paced evenings. As usual the cast and crew did us proud, including 2nd AD Jamie Weston and a few other locals who joined us to lend a hand. The most fun was probably the scene with Kah’Nath soldiers approaching the castle with flaming torches! The day marked an end to filming on 303, Jo Lewis’s episode.
Thursday 24th was originally a day off to rest after the night shoots and travel back to Cambridgeshire, but a last minute rejig was required after Oriana Charles (Ren) landed a guest role in a well-known BBC drama. So we were back filming at Burleigh Hill Farm by Thursday afternoon, racing to complete the season’s very last scenes with director Mark Hampton before the light faded. Writer Ash Maharaj came along to see one of his favourites scenes brought to life.
On Friday we embarked on three solid days shooting a complex sequence on the castle battlements. Rather than trying to film this nighttime scene on location, or building the set outdoors, we elected to film it indoors with a huge black drape surrounding the set. This way we were immune to weather and could work reasonable daytime hours. The set build had progressed slowly while the Archive was still a priority, but the Easter weekend, plus some extra work by the Family Finn while we were in Colchester, had seen it finished and looking beautiful in time for filming. A big shout-out is due to Dan Edgar, who made the battlements his personal project for weeks and does not appear to have stopped for sleep!
The sequence involved multiple characters, big speeches, magic, special effects, sword fighting and a major decision for Ren. We filmed most of it through in a wide master shot before focusing on individual pieces for the rest of the three days. Our priority on Saturday was to wrap Oriana, which we did with many hugs and a few tears, and then Sunday focused on Alexander Hackett (Hunter) and Florian Hencher (Tomas). Some of our last shots were an energetic sword fight between the two men, which was a real high to end on.
After wrapping we held the now-traditional bonfire with a barbecue and plentiful beverages, which was a lovely event. But the work is not yet done. Not only do we have all of post-production ahead of us, and a barn full of sets and props to clear, but we still have one day of filming, this Saturday in Suffolk. Updates on that soon!