PRODUCTION NOTES

Book Two of the epic drama “Outlander” is based on “Dragonfly in Amber,” the second book in Diana Gabaldon’s international best-selling series. The story begins as Claire and Jamie arrive in France, hell-bent on infiltrating the Jacobite rebellion led by Prince Charles Stuart, and stopping the battle of Culloden. With the help of his cousin Jared, a local wine merchant, Jamie and Claire are thrown into the lavish world of French society, where intrigue and parties are abundant, but political gain proves far less fruitful. Altering the course of history presents challenges that begin to weigh on the very fabric of their relationship. However, armed with the knowledge of what lies ahead, Claire and Jamie must race to prevent a doomed Highland uprising, and the extinction of Scottish life as they know it.

FROM BOOK TO SCREEN

Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) described this season as “a much more complicated tale with a lot of moving parts in contrast to the first season, which was relatively straightforward.”

In Season One, “Claire’s drive was always clear. She goes in the past. She tries to get home. She falls in love with Jamie. She decides to stay. He's captured and tortured, and she rescues him. Adapting the second book was more challenging. It took us a while to break it down and figure out how we could take pieces out and put them back together in a way that both served the original story so the fans of the books could recognize it, while at the same time giving the audience that hasn't read the books a coherent story they can follow along. You're constantly trying to serve both those masters as you go through the process.”

As the season begins, “Claire’s in an interesting position. It's her idea to change the course of history, and her plan to get inside the rebellion and subvert it from within by pretending to be supporters,” Moore explains. “Jamie is dubious. It’s not a very honorable path. They'll have to lie to everyone that they know and lie to people who support a cause that Jamie would actually naturally want to support. Claire says, ‘Look, the stakes are enormous. We're talking about tens of thousands of lives. We're talking about the future of the entire Scottish culture, as well as Jamie's own family.’”

“But Claire finds the deception harder than she thought. As time goes on, she finds that the lies pile on top of one another, and the atmosphere of corruption and backbiting and double-dealing in Paris begins to infect their own relationship, and they get to a place where they do have to ask: who are we becoming? And is it worth it? And ultimately, are the stakes so high that even if we sacrifice our own souls in service of this cause, is that a fair price to pay?”

Adapting the story was not the only daunting task Moore and his team faced prepping Season Two. While the first episodes are set in Paris, the action eventually returns to Scotland, where the Jacobite Rebellion is underway, and war has begun in earnest. “It was an enormous undertaking. We had two very different shows to prep. It takes a lot of concentration and proper planning to figure out how to make such a giant shift in your production.”

From sets, to costumes to characters and even in terms of the score, the audience will see “a different world,” Moore says. “It's a different atmosphere. The challenge was keeping it thematically still Outlander.”

One thing that has not changed is the characters fans have come to love. In addition to the Frasers, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan), familiar faces include Murtagh Fitzgibbons (Duncan LaCroix), the Duke of Sandringham (Simon Callow), Jenny Murray (Laura Donnelly) and her husband Ian (Steven Cree,) and the MacKenzie Clan – Colum (Gary Lewis), Dougal (Graham McTavish), Rupert (Grant O’Rourke) and Angus (Stephen Walters). Tobias Menzies returns in his dual role, as both Frank Randall and his ancestor Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall (who was presumed dead as Season One ended) who continue to be central to Claire and Jamie’s story.

The episodes in Paris do introduce a number of new characters, from Fergus (Romann Berrux), a young French pickpocket who joins the Fraser household and becomes fiercely loyal to the couple, to Louis XV, King of France, (Lionel Lingelser), a powerful man with a taste for the ladies.

Claire makes several new friends in Paris, including Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon), a mysterious healer with a great deal of knowledge regarding secret matters, both political and occult; Mother Hildegarde (Frances De La Tour), the intelligent and commanding Mother Superior, who is Claire’s supervisor at L’Hopital Des Anges, where she volunteers; Louise de Rohan (Claire Sermonne), a frivolous and animated member of the French Court, with whom Claire strikes up a genuine friendship; and Mary Hawkins (Rosie Day), a sweet and innocent young Englishwoman who is a pawn in the power plays of her elders.

Meanwhile, Jamie spends his time getting close to Prince Charles Stuart (Andrew Gower), the young heir to Scotland’s exiled Catholic royal dynasty plotting his return to the throne, and trying to avoid le Comte St. Germain (Stanley Webber), a wine merchant and member of the French Court, who has a reputation for ruthlessness, as well as for dabbling in the occult.

Paris also brings new pressures for the Frasers as a couple. Despite the tension inherent in living a lie, Claire finds her stay in Paris to be fairly tedious, according to Balfe. “She feels her hands are tied. Claire had more freedom in Scotland - she was an outsider so she didn’t have to conform to the norms of women there. But, in France she does have to assume the role of the lady and the role of the wife. And as we know, Claire likes to get her hands dirty and be in the midst of things but she’s relegated to sitting on the sidelines. Yes, she can plot with Jamie behind the scenes, but she doesn’t get to go and execute any of these plans. Jamie needs her to be supportive but she also needs him to be supportive of her desire to be a vital person with a purpose in life. And then this goal just completely overshadows the fact that she is pregnant and she’s carrying a child and that that means so much to her. She kind of feels abandoned by him.”

While much of the story takes place in France, the series was again shot almost entirely in Scotland, mainly in the state-of-the-art studio complex located in Cumbernauld, close to Glasgow, that was retrofitted for Season One. To accommodate all the sets needed to create three completely different worlds – 1740s Paris, 1740s Scotland and 1940s Scotland, two new soundstages were built, in addition to the two existing soundstages (measuring 17,000 and 10,000 square feet), armory, props warehouse, design studio, carpentry shop and complete post-production facilities.

And despite the authentic representation of both interior and exterior scenes in Paris, the production spent no time at all in France. “Paris doesn't really look like it did in the 18th century anymore,” Moore explains. “We had to go find some place that still did.”

For many locations, that place was Scotland. Several local stately homes were utilized, including Hopetoun House, designed by Sir William Bruce and remodeled by William Adam, which is one of the finest examples of 18th century architecture in Great Britain, and Gosford House, an imposing neoclassical mansion that was one of the last great commissions of the celebrated Scots architect, Robert Adam. Dysart Harbour, once a busy and wealthy port involved in such wide ranging industries as salt production, coal mining, the textile industry, fishing and boat building, stood in for Le Havre docks.

More difficult was finding locations that could double for the magnificent palace of Versailles. The exterior of Gosford House played the part of King Louis’s stables, while the grounds of Drummond Castle, nestled in the hills south of Creiff, were used for scenes that take place in the garden. “Drummond Castle Gardens are one of the finest examples of formal terraced gardens in Scotland and could reflect the majesty of the French gardens,” producer David Brown explains. “We decided to go the visual effects route and drop 3D shots of the old Palace of Versailles into the background of our shots.” (These gardens have a historical link to the story as they were abandoned in 1745, following the second Jacobite rising.)

And for some Versailles scenes, including exteriors and interior rooms, one of England’s most historic estates was employed. Rooms in Wilton House in Salisbury, a Palladian masterpiece, were transformed into French salons, and furnished with period-appropriate pieces. “We were looking for very heavily gilded and French style interiors” says Brown, “and Wilton House afforded us that look.”

But when it came to recreating the city streets of 18th Century Paris, Moore and his team had to go further afield. “In the old city of Prague you’ve got lots of eighteenth century period buildings,” Brown says. So the entire production, hundreds of cast and crew relocated to the Czech capital for nearly two weeks, capturing street scenes, chase sequences and hospital exteriors. An ornate library in Prague was also used for an iconic chess scene. Although it was a logistical nightmare, Production Designer Gary Steele says it was worth the effort. “Prague was easy to turn into 18th century Paris. The streets felt so authentic.”

Unlike the first season, “this year involved more travel (outside of Scotland) for the 200-plus crew,” says Executive Producer Maril Davis. “Normally this show is a logistical challenge, because we spend roughly fifty percent of each episode on location (as opposed to shooting on our sets), so that challenge doubles when you start shooting outside of Scotland. The Prague shoot required months of planning. Thankfully we were able to shoot many of our interior Paris scenes on our soundstages, which made things a little easier.”

The majority of the lavish Parisian interiors, including Jamie and Claire’s sumptuous apartment and Master Raymond’s apothecary shop, were built from scratch in the Cumbernauld studio. Recreating the majesty of 18th century Paris was a challenge, but one that Steele and his team relished. (Steele admits that he and Costume

Designer Terry Dresbach were imagining the world of “Dragonfly in Amber” before they even started working on Season One.) “This season is all about showing the decadence of the eighteenth century. Paris was the hub of art, architecture and fashion. It's probably one of the best periods in history for all of those.”

Moore says his vision was for “the entire look and feel of the show to be fundamentally different from Season One. If Scotland visually was heavy stone and rough wood, Paris was fine china, chandeliers and satins. It was like a completely new show from the ground up.”

One big difference is that unlike Scotland, rooms in 18th Century Paris were covered in paint. “The Scottish sets were all brown and gray,” Steele says. “But for Paris, we went through thousands of gallons of gold paint. We used a ton of it – there is molding everywhere and all the moldings have gold on them. And when you see it lit -- we had candles, chandeliers and fireplaces -- when you see it lit like that the gold just kind of bursts. You can kind of see it pop off the wall, and it's beautiful.”

“When the actors walk onto the set, we're trying to make them feel comfortable and feel like they really are in a bordello or a Paris apartment or a Scottish estate,” Steele explains. “And when the audience sees this show, we want them to feel transported to the eighteenth century. We want to make “Outlander” a magical experience; to take you away to another time and place.”

“Outlander” Costume Designer Terry Dresbach calls Season Two “a costume designer’s dream. I think we must have examined over 1,000 paintings and 50 billion Pinterest pages of paintings, and spent countless hours studying costume books, for research.”

“Claire is a twentieth century woman so we were looking for a twentieth century approach to fashion. I took a lot of my inspiration from the Dior New Look of 1947,” continues Dresbach. “Which in turn took inspiration from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It seemed an interesting point to start with as Claire is a woman from 1947 thrust back into the eighteenth century. I wanted to reflect that experience in her costumes.”

(Caitriona Balfe loved all of Claire’s new Parisian costumes, though she does admit she started "to miss being able to sit on the ground, because it’s difficult to sit in any of them!”)

Dresbach was constantly conscious of the risk of going overboard. “The fashions of eighteenth century Paris are arguably one of the most over the top, elaborate periods in history. Our job was to find that fine line that supports the story, but doesn’t overwhelm it.”

And because Moore’s vision for the series stresses authenticity above all, Dresbach and her team had to be resourceful. “We had to create a lot of our own fabrics as eighteenth century fabrics are obviously not available now,” she explains. “We painted fabrics, and had an embroidery team who created very elaborate pieces.”

Most of the work was done in-house. “Nothing was rented for Season Two,” Dresbach says. “Everything on the screen we have made. We ended up buying white silk and dyeing it because it was just easier and faster. Almost everything becomes incredibly custom on this show, we dye, we embroider, we paint … in the end we made 10,000 items including the actual costumes for extras and cast, hats, gloves, bags and shoes, undergarments, everything. We needed shoes for 1,000 people in the eighteenth century French court. Everyone is dressed in eighteenth century clothing from the skin out. On our rails we had 500 corsets, 500 of our version of panniers (hoops), 500 petticoats, stockings, everything.”

Rosie Day, who plays Mary Hawkins, feels the costumes are as “decadent as the sets. They’re what every little girl wants to dress up in.”

With so many beautiful pieces created for the season, it’s difficult for Dresbach to choose one favorite, but Claire’s iconic red dress does have special resonance. “It was very difficult because you have to worry about red dominating the frame and overwhelming everything else,” Dresbach, a devoted fan of the book series, says. “We spent a lot of time figuring out the right shade of red and once we had that the design came pretty quickly. “

Claire and Jamie’s return to Scotland was a chance for the costume team to explore different ways of looking at the Highland styles. “The French court is somewhat restrictive because it is so well documented. Scotland wasn’t, so we have been able to be incredibly creative in our interpretation of what eighteenth century Scotland looks like. We were back with our beautiful tweeds and our plaids and our dense wools. What’s great about coming back is that we were able to take everything we learned with Paris and apply it to Scotland. We started giving details to the costumes we just didn’t have the time or the expertise to do in Season One. We started painting our own tartans, it was fantastic.”

While in Paris, Jamie Fraser trades in his tartan for 18th century frock coats. However, fans needn’t worry -- Jamie also continues to wear his kilt, as it is such an important part of his life. "I think Jamie secretly enjoys walking around Paris in his kilt," says the actor Sam Heughan.

Fancier clothing is not the only change in Claire and Jamie’s appearance when in Paris. "There’s more color and her hair is more intricate and bigger than it was in Scotland,” explains Annie McEwan, make-up and hair designer." It was very serviceable in Scotland for Season One, just pulled back. Whereas now it’s been dressed by her maid so it has to look fancier."

But while powdered wigs were very much in style among the aristocratic crowd the Frasers move in, it’s not a look the Highland warrior adopts. "Jamie still wears his hair down,” says McEwan.

One of the most striking transformations is seen on Murtagh, played by Duncan Lacroix. "Everyone was really shocked to see Duncan cleaned up,” laughs McEwan. "In Scotland in Season One he was down and dirty and his beard was all bushy. This season his hair is tied in a ponytail for France and his beard is trimmed. And you can just see him twinkling away."

Despite their best efforts, the Frasers’ Parisian sojourn ends badly. “Jamie and Claire work very hard through the politics and try to fit in but they fail and the rebellion is going ahead,” Heughan explains. “They need to get out of this city that’s corrupting them and making them different people, and forcing them apart from each other. So they return to Scotland, to their home, Lallybroch, in the Scottish highlands. And despite the impending doom of Culloden and the great battles, there is definitely a sense that they’re closer and that Jamie and Claire are back where they belong. But of course the drama is never far away and Bonnie Prince Charlie is certainly moving forward in the rebellion.”

"The show becomes more of a war story once they return to Scotland,” says Moore. “It’s time to go home and put the bad memories behind them. There was a lot of poison and a lot of darkness that happened to both Claire and Jamie in Paris. Ironically, once they get back to Scotland and the war starts they can try and fight the good fight at long last.”

The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745, and it's a pivotal moment in Season Two of “Outlander.” The filmmakers staged the clash in an enormous circus tent they filled with smoke. "It allowed us to control our environment and not be hostage to the weather outside,” Moore says.

Duncan LaCroix, who plays Murtagh, enjoyed the authentic fear the smoke-filled tent inspired. "During the Highlander’s charge, we came out of the mist and were suddenly face-to-face with all the redcoat extras who were lined up on the other side of the tent. We’re just running, yelling and then suddenly facing terrified extras."

The battle sequences took much longer to film than the actual battle itself, which was over in about 15 minutes according to historical records.

The production team employed a historian, Dr. Tony Pollard, to ensure these important scenes are as accurate as possible. Dr. Pollard is the Director of the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at Glasgow University, where he has led examinations of Scotland’s Jacobite battlefields, including Culloden, the tragic last stand of the proud Highland warriors. “I would go through the scripts and identify possible issues,” Dr. Pollard says. “At the same time I understand that there are key elements in the book that have to go into the show so I have to accept a degree of poetic license.”

Creating the huge battle scenes entailed intricate preparation. “Our stunt coordinator, Dominic Preece, planned out the sequences for weeks, probably months,” Moore explains. “I emphasized that it was important to feel real and go for authenticity. It just couldn’t work as stylized Kung Fu with slow motion blood spurting through the air. I wanted it to truly feel like a battlefield, so when you're watching it, you are tense and holding your breath because anything could happen, and you are seeing what the terror, chaos and confusion of battle was. When people died I wanted it to have meaning.”

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