FUN FACT: At one point, Washington wanted the army to be uniformed and thought he could clothe them in hunting shirts. That proved not possible due to a shortage of fabrics; Britain was blockading the ports and textiles couldn’t get in or out.
The Tufty Club
Viewers outside the UK may not be familiar with The Tufty Club, an organization that taught children road safety. Their mascot, Tufty Fluffytail, was a red squirrel and is seen depicted on the badge that Jemmy is awarded by his teacher in the title card.
Easter Egg
Did anyone catch this Easter egg planted by our Graphics team? If you look closely, you may be able to see that the wine bottle Rob Cameron brings to Lallybroch is actually Fraser & Cie (i.e. Jared Fraser’s wine estate).
I personally don’t think there was any way I was going to notice that. Your eye is drawn to the pictures on the wall. What are the kids drawing? Mandy can’t remember the 18th century but Jem sure can.
Costumes
Personally, I’ve loved seeing Brianna’s 1980s fashions! Costume Designer Trisha Biggar aimed for more of an American look for Bree, using real vintage pieces rather than creating new ones. “It was nice to be able to explore her practical side back in a more modern time.”
For Buck’s costumes, the goal was to keep him looking out of place and time (because, of course, he is).
Over the season, the Costume Department estimates they fit about a thousand ‘soldiers.’ Luckily they’re not all seen at once, as uniforms were limited. In fact, Supporting Artists were often fit as both Continental and British at different times.
Supporting Artists used in battle scenes went through several grueling bootcamps with military advisors, the armory team, and assistant directors, learning how to shoot muskets, fight appropriately in a battle, and hold weaponry as a soldier of the time would. War is a dirty affair, especially when it’s your job to sell it in as a Costume or Hair and Makeup Designer.
The War
William’s romanticized views of war are shattered when his friend Lt. Sandy Hammond is killed. To achieve this shot (no pun intended), the SFX team had a blood rig underneath Sandy’s tricorn, which allowed the blood to trickle down his face from the moment of being shot.
Seeing the Revolutionary War unfold has been long-awaited by Outlander fans. For Director Joss Agnew though, it was important to make sure all the action stayed emotionally grounded.
British Camp
As the Revolution progresses, we are immersed into two very different military camps: the British camp and the Continental camp. Here’s how Production Designer Mike Gunn approached the nuances of each.
Set Decorator Stuart Bryce: “In the British camps, we have a sense of opulence, of pageantry. We tried to ramp up the notion that the officers were really well looked after… they never wanted for anything food-wise. Back out in the camps… those people are not so well off.”
Continental Camp
Continued Bryce, “In the Continental camps, we tried to make it feel like it was a collaboration of different factions of people getting together for a common cause. Those camps were slightly less regularized… they were more creative about how they built their world.”
Daniel Morgan’s Rifles Costume
When Jamie joins Daniel Morgan’s Rifles, he dons the group’s iconic hunting shirt—standard dress for mountain men at the time. The costume team made 50-60 hunting shirts, all unique, as they would have been worn to camp by men joining the army or acquired individually.
FUN FACT: At one point, Washington wanted the army to be uniformed and thought he could clothe them in hunting shirts. That proved not possible due to a shortage of fabrics; Britain was blockading the ports and textiles couldn’t get in or out.
Battle of Freeman’s Farm
For the Battle of Freeman’s Farm, the heaviest lifts for the VFX team were crowd replication, rifle muzzle flash, blood hits, and the addition of smoke and fire. Read VFX Supervisor Jon Neill’s approach to making sure the battle lines looked epic.
See how the Art Department visualized Freeman’s Farm before and after (I wouldn’t want to be Freeman, that’s for sure)!
