Outlander notes: Excitement, season 5 scouting, & a water wheel
Want to see some recent Outlander discussion in video form? – We’ve got that at the bottom of this article, with the primary focus being Brianna! If you want more, subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube — we also recommend that you check out our series playlist.
Let us begin with a conversation as to what’s going on behind the scenes these days — location scouting! It’s a key part of what’s done prior to filming, since directors and production teams need to find suitable spots to shoot pivotal scenes. At times, you can reuse the same places that you have for filming in the past. However, on other occasions you have to pick and choose somewhere new. That’s not particularly easy in Scotland, given that you need to find spots that actually look like North Carolina. That means spending a lot of time out in the forests and looking for specific flora.
One of the folks who may be leading the charge behind the scenes on some of this is Stephen Woolfenden, director of “Man of Worth” last season (i.e. one of the stronger episodes). Based on some recent social-media activity, it seems like he’s out in the Scottish scenery scouring for some proper places! We don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say “looks like there’ll be more outdoor scenes this Outlander season.” Doesn’t that feel like a given?
Beyond location scouting, we know that a lot of other pre-production processes are in place, including set building and preparing a lot of the props and costumes. Former costume designer Terry Dresbach recently shared a little tidbit as well, making it clear via Ronald D. Moore that “everything is looking good and [it is] full speed ahead.” For everyone worried about filming not being underway yet, here’s your reminder to not be. Moore may not be as public a presence around the show these days, but he is certainly very much involved still behind the scenes. (For those who are wondering constantly about an official start date for production, it does feel like it’s being kept under-wraps for a reason — if we had to guess, a part of it is just trying to make sure that there aren’t big crowds of people around the set. The show appreciates the fandom, but they also have to still get work done. It’s a delicate balance that way.)
Rest assured, though, filming will be underway before too long. All things are charting to this point!
Support a famed water wheel
Odds are, you remember the water wheel from Lallybroch, right? Well, this is your chance to lend a helping hand and help to repair the actual one at Preston Mill. There’s a fundraiser going on right now over at the National Trust for Scotland, with the goal of course being restoring the wheel to its proper use. Sure, it’s an important part of Outlander lore and it’s quite beautiful, but it is also a rather essential part of history. Watch the video below and give if you’d like.
For some other news…
Check out some of our latest Outlander perspectives pieces over at the link here, as we go through some results as voted on by readers. As always, we’d also love to hear from you in the comments. (Photo: Starz.)