Monday, 10th July 2006 – In short, today was a rather grim day. In the first half we filmed a Throckmorton devising a way to get back in favour with the Queen, then around lunchtime we watched Throckmorton being hanged on the rushes. Hmmm…not quite what I was after before lunch…but still this is the world of the film – rather extreme and unpredictable times.

I have been overwhelmed by the brilliance of the sets in the time I’ve been here. Everywhere I look there’s an interesting angle to shoot from. This seems to be very useful, especially when a few scenes are shot in the same set…ah the magic of movie making and set dressing!
I’ve also noticed how much the ‘set’ seems to affect the mood of the crew. When we’re in the glorious Whitehall Palace, there seems to be a more vibrant feeling in the air. When we’re filming in the threatening dungeon or torture chamber, the mood of the crew is definitely less uppity. It’s interesting how your imagination absorbs the world around you, especially when the sets are so detailed and believable. I took a moment to step inside the cell-like room when the crew were taking a break. It was such a foreboding and suffocating space, I couldn’t stay there for long. Everywhere I looked there was a sense of ‘rotting, death’… No wonder Bess flees from this place soon after her arrival…anyone would…if they could…