When it comes to creating a fantasy land or a historical setting, costumes and set design can make or break the believability of a story. For the vast majority of viewers, visuals play just as vital a role as strong stories and compelling characters in centering a universe. Costumes tell us about a character's personality as well as their social and economic situation. The scenery brings the narratives and the world at large to life. If you want to be successful, it has to look and feel real. Prime Video's My lady Jane certainly nails both aspects, which nerdy I was able to experience firsthand during a fixed visit to Iris Studios in London, UK.
My lady Jane is a satirical drama that reimagines the life of Lady Jane Grey. She was Queen of England for just nine days before the crown was taken from her. In real life, he met his death by beheading in 1554. But, a My lady Jane, becomes the queen and must deal with schemes, jealousy, and other aspects of wielding power as a woman. This world creates a class system of veritans, people who cannot transform into animals, and ethians, those who can transform into animals. (For more on the premise and characters of this show, go to our complete explainer.)
Given its time period and fantasy elements, My lady JaneThe crew had to make sure the aesthetic details were on point. Upon our arrival, My lady Jane was actively filming an elaborate coronation scene. Between shots, we were able to tour the scene, admiring its intricate details and gold leaf decoration. From an elaborate wine fountain to a huge dolphin head and ornate chandeliers, I felt like I stepped out of a time machine (the TARDIS, specifically) and into a completely different time.
My lady Janeproduction designer Will Hughes-Jones, who also worked on it Bridgertonand decorator Gina Cromwell, whose work has been featured Abbey in the center, were our guides. We were led through entire village sets, tall towers, prison cells, a honeymoon suite and more that set the stage for the Tudor era. The pair gave us a tour of three stages in one area of the studio and a larger warehouse on the other side, which was close to the show's dressing area. (More on the latter later!) 3D printing of buildings was actively happening as they broke down their process of drawing, model making, and physically building set pieces.
We weren't able to photograph much of the set to keep things under wraps. However, we were able to take photos in the Swan Tavern, which Hughes-Jones said will double as a barn and another tavern in the show. Recycling and reusing accessories is an important part of saving time and money. It also helps maintain some consistency for the overall design of the show. “We had a lot of conversations with the showrunners and directors about how we can change things to make the best use of the economy,” he said.
Once the stage pieces are made, it's up to Gina to dress them up and bring them to life. We see it through various living areas and bedrooms, specifically through 28 tapestries. They are handmade and also contain details that tell a story about the characters. And if you're thinking this is a typical set where there's no roof, think again. “We make ceilings because I personally think it's important to put a ceiling on a set,” says Hughes-Jones. “It makes it feel real … I talk to the DP a lot and we work out how we can light them up.”
One of the most intriguing rooms we witnessed was Jane's room, which was filled with dried herbs and flowers. It really gave us a sense of his personality. “Jane is a bit of an herbalist,” confirms Cromwell. “She likes medicine and is a scientist, really, for this period. To hammer this house, there are a lot of hanging herbs. There are weird frogs and experimental things I would have had, like a still for making oils and distilling medicine. Also books… it's smart. To tell the story, we put them in to help the character evolve.”
She claims that they did a lot of things themselves, considering My lady Jane takes place hundreds of years ago. Cromwell and his team looked for antique shops that they would take and paint or rebuild to suit their needs and accommodate crew and camera space. As for the furniture, Cromwell wanted pieces with lots of carvings and engravings. “A lot of the show is done at night,” he reveals. “So from our point of view, we're trying to see how the set will look in the dark. There's a lot of candlelight, and we need to reflect that into something.”
Much of the overall set design is inspired by Will and Gina's upbringing. “The whole Tudor period is a great project in the primary school,” Cromwell said. “So you go to castles and courts and that's a bit ingrained in us. Now let's go back and look at these same things much more closely. We have lots of books and we look at all the art and tapestries of the period.”
“Part of the process, when we're shooting in space and in the studio, I'll go look at ten castles or ten houses and pick one that works for the story,” interjects Hughes-Jones. “Gina will come. In the process, we'll walk around and find interesting things to look at. You'll walk by and say 'oh, this room doesn't work, but I love that interesting little panel in the corner' or 'that window shape is really nice' . Both Gina and I have photo albums of thousands of random things. I spent a lot of time looking at the floorboards because there was dirt everywhere.”
While we weren't on set, the set pieces along with the actors running around in their costumes were a wonderful sight. Speaking of costumes, a period drama needs to bring its A++ game in this area. This is where costume designer Stephanie Collie (Peaky Blinders) comes into play. Witnessing his work on screen and in photos is a joy, but seeing it up close and personal is mind-blowing.
It takes us through a large room with rows and rows of costumes for almost every major character. Some of them are duplicated to overcome filming challenges. Although it can be difficult to find materials when other costume designers from the Tudor series are also on the hunt, Collie traveled to make it happen. “We have shares from Italy, France and Spain,” Collie said. “You always have to have a basic stock type because unfortunately you don't have time to do everything, as much as you'd like to… I think the art department did amazing things with so much gold and hopefully let's add to that with the costumes”.
Collie drew on the character's personalities and the reality of their circumstances to create their wardrobes. “We worked very hard to give everyone an arc in their story,” he said. “Jane [and her family] They start very poor to begin with and don't have a lot of money. But Lady Frances (Jane's mother) is trying to put on a rich front, but her clothes are probably from 10 years ago. Then when he gets to the palace, he suddenly has all these riches and all the jewels and all the fabrics, so we made his elaborate clothes for that… I think of them as clothes, not costumes, and that the characters they should try and carry them in a believable way.”
She jokes that Jane's husband Guilford is, as she previously told us, a Tudor rock star who wears a lot of fur. Meanwhile, at first it made sense to keep Jane to simpler fabrics like linens and cotton. Then, she started wearing silks and pearl fabrics once she reached the palace. A lot of things were sewn by hand, including the beading on Jane's wedding dress, which Collie jokes wasn't a fun experience for her team. Their hard work definitely comes together to create some killer looks.
My lady Jane it has the look and feel of both the Tudor era and fantasy. And when the series is coming to Prime Video on June 27, fans will be able to see it all on screen and in motion. Get ready to see Jane fight to keep her crown amid a brewing conflict.
