During our four-day stay at The Big Shed, we recreated sets spanning the centuries and brought historical characters to life to recount the fascinating stories behind Dunfermline’s ancient and recent history. The new AV and inteactive media content will be created for Dunfermline's exciting new Museum and Art Gallery.

From Robert the Bruce, King Charles and Queen Anne of Denmark, to local characters from the 1920s, 60s and 90s, our production team’s passion for all things period made for a very enjoyable week, however we were interested hear what the curatorial team at Dunfermline Museum and Art Gallery made of the whole escapade. We spoke to Anna MacQuarrie, who joined us from Dunfermline Museum and Art Gallery, along with fellow curators, Lesley Botten and Lesley McNaughton…

What was your favourite part of the week?

In general it was fascinating to see how the whole process of putting together a film works. From the costume department, to hair and makeup, the technical equipment setup, to the different crew roles on set and the variety of different things to consider. For example, how technical the lighting process was to convey a certain time of day or atmosphere, was very interesting.

What surprised you the most?

I was certainly surprised by the sheer number of people it takes to do it. But when you see how much there is to think about to make something look exactly how you want it to, then you can understand why there are so many technical roles on set.

What did you learn from the experience?

It was really nice to be able to ask questions as we were going along about what was happening and why certain things were done a certain way, to achieve a certain result. I’ve certainly got much more of a working knowledge of set protocol and systems now.

What was your favourite costume and why?

Even though we had these fantastic historic costumes, my favourite costume was still the 1960’s era character of Lynn McAllister, (a working mum portrayed in an era of ever increasing gender equality). It was such a transformation for the actress with the addition of a period wig and dress. Queen Anne was also a favourite, again due to the transformation of the actress from her modern appearance to very ornate, late-16th Century period dress, make-up and wig. The character of King David I of Scotland was another favourite costume, due to the fact that there isn’t a great deal of historical references to him. It was difficult to pin down a specific look for him, however the period tunic and cloak of a wealthy monarch provided by expert costumiers and a stunning early medieval crown really brought the character to life. It gave a brilliant overall impression for a historical individual with a relatively unknown appearance.

Who was your favourite character and why?

My favourite character was definitely King David I of Scotland. I didn’t know that much about him and with such a great performance from the actor portraying the early medieval monarch I really found myself immersed in his story. I found myself really rooting for him. Queen Anne of Denmark was another favourite due to an excellent performance from the actress playing her role. I think for my colleagues and I as well, the 1920’s era Housewife character invoked quite an emotional reaction, as did the historical character of King Robert the Bruce with a very impassioned and emotive performance from the actor.

What would you do differently next time? Being the first time we’d commissioned a project of this type we were all very apprehensive about making sure that the props used were all historically accurate, and I think that was something I’d want to be more involved with leading up to a similar shoot in the future. However once on set, and seeing how amazing the props looked on camera (all sourced from period props specialists), I found it very reassuring. Particularly the Centre Screen team going to the lengths of recreating 1990s-era curry boxes from scratch and 1960s tinned tomato tins really helped convey a sense of the era.

Was there enough cake to eat?

There was definitely sufficient cake! Enough for the whole of Manchester! The museum is being developed as part of the Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries Project, funded by Fife Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Carnegie Dunfermline Trust. Fife Cultural Trust will operate the new facility when it opens in Spring 2017.