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24 September 2014

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Behind The Scenes Production Diary
By Diederick Santer, Jane Eyre Producer

Toby Stephens as Rochester and Ruth Wilson as Jane

Week 11: 15th to 21st May 2006


Haddon Hall has given us so much, but there are three elements of Thornfield we just can't get there.

There isn't a long stretch of corridor which will work for the various night time wanderings, or a room that will give us the flexibility and space to work as Jane's bedroom, or a place where we can set a four-poster bed on fire. Our insurance just won't cover it and Lord Edward wouldn't allow it.

So Grenville Horner, our production designer, and his construction team have been busy building.

We've hired a warehouse on an industrial estate just outside Chesterfield. Outside it looks like any other commercial unit, but inside one is immediately thrown back into the world of Thornfield. Grenville and his team have brilliantly recreated the architecture, the finishing and the entire feel of Haddon Hall, and given us the flexibility to shoot all our tricky scenes here.

"We have to try and keep incredibly quiet in order to give Dick Manton and his team a chance to record some decent sound."
It's not an ideal environment for filming, though. The roof is corrugated steel, so when it rains all you can hear is a drumming sound. Noise also carries very far within the warehouse, so we have to try and keep incredibly quiet in order to give Dick Manton and his team a chance to record some decent sound. Some departments manage this better than others, and tempers occasionally fray.

Confined indoors

Wonderful though the set is, working in a warehouse makes us feel a bit like we're just doing a normal TV show. We really miss the moors, the big houses, the landscape. We're trapped in darkness all day. We might as well be on Casualty or Hotel Babylon. Not that there's anything wrong with those shows. Oh no. We just prefer to be out on location.

"There are two whole days when Ruth Wilson's the only actor on set."
It's a very tough week for Ruth Wilson. There are two whole days when she's the only actor on set, doing endless fiddly scenes of looking out of windows, waking up, having a bad dream, etc.

She hasn't got much dialogue, but every shot is of her, every note is for her, every scene can't shoot until she's had the right costume and make-up changes. She maintains great concentration throughout, but is thrilled when Toby Stephens is back on set for some big dialogue scenes.

Keeping on schedule is not always easy. On paper, these look like simple days, but they are fiddly and complex and we're getting a bit behind. We send a unit back to Bolsover Castle to finish the final scene of Helen Burns' death, and on another day run a second unit on our build to pick up moments that the main crew haven't had time to shoot.

Andrea Galer, costume designer, wins a Bafta Craft Award for her work on Bleak House, as does Rob Lane, our composer, for his work on Channel 4's Elizabeth I. Well done them. We've managed to attract a top crew to this show, and these awards prove it.

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Diederick Santer

Diederick Santer, Jane Eyre Producer
Diederick previously produced the first three series of Cutting It, and two of the ShakespeaRe-Told dramas, including the Bafta-nominated .

After Jane Eyre, he's moving on to become Executive Producer of EastEnders.

Production Diary


Read more about the production of Jane Eyre:

Week 14:
5th-12th Jun 2006

Week 13:
29th May-4th Jun 2006

Week 12:
22nd-28th May 2006

Week 11:
15th-21st May 2006

Week 10:
8th-14th May 2006

Week 9:
1st-7th May 2006

Week 8:
24th-30th Apr 2006

Week 7:
17th-23rd Apr 2006

Week 6:
10th-16th Apr 2006

Week 5:
3rd-9th Apr 2006

Week 4:
27th Mar-2nd Apr 2006

Week 3:
20th-26th Mar 2006

Week 2:
13th-19th Mar 2006

Week 1:
6th-12th Mar 2006

Week 0:
27th Feb - 5th Mar 2006

Week -1:
20th-26th Feb 2006

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