Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1061165
B A It is the 'home decorating' transformation that Mary then performs as she inhabits the castle and makes it her home that was my next challenge. I did this by creating the vast allegorical tapestries that I mention above, painting decorative murals on the stone walls, making towering Rococo candelabra and lanterns, and introducing more decorative French-style furnishings. This grew from my research into her background. As the former Queen of France, it is recorded that she shipped many of her belongings over from France—copious tapestries, carpets and furniture in order to embellish her Scottish home. There are references to Mary bringing nature into her home too—strewing flowers and herbs on the floor in order to relieve her of the castle's dank smells. Subsequently, for her wedding to Darnley, I laid golden marigold petals in a large 'circle of life' on the stone floor. Again, this reflected research that Mary was married in a lace ruff sewn with marigolds. The design continued to use nature, scattering colorful autumnal leaves for an 'indoor picnic' by the vast triptych fireplace, which was taken directly from an architectural source at Linlithgow Castle. Then for the Masque Ball, I brought trees into the great chamber, and turned warriors' shields into footlights using antler horns and candles. Josie's and my background being from theatre meant we were not going to shy away from the 'theatrical' moments. But, there are also crucial intimate moments in the film, and it was vital that both Mary's and Elizabeth's personal spaces could reflect these. The 'girls bedrooms,' as they were called, became that private space. Here the women show their great vulnerability to their ladies-in-waiting (their girlfriends). I chose to design and build two very A. PRIVY COUNCIL CHAMBER, WHITE MODEL. B. PRIVY COUNCIL CHAMBER, ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS BAKER.