Matt Roberts, Outlander producer and head writer, took a few minutes to chat with fans on Twitter today! And as one of my Twitter friends said earlier, he is a cheeky monkey!
Matt: I’ll preemptively answer the 1st question – there’s no news about Season 3 yet.
Q Awww… look at that floor! Bet you could slide a long way in your stockinged feet!
A All crew had to wear slippers while filming on this set – only the actors could wear shoes.
Q Due to noise or possible damage to the floor?
A To protect the floor.
Q Favourite location this season?
A Prague was amazing.But Scotland has so many beautiful places and she surprises every day.
Q Will you be in NYC for the premiere in April?
A Unfortunately I won’t be in NYC for the premiere.
Q What are you doing with your down time?
A What down time?
Q Will you keep up with your wonderful photography while on hiatus?
A Absolutely.I was making photographs long before working on Outlander.
Q Most challenging location this season?
A All locations have particular challenges…but night shoots tend to add to them.
Q Is there one episode in particular that stands out to you this season? #theonetowatchfor
A They are all different but special .You’ll se….
Q How do you start your day?
A I wake up.
Q How much of the story/filming ends up on the cutting room floor?
A None, we use digital files not film.
Q In case of S3 🙂 when would be the right time to start shooting?
A Nice try! :-}>
Q How long does it usually take to film one episode?
A 5-6 weeks to prep a block of two eps, about the same time to film them.
Q Who decides the episode titles and when is one picked during the writing process?
A The writer of the individual episode picks the title.
Q Did the alpaca socks help keep toes warm? (from Paca Whisperer Jayme, who sent a gift)
A Yes, thank you!!
Q What percent of a script is filmed? What percent of what is filmed is what we see on TV?
A We film the whole script. Sometime scenes are edited in post for length. We only have an hour remember.
Q Do you have a favourite S1 costume?
A I’m biased but Claire’s costume from Ep 114.
Q Did you attend the wrap party? Any funny anecdotes you can relate?
A I did! And… what happens at a wrap party stays at wrap party.
Q Are you involved in the casting process?
A Yes, all the writers are…
Q What equipment do you use?
A Leica and Sony at the moment. But I’ve had Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon…
photo by Matt Roberts
Q Just curious… what other projects do you have in the works beyond Outlander?
A I’m building a robot out of old cans but it’s not really working out.
Q Who in the cast is the most outgoing?
A Bouton.
Q Would you ever consider doing a walk-on role like Ron and Diana had?
A They actually didn’t walk.. both stood still.
Q LOL Okay, so how about a stand-still role?
A Never say never.
Q Any plans on visiting Australia?
A Would love to visit down under. All about getting free time.
Q If you weren’t working on Outlander, what other show(s) would you like to work on?
A Fargo – one of my favorites.
Q What type of music do you like to listen to while writing? Or do you?
A When I do listen to music it’s classical or something without lyrics, like Explosions in the Sky.
Q Your photos deserve to be shown in a special gallery!
A Well if I ever have a gallery show of my photography you are all invited.
Q Is there that one scene/moment that you can’t wait for us to see?
A Yes.
Q Will it be a straight season or broken up again? BTW I hate Droughtlander!
A I know it feels like a long wait. But we don’t take shortcuts in producing Outlander, and it’ll show on screen.
Q Favorite TV guilty pleasure? Besides Outlander of course!
A I don’t feel guilty if it brings me pleasure…
Q Any one episode that was more difficult to break down and write?
A So many great things in (Diana)’s books- the difficulty is trying to fit them all in one hour.
Q It impresses me how much coverage you get for each scene.So many different camera angles. Do you usually have a 2 cam setup?
A We always have two cameras and sometimes three for bigger days.
Q In writing for/about Jamie and Claire can you name a personality trait that you have in common with either character?
A I’m super witty. Oh yeah and humble.
Q How many times did you read the books?
A Read all the books once before I got the job on Outlander. But read the first three books a few times now for obvious reasons.
Q The first three?! Is that a hint?
A No… I re-read Voyager when we started S2… wanted to remind myself where it all goes. Nice try though.
Q We are desperate to know if we will see Season 3, you can understand us.
A I’m right there with all of you – would love to get a Season 3 as well.
Q If you have to describe Sophie Skelton and Rick Rankin in one word for each which one will you choose?
A (from Sophie) Think verrraaaa carefully about your answer here Matt…
A Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
A (from Sophie) Haha, that’ll do nicely! Thank you very much Mr. Roberts (except I now have the song stuck in my head)
That’s all for today! All of the cast and crew’s Twitter and Facebook Q&As are transcribed this way, and are available here on the site. You can find a list with links at our Facebook page – Outlander ThreeifbySpace – by going to the Notes tab!
Follow me on Twitter: @OutlanderTIBS, @ErinConrad2 and @threeifbyspace
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