Posted in: Outlander, Starz, TV | Tagged: Jocasta Cameron, Outlander, Outlander "Do No Harm", Outlander Season 4, River Run, starz

What Do You Mean River Run Wasn't Real on 'Outlander' Season 4?!

Published Sun, 11 Nov 2018 18:05:51 -0600

by Mary Anne Butler

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STARZ series Outlander takes us to new places this season, one of which will play a part in seasons to come. Book readers will no doubt know the importance of River Run- no, not House Tully's ancestral Westeros home -plantation mansion of Jamie Fraser's aunt Jocasta Cameron.

In season 4 episode 2 "Do No Harm", we get to meet Aunt Jocasta, played by Maria Doyle Kennedy, aunt of Jamie (Sam Heughan). The Frasers have had some pretty bad luck on the river while traveling to Jocasta's home, which is lush and rich by comparison.

The real shocker about River Run came from Entertainment Weekly, who revealed the true blue behind the scenes magic that created the impressive house. Executive Producer Matthew B. Roberts revealed a few tidbits about the design and creation of River Run. (Remember also that while Outlander season 4 takes place in the Americas, the series is still filming in Scotland):

"Gary Steele, our production designer, designed it and built it. He did a lot of research of period plantations, because people kind of instantly go to antebellum type plantations in the deep south. He wanted to build it more like a plantation of the period, an early colonial plantation.

We found an area that had grass and a thin serpentine pond that ran throughout the property. And it had this perfect little peninsula. We built the façade on it. And what it allowed us to do is build a road, and a front entrance. Then we blued it out. You put the blue screen around the façade. Then you can visual effects in the rest of the house.

We did build a working porch outside, and the first floor is a façade. The wings and the second story are all visual effects."

And these photos from Aimee Spinks STARZ really show how much of the beautiful house is blue screen: