Shetland’s ‘rich cultural history’ used to design sets of TV show
TV series will return to BBC One on Thursday night
THE DESIGN of the Shetland TV series is inspired by local artists, sculptors and painters in the isles, the programme’s production designer has said.
Moley Campbell said the Shetland weather and landscapes also play a big part in his thinking when he is designing sets for the popular show.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the new series tonight (Thursday), Campbell explained his role in bringing the show to life for audiences.
He said the inspiration for his set designs “most often comes from local artists and practices on the island there”.
“Very early on I tracked down a whole load of different artists, sculptors and painters,” he said.
“I looked at all the different work they were doing and see how they were inspired by the island and what kind of colours and textures that were coming through.”
Campbell said that Shetland has a “really rich cultural history that you can tap into pretty quickly”.
Answering questions put to him by Shetland News through the BBC, Campbell said that the Shetland weather and unique backdrops informed his designs significantly.
“It’s rugged, tough and unforgiving – I think that’s what makes the people so amazing, and friendly and beautiful,” he said.
“A lot of the hills there have these grasses that have a beautiful sandy colour, and it reads really well on camera, it’s just a really beautiful texture.
“You want what you’re showing and designing to balance”.
The Shetland weather “does factor quite a lot” into the designs for the show as well, Campbell said.
“We have to think about…how much time are we going to have to prepare because the weather could be really horrific for quite a long period of time.
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“Secondly, will it stay in place – a lot of things famously just get blown miles off and disappear.
“Thirdly, it’s just what’s real. When you go there, you look at a lot of the houses there, people don’t leave loose things hanging around for those same reasons.
“So when you’re trying to create the exterior of a place…you just wouldn’t have things dotted around gardens like you would here, things would be tied down.”
Shetland returns to BBC One tonight (Thursday), with the first episode of series 11 airing at 9pm. It will also be available on the BBC iPlayer.
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