What Guy Ritchie and Lamb Had To Do With My Day

For the last two days, Hampton Court Palace has been used to film scenes from 'Sherlock Holmes 2'. We were asked not to take photos while they were filming, but I managed to get this shot last week of the set in the gardens.

Preventive Conservation is responsible for monitoring all film sets at the palace, to make sure that nothing could potentially cause harm to the collection or the building itself. Since I was with them last week, I got to help supervise one of the sets being installed. And since I got to see the work that goes into prepping a film set, I was also allowed to watch the last bit of filming today.

The scene that I saw involved men shooting a gun and running away. I don't know anything about the plot and didn't even hear any dialogue, so I have no exciting secrets to tell anyone. But, I did get to see Jude Law briefly. I also got to stand about a meter away from Guy Ritchie during filming. He seems like a 'normal' person but very assertive- he knows what he wants from a scene (which one would assume is a good quality to have as a director). He also has good taste in clothes.

I did not get to see Robert Downey Jr., although various members of the conservation staff found ways to spy on him through out the day because they love him so much (yeah- I don't get it but each to their own).

As part of the set, a lamb spent the better part of the day roasting over the fire in the kitchens. Once the scene had wrapped, it was cut up and I got to take some home with me (it is delicious). It was a good way to end the afternoon. And yes, it was also a good learning experience, since historical sites are becoming more open to filming in their premises as a way to increase their profile and bring revenue in.