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Sandal Castle stands on the outskirts of Wakefield. Since the English Civil War it has been utterly invisible, with only a few patches of wall and the landscape showing where the castle used to be. Frequented today by cyclists and dog-walkers, it was impossible for history lovers to understand the site.
“Lost in Castles” (a venture run by Daniel Fox’s family) approached Chat Noir Productions to film the live-action portions of a reconstruction tour in a doublefeature DVD. In the first the castle reconstruction would paint the backdrop for the Battle of Wakefield, 1460, a turning point in English history. In the second, the development of the castle, century by century, giving the viewer not only a tour of Sandal Castle but the history of castle building in general.
Solution
With the help of Chat Noir Productions, “Lost in Castles” negotiated with Wakefield District Borough Council to film on the open site for several days. A very tight schedule was agreed upon and a small crew used, restricting the impact on members of the public.
The shoot was completed on schedule by Chat Noir Productions (in a heatwave!) and post-production on the DVD was completed during the following months.
The DVD is sold on-site at the shop beside Sandal Castle. As part of the agreement with the Council, we also produced a loop to be shown in the shop, so casual visitors to the castle can get a glimpse of how it once looked. In addition, the DVD
has been sold around the world.
Since the completion of this DVD, Chat Noir has also collaborated with “Lost in Castles”, on a similar venture focused on Conwy Castle.