It’s finally time to film the intro for this episode, after which I’ll be briefing Ronan, ready for the interview.
‘Okay.’ I run my hands through my hair, flicking it out at the back where it tends to fall a little flat and straightening my collar. A quick check by Cameron that the wireless microphone is firmly attached to my lapel and I’m about as ready as I will ever be.
‘I’ll count you down from ten,’ he informs Elliot and myself. I draw in a couple of really deep breaths to help me focus. Forcing a smile and then relaxing my facial muscles several times in quick succession, I’m all set. This has been a long time in coming and the moment has finally arrived.
‘… four… three… two… one!’
‘I think few would argue that André Le Nôtre was one of the most famous and influential landscape architects in French history. As we take you… argh!’
I catch a sudden movement out of the side of my right eye and take a quick step backwards, almost losing my balance, as two squabbling birds swoop out of the towering hedgerow, dipping and missing my cheek by the merest of whispers. Cameron, being the nearest to me, instinctively grabs my flailing right arm to steady me and in the process dislodges his headset. Having steadied my legs, he slowly releases his grip and I give him a grateful nod.
‘Thanks. That was unexpected. Guess it isn’t people we’re going to be dodging today but the birds, who clearly love this hornbeam hedging.’
He nods, stepping back and taking a minute or two to readjust his headphones before checking he didn’t yank on any of the leads when he sprinted forward.
Elliot has lowered the camera from his shoulder. ‘Are you okay?’ he asks, and I can see he’s anxious to get on. A sudden fit of coughing catches him unawares and we wait patiently, trying not to put him under pressure by watching him. It’s a painful sound, but he recovers well.
‘Sorry. You’re all set now?’ Elliot checks, his voice sounding rather gravelly.
‘Yes, I’m fine. The birds just caught me off guard. Count me down from three this time, Cameron. I’m good to go, really.’
Cameron strides forward to double-check my mic first and then steps back, giving Elliot a thumbs up.
‘Three… two… one.’
‘I think few would argue that André Le Nôtre was one of the most famous and influential landscape architects in French history. As we take you on a journey around the magnificent park and gardens at Versailles, designed to complement the Sun King’s sumptuous palace, the question is – was this Le Nôtre’s finest achievement?’
I half turn, indicating the vista behind me, and Elliot pans around to capture the magnificent backdrop.
‘I’m standing in front of the North Parterre, one of four areas situated to the rear of the palace. These level spaces house the formal gardens, separated by connecting pathways and occupied by ornamental flower beds. The symmetrical displays are flanked by vast rows of iconic hedging and we will be looking in depth at the work involved to maintain these wonderful, living structures.’
The words just seem to flow, but I’ve practised them so many times over the last few months that I could probably repeat a lot of it in my sleep. We move on to do several short promotional pieces that we are hoping to use to demo the series. Then a run of fifteen-second break bumpers, that can be shown before a commercial break. These are one-liners that will have the same soundtrack and will advertise other episodes in the series.
Finally, I’m done and I can relax my face once more. Elliot pans back around to capture the rear elevation of the palace building before lowering the camera from his shoulder, a little awkwardly.
‘How did it look?’ I ask and his smile is reassuring.
‘Good,’ he confirms. His voice has recovered, and that rasp has gone.
‘It looked perfect to me too.’ Ronan’s voice suddenly fills the air and I turn round to give him a welcoming smile.
‘Great timing,’ I reply, glancing at my watch. ‘We have about an hour until Solange appears with our expert. Elliot, are you happy to get some footage of the walk down to Neptune’s Fountain while it’s still quiet?’
He nods. ‘Yep, no problem. See you in a bit.’
As I stand here and gaze around, it’s the sheer scale of the layout that screams bold, audacious even, planning. It’s quite a walk to follow the straight path between the mirror-image sections to the left and right-hand sides of the North Parterre. Beyond this is the fountain named the Pyramide, a very elaborate affair comprising statuary and stonework. It’s a central focal point but also an art form. It leads on to the water walk, which stretches off into the distance and the main event – the infamous Dragon Fountain. Beyond that, the enormous Neptune Fountain completes the picture.
‘Now you’re done with me for the moment, Elliot, I’ll head to the Grand Café d’Orléans to grab a coffee and run through the interview questions with Ronan. Anything we can bring back for either of you guys?’
Elliot and Cameron both shake their heads. Cameron has already removed my mic and I know he won’t wander far from his kit. He’s already fiddling with knobs and settings on the sound box, one hand pressed against his right ear as he listens intently.
‘Give me forty-five minutes and I’ll be ready for you,’ Elliot confirms.
‘See you in a bit, then.’ I nod to Ronan and we head off in the direction of the café.
‘It’s such a relief to be making a start,’ I admit to Ronan as we walk. ‘I feel as if my head might explode with the information buzzing around inside it. How are you doing this morning?’
He casts me a glance and I wonder if he’s a little nervous.
‘Great,’ he says, sounding confident. ‘I’m sure we’ll get all the information you need, but I’m a little concerned about making sure the answers don’t go off track. How do we handle that, given that you won’t really get the gist of Theron’s replies?’
The gravel beneath our feet is a little annoying when you’re wearing heels, especially as Ronan is striding out.
‘Don’t worry too much about that. I’d rather have too much material to trawl through than not enough. Obviously, if you feel he’s missed something crucial then by all means jump in and give him a steer, but we’ll just keep rolling. It’s going to be a massive editing and voice-over job anyway, once we’re in the studio.’
Any doubts I had about Ronan are long gone; his background, working for his father, means he knows the score. As long as the questions I pose today are well constructed, hopefully we’ll have a happy interviewee who can give us everything we need, and more.
After a long session filming, we all chink bottles, raising our cold beers in a toast to what has been an amazing first day.
‘Well, guys, I don’t think that could have gone any better,’ Elliot says, beaming from ear to ear.
‘You did a brilliant job, Ronan and Cameron, especially putting Theron at ease. My heart did start pounding for a moment at the start, especially when I asked that first question. Theron looked at me, then at the camera and back again as if nothing was going to come out of his mouth! As soon as Ronan jumped in to interpret, Theron didn’t take long to find his stride though.’