Here is a NEW Interview with Outlander VFX Supervisor Richard Briscoe from Vulture
From Vulture:
Despite its penchant for glowing cinematography and beautiful knits, Outlander can be anything but escapist. Case in point: On Sunday night’s episode, “Surrender,” Jamie’s young French protégé, Fergus, gets his hand chopped off in a brutal closeup. Romann Berrux, the actor playing Fergus, squeals in pain. The blood spurts. His hand writhes nearby.
More after the jump!
“We wanted it to be in your face,” Outlander’s VFX supervisor Richard Briscoe told Vulture. “And we wanted to film his reaction as it happened.” In order to capture the intensity of the scene, the Outlander crew filmed the shot twice to get the action just right, once without the sword, and once with it and a fake foam arm, as Berrux kept his arm safely at his side. The first set of takes allowed them to capture Berrux’s reaction and let the actor play out his arm’s — and, separately, his hand’s — final moments. The second set of takes gave them the chance to capture the action of the blade and its reflection as it came down.
Extordinary! It look SO real! Great job specialists!