Downton Abbey Analysis
The scene from the television show Downton Abbey obviously belongs to the period drama genre, as shown by various aspects of the clip. The sound, the location, the costumes and the Mise-en-Scene clearly demonstrate this. The prominent themes shown in this clip were the various social groups and status of the characters. As a result, I'll look at how editing, sound, Mise-en-scene, and camera techniques were used to make an impression and clearly present these main themes. It should be noted that the backdrop to this clip is the sinking of the Titanic, which reinforces the historical context at which the show was set. Throughout , we can see that there is continuity editing and a linear narrative.
We hear the non-diegetic sound of dramatic, grand, period music at the start of the episode. This music sounds like it was composed by a full orchestra, giving the piece a rich and upper-class tone to begin with. It also establishes the tone and atmosphere for the upcoming episode. The music is accompanying images of a young boy riding a bike, who appears to be a mailman due to his satchel. We see a slight crane shot on the boy as he rides his bike, as well as an establishing shot. This establishing shot informs the audience about the location of the scene they are about to see. From a shot, we can see an ancient Abbey on a large estate. This means that the family is wealthy and that they hold a place of importance. We can assume that the characters we'll meet are from the social elite.
When we cut to lady Mary sitting on the edge of her bed, the music fades out, descending in tempo and volume. The viewer gets a completely different impression of the character by changing the music. The sound may reflect her femininity as well as the calmness of her personality. We hear the diegetic sound of a bike bell ringing and the shingle of their drive under the wheels of the bike. Mary is dressed in a lace-trimmed white nightgown. The colour white could be a symbolic representation for her innocence, while the lace texture and fabric on her dress could represent her wealth and class. The room has low key lighting and the only sours of light is the natural light streaming in through her windows. The darkness in her room may be a foreshadowing of the bad news she is about to hear: Patric, a good friend of hers, did not make it off the Titanic, this tactic news could lead to greif and heartbreak which we may see later on in other episodes. The director, on the other hand, has considered the practicality of being able to see all of the delicate and expressive ornament and furniture in her room, which represent her class. To ring a bell, Mary reaches over her king-sized bed, which is often associated with a higher class in order to stereotypical afford one of this size.
We see a match-on-action edit shot from Mary's room bells to the servants' quarters. The fast-paced editing adds to the frantic pace of the servants' quarters, giving the viewer a feeling of turmoil. This contrasts Mary's privileged life as a member of the upper class juxerposing from the day-to-day life of the working class. Along with all of the morning action, everything in the kitchen is moving at a quick pace. There is only diegetic sound in this scene; we can hear the posts and pans, as well as people ordering others around and getting things ready. The various statuses are clearly visible in this scene. Miss Patmore and Mrs Hughes, for example, obviously have a higher status because they seek orders and have a more authoritative approach, as shown by the Mise-en-scene. Daisy, on the other hand, has the lowest stats in the servant quarters. She appears to be younger and inexperienced; she is always bossed around by Mrs Patmore, and she does the job that is more physically demanding. Her accent, which has a country tang, also indicates that she comes from a less affluent background. Her stance is less form and way of speaking lacks educational quality. It could be implied that Daisy was never from a wealthy enough background to get a proper education, sense the position of her job. These elements are seen and added to the characters' backgrounds to add understanding, awareness of their position in social class.
Later, we see one of the male servants ironing the newspaper "so the lord's hands don't get dirty." In a close-up shot, we see him open the newspaper, and his facial expression darkens and becomes blank. This is implying to the viewer that something terrible has just occurred, which builds suspense. Carlson comes in with a determined posture, raised eye contact, and a regal costume consisting of a smart black suit and dinner jacket who obviously has a lot of control over the servants. It's worth noting that if Carlson appears in the servants' quarters, he's shot from a low angle shot to emphasise his superiority, dominance, and higher status among the other servants.
After the shot we see a cut to the serenity of Lord Crawley slowly walking down the stairs, with his beloved dog in tow. There is a juxtaposition when the Lord walks down the stairs to the servants quarters, this represents the luxury grand life they live, compare to the hectic life of the servants to fulfil their needs. We hear the non-diegetic sound of soft classical slow tempo music. This enhances the grandness of his Lordship. As the Lord walks downstairs we see a tracking shot of him being followed downstairs. This creates a very regal status for his character. The audience can connotes that he is the head of the house. We can see the Lord Crawley is in his own frame adding dominance and connoting that he is the protagonist character. He has a confident and well mannered stance that we can see from the visuals.
However, we realise at this point in the clip that his lordship isn't the traditional rude pompous man who only cares for himself and his class; instead, he respects all classes and is courteous to his servants. When speaking with Carlson, he expresses his concern for those in the lower decks, saying, "I feel sorry for those in the lower decks This conversation indicates that he is an empathetic man who is unlike the stereotypical antagonist of a rich man. From the perspective of the watcher, this generates a like-ability for his character. The upper-class backdrop is enhanced even further as the ladies and lordship walk into the dining area in a wide shot. For example, the long dinner table, massive paintings hung from the high ceilings, well-organized cutlery, and posh British accents.
We know that his lordship isn't the traditional rude pompous man who only cares for himself and his class; instead, he respects all classes and is courteous to his servants. When speaking with Carlson, he expresses his concern for those in the lower decks, saying, "I feel sorry for those in the lower decks This conversation indicates that he is an empathetic man who is unlike the stereotypical antagonist of a rich man. From the perspective of the watcher, this generates a like-ability for his character.
After that, we see an over-the-shoulder shot as well as a line match cut of the lordship opening a newspaper that contains the famous picture of the Titanic, and it's obvious what the drama was all about. So far, we've just been speculating about what the problem could be, but we now realise it's related to the Titanic's sinking. We don't know for sure what has happened until the newspaper is opened, which adds to the tension of the scene.
After this we see Sybil one of his daughters, handing him a telegram. We can hear the non-diegetic music change to a minor key which implies that something dreadful has just happened to someone he knows. This creates an anxiousness for the watcher.
We then see another tracking shot of his lordship walking into a room. We see a close-up shot and medium shot of his lordship with a face full of anxiety and sadness. These reaction shots capture the thoughts and feelings that he is overwhelmed with. The aperture of the filming shows lady Mary flicking through the news paper whilst seeing the week and broken facial expressions and body language of Lord Crawly, allowing us to see the two different characters reactions.
After this we see a shot reverse shot between Lady and Lord Crawley, there is lots of fast pace editing and jump cuts to show the tragicness and enhance the shocking news which builds suspense on the audience. We know that there is some sort of relationship between Mary and the two men perhaps a romance, linking to the darkness in her room before. Mr Crawley is then seen in a medium shot to the far left side of the frame. This is using the rule of thirds which creates a visually interesting shot to look at. This again enhances the close-up image of his face and the incredible acting he is betraying. There is a two shot later on where Lord Crawley's wife is in the background in a depth focus. Allowing us to know where the audiences focus should be.
Emily B
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