Notes On Downton Abbey

Opening Credits

·        Shows servant’s bell, handwritten letters, a grand dying table laid out to show era.

·        Has opening credits of actors/writers/directors names

·        Classical music again to show era, and that is a period drama

·        Camera pans/zooms different ways on each shot

·        Slight movement of props à bell ringing, petal falling off flower, maids going up stairs, hands measuring plates cutlery when setting table.

·        Title shown on silhouette line showing grand country home and name of programme in extreme long shot, with writers name below

 

Music/ Sound

·        very classical to show era

·        dark creepy music to build tension and add haunted atmosphere in very first scene when laying bed and clearing fire in bedroom. ‘I hate this room’ (high pitched violins), ‘what’s the matter’ (deep dark bass)

·        Clattering of poker as its dropped, clearing fireplace (Diegetic sound à source visible on scene and is part of it)

·        Keys jingling Diegetic sound

·        Singing birds outside in their land

·        Violins come in at heartfelt moment

·        Music builds of dark sadness when they know they shouldn’t be talking about something

·        Quick plucking of violins when you see someone running urgently.

 

Character (casting, character)

·        Maids young and old

·        Masters

·        High status shown in upper class characters

·        Clothes shown class

·        Colours of clothes, bold dark clothing for upper class and plain white/grey on maids

·        accent shows class by how they speak to one another à sir, mame, if I may, ladyship, lordship

·        hierarchy between servants à tell me why your sat on lady Seville’s bed’

 

Setting

·        mise-en-scene (everything in shot)

·        pots and pans in background, jars of food, wooden chairs, clean bedding, gold frames with paintings, gas lamps, fresh flowers, type writer

·        large stately home

·        rooms of the house

·        small country cottage

Camera Shots

·        camera pans left/right and slow zoom on very close up and close shots in opening credits

·        establishing shots used at every change of location

·        establishing shot/ long shot pans upwards to establish setting and the size of the building and add the idea of upward status

·        2^nd establishing shot shows large furniture and painting as the upper class are eating

·        Very close up shot of letters in maids hand

·        Slowly pans in on conversations from a medium shot

·        Follows rule of 3rds

·        Over shoulder shot to involve you in the conversation

·        Close up of significant moments hanging up keys on wall, bottle of drink snook by side, clock showing time

·        Close up shots of conversation in pantry

·        Establishing shot of town hall showing change in location as well as a long shot showing everybody working hard setting up

·        Long shot slowly pans to the left whilst zooming when man on bike talks to woman delivering telegram

·        Camera all ways focusing on the person who’s talking, even when others are it shot they may be slightly blurred in foreground, background

·        Shows movement of horses feet as it tracks and follows the horse. highlighting how they travelled

 

 

Downton Abbey: Opening Credits

Have a look at the opening credits for Downton Abbey and comment below on your thoughts of the camera shots used.

                                         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLqsNFQPdgo

Mrs Weston's Media Hub and my BLOGS

Heres is Mrs Westons (my teacher) Blog where you see links to other AS Media Student Blogs.

http://mamfyweston.blogspot.co.uk/

Also if you want to follow me:

www.jaheap.blogspot.com is this blog on Television Dramas

and my other one

www.jaheap1.blogspot.com  is on Magazine Production and is my practical work.

Shot Angles : My Photography.

To Take these photo's I used a Cannon DSLR D600 on a manual setting.

Low Angle Shot

Eye level Shot 

High Angle Shot

Birds Eye Shot

Macro Shot

Basic Camera Shot Angles

Low Angle Shot

Eye - Level  Shot

High Angle Shot

Worm's Eye Shot

Canted Shot

Birds Eye Shot

Basic Camera Terminology

VLS = Very Long Shot

example above from Downton Abbey

LS = Long Shot

 



example above from New Tricks

MLS = Medium Long Shot

example above from Breaking Bad

MS = Medium Shot

example above from Happy Valley

MCU = Medium Close Up

CU =  Close Up

example above from Doctor Who

 BCU = Big Close Up

 ECU = Extreme Close Up

Initial Analysis Of Television Drama Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey is a period drama set in a large manor in the countryside. You begin to get an idea of the characters and setting in the opening credits. You see close up shots of a servants bell being rung, hand written letters being stacked and a large dining table being laid out and cutlery being polished by maids. All these shots showed movement of some kind no matter how small, and the camera always panned from left to right or zoomed in slowly to give the impression of lots of movement and things happening. It also states names of Writers, directors and actors. Underneath this you hear a classical music to give you a small reminder of the setting. It they goes onto the title saying Downton Abbey and shows an extreme long shot and silhouette of a stately house this despite being the title shot is also a establishing shot.   

The music used in the drama is very classical to go with the setting and the period in which the drama was set. It is made up of mostly string instruments, as in moments of tension you in the violins slowly get louder and louder. Also they play more smoothly at heartfelt moments and have sudden contrasts as they play quick short notes when you see a maid running to suggest the need of urgency and excitement.  Diegetic sound is used a lot as you see the servants bell being rung and here it, also the clattering of a poker for the fire as it is dropped as one of the maids are spooked in thinking they felt something in the haunted atmosphere. Other examples are the jingling of keys, singing birds, trotting of horses and movement of carriage wheels on the cold hard ground.

Characters in the drama vary from maids of all ages, to masters and the high status lords and ladies. This is clear to see through the characters dialect, accent and dress. The clothing of the maids are mostly white or a light grey and plain. But in contrast the upper class Lords and Ladies of the manor where bold, dark clothing. However there is signs of hierarchy between servants as some will go round telling the servants what needs doing rather than doing it themselves and are in suits as its set in the era that Men are more important and have more power than women. Furthermore they will say things such as ‘tell me why your sat on lady Seville’s bed’ and the maids will speak to the lords/ Ladies asking for something by saying ‘Sir/Ma'am could I please have……..if I may. Then refer to them as his lordship or her ladyship.

The Setting is very clearly a large country manor by the establishing shots and mise-en-scene shows the pots and pans, jars of food and wooden chairs in the kitchen and then in the lords/ladies living quarters clean bedding, fresh flowers, gas lamps, type writer and large bold paintings in golden frames. It also uses the hallway and various other locations around the house such as the town hall, locals cottage. These locations are shown well by various camera shots from close ups to long extreme shots. It follows the rule of 3rds very well and has the camera follow various objects to shown sense of movement, such as when the camera followed the horse’s feet as it galloped down the track. Also they are over the shoulder shots to try and make you feel like you’re in the room and involved with the characters. They is also sections where it slowly zooms in from a long shot to a close up as an example is when a boy on his bike was delivering a telegram it set off as a long shot and slowly zoomed into him on his bike.

Furthermore the camera shots used vary from a medium close up and an over the shoulder shot to try and involve the audience more in the scene. Then a medium shot and a long shot to establish a scene is also used regularly with in the drama.

Overall I belive that Downton Abbey i filmed very well and uses good camera shots and music/sound bring the drama to life adding tension and joy when needed. Furthermore the period drama has worked on the details of costumes and the script to have the correct clothing and grammer of the time.