The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, a Yorkshire country house, the seat of the earl and Countess of Grantham, and follows the lives of the Crawley family and their servants during the reign on King George V. The first series opened at the end of the Edwardian era in 1912 with news of the family heir's death on board the Titanic, spanning the two years before the Great War. The second series covered the years 1916 to 1919, and the 2011 Christmas Special covered the 1919 Christmas period, ending in early 1920. The third series picks up soon thereafter, covering 1920 through the autumn of 1921. The fourth series covers a six-month period between February and August 1922, while the Christmas Special will be set in late spring/early summer of 1923.
Series 4 - Mary and Edith on the staircase scene
The scene I will be reviewing is a single-camera scene set on the grand staircase of Downton Abbey. Mary (dark hair) had recently lost her husband, Matthew, in a fatal car accident just seconds after giving birth to her first child, George, and this episode was aired on Christmas Day 2012. Mary has been suffering with severe depression since the death, wearing nothing but black and barley leaving her room. This episode is set 6 months on from the death of Matthew, and it's clear she is still suffering with her tragic loss. Throughout all of the series', these two sisters, Mary and Edith, have never seen eye-to-eye. With Edith being the middle sister and Mary being the oldest, there's constant bickering and petty talks about who's the better person. This scene brings out the awkwardness completely.
Throughout this scene I counted a total of thirteen different camera shots. The camera angles alternate between medium shots and over-the-shoulder shots to create an awkward atmosphere between the two sisters. The first shot we see is Edith walking along the hallway with a letter from a Valentine, as it's Valentine's Day. She is smirking at the letter as almost if she was expecting it, and as I remember the full episode very clearly (huge fan), the audience could almost sense Mary was nearby, as she has no-one to celebrate Valentine's Day with, because she's still mourning. The second shot we see is of Mary walking down the stairs, with a face like thunder, of course. Edith is completely unaware of Mary's presence as she begins to walk up the stairs, but Mary can see her.
 |
| Shot 1 and 2 |
A few shots later, the conversation begins. When Mary realises that it's Valentines Day, an uncomfortable vibe appears to fill the atmosphere and the conversation pauses for a while. Mary is first to direct the conversation away from Valentines Day and continues to ask Edith what time she is leaving for London. The audience can still see that both Mary and Edith are being short and sharp with each other, as it's believed that Edith is off to London to visit her Valentine.
The camera angles and shots are in a very clever set up at this point, as they begin to suddenly switch between the two women. None of them talk, so all of their expression is displayed in their faces and body language. Although there is only 3 shots in which there is no talking, the atmosphere tension rises up another level when Edith finally breaks the silence. She does this, and at the same time, makes an excuse to leave Mary and walk up the stairs. It isn't until Edith has walked past Mary, that the common sarcasm between the two sisters is seen. "Have a happy time'', spoken words of Mary. My theory is, that Mary said this to make Edith feel sorry for her. She's thriving off of other people's sadness at the moment, and doesn't believe how anyone can be happy at the moment, because she isn't.
 |
| All of the shots |
(Shot 1 and 2 are the same shot, but there were two different angles which I thought were quite important. Shot 11 and 12 are also the same shot. Shot 16 is an add on for what Mary is looking at, at the end.)
I really like this scene and how it has been set up. I think filming on the stairs creates a different atmosphere than filming at say, a dining room table or in a living room. The fact that Mary and Edith are positioned in front of a window so the light is shining on their face gives a lot of depth to the scene as it is giving natural light towards their faces.
Reading more in depth to the lighting, it could portray both of their personalities in an indirect way. Throughout the scene, Mary is mostly in the dark (shot 7), and Edith is in the light (shot 6). With Mary being a little depressed lately, it portrays with the lighting layout as, unless she turns to a certain angle, she won't be in the light - which could portray as the personality she is currently giving her family in this series.
Cheerio. :o)
- Olivia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RzDoFRCyo - accessed on 10th-Dec-2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downton_Abbey - accessed on 10th-Dec-2013
No comments:
Post a Comment