Downtown Abbey representative essay

This short Downtown Abbey clip taken from the first episode of the first season is a TV Drama series which shows the core media representation group of class and status. The opening scenes of this film show the contrast between the working class of the workers and maids as well as the wealthy class who represent power and authority. The four technical elements of sound, editing, camera-work and Mise - en scene are used together to construct meaning in which this drama series engages the audience throughout the tone and mood seen. The audiences are engaged on many levels such as the hard work shown by the maids. The audience can tell they are hard-working by their costumes, how they are portrayed and how they are treated which will be further explained later on in the essay.

Firstly, sound is a very important technical element as it helps the audience get a better understanding of what is happening through the use of tone in dialogue and by hearing what type of music is playing in the background to have a feel of what mood is being portrayed. Diegetic sound is first used on the typing device known as Morse code. As soon as the audience hears this noise we can assume the year based in the TV series as being a long time ago. "Ohh my god" is the first line of dialogue we hear which is the reaction to reading that the Titanic had sunk which is another indicator of what time this show is based in. Dramatic, non-diegetic music Is used in the opening which incorporates piano and violin. These instruments used Help make the show sound more dramatic and connote to the year in which this show is based. This classical background music is intense which connotes to the hard work that is taking place inside by the maids while the wealthy still sleep. The music is quite fast toned Which Almost foreshadows the upcoming events in the film such as the sinking of the Titanic and the death of an important character. This typing device along With the background music makes the show opening sound very intense And dramatic which draws the audience in, questioning themselves what is going to happen? Once the dramatic yet peaceful music fades out we hear dialogue from lots of maids and workers And kitchen utensils. The line "Yes Mrs Pat-more" is used Countlessly throughout the scene in the kitchen which shows the made daisy following orders and questions from Mrs Pat-more. The maids are getting demands from senior maids Who make sure they are on task and getting everything done before the wealthy awake. The sound of footsteps around the castle connote to wealth as many people are working early for the rich people. Many sound bridges are used throughout the film to Cut from one shot to another without breaking the continuity editing. This symbolises the order and structure the maids follow, almost like a routine carried out every morning before the lords and ladies wake. In the next shot we are shown the outside of the castle where we can hear the birds chirping, bicycle tires crunching on  the stones and the wind rustling through the leaves. Outside is peaceful and calming Which is somewhat emotional, contrasting to inside the Castle where we hear lots of dialogue, running around to get things done, and dramatic music. When the camera Shifts into the Bedrooms we noticed there is no intense music but rather peaceful melancholic music which symbolises wealth and power in contrast to the kitchen where you hear the banging of utensils and pans crashing as well as demands by the senior maids which is overall stressful and intense. We see the lady ring the bell which leads to the bell in the kitchen where staff are called to their commands even when the workers are eating breakfast. The workers sound very organised and structured when we hear "already Mrs Pat-more ", and "back door ". This shows that the maids know exactly where the bells are ringing from and who are ringing them which is overall intense for the working class and peaceful for the rich.  

Editing is used in this film to help create a very fast paced film or a slow paced film. This can be achieved by the cutaways, continuity editing, match on action, and sound bridges to help with the flow of sound. There are many creative transitions used in this opening scene, such as many quick cuts transitioning between the establishing shots showing the castle and the loud tapping of the Morse code device. Quick cuts and mouth cuts are used to help show the relationship between two people talking, for example, "Oh my god ", is dialogue said to show the reaction of finding out the titanic has sunken. The next shot is a shot reverse shot to show the other characters reaction to this dialogue. The shot overshot haps of continuity editing Linking to sound bridges to help music flow from each scene. Quick cuts from fast intense scenes of the Morse code device to the peaceful scenes outside I like sudden changes between the intensity of the inside of the castle and the calmness on the outside of the castle. This creates an illusion of the castle like a barrier where no one but workers or the people who live there can see. The camera racks in and out of focus many times throughout the film, for example as shown when a credit of April 1912 pops up The maid approaching the camera, slowly racks into focus of the maid which makes her seem like someone in the background and a not so important character. The lack of fade to Black's in the film represent the lack of slowness or calmness in the castle. However many quick cuts used connote To the intensity of the music and things happening around the house. Match on action used when a maid walks through the door helps emphasise continuity editing And portrays the maids as very Swiss full and orderly. Overall, the many quick cuts help engage the audience and link to he drama TV series as being rushed, dramatic and fast paced.

Camera work was used to capture a lot of different angles, movements and shots to show full effect of the drama TV series. From all of the different movements and angles from the camera We can distinguish the difference between the Working class and the wealthy class. For example high angles are used on the maids which is when the camera looks down on them To make them appear small and vulnerable like they are an object in the house and not a real person. For example, "your building a fire not inventing it", is a demand spoken down towards the maid which shows signs of importance or significance to the senior talking down to her, like she leads all of the staff. Many close-up shots are used to show reactions and facials of characters which links to the dramatic mood of the film. Lots of track shorts are used to follow the maids to give a point of view of what they do on a daily basis and everything they have to carry out before the wealthy awake. These tracking shots make the maids the focus, for example, in the kitchen the camera follows the movements of Mrs Pat-more which makes her the focus of the scene. This use of the tracking shots help make characters feel more important than others As the audience are watching every move they make. These tracking shots link to the use of handheld shots following the maids around the different rooms in the castle which help show their perspective of the amount of running around they have to do to create order. The camera Looks like it is on a dolly following the different directions of maids and workers which symbolises wealth as the castle contains so many staff. The dolly shots Are almost like transitions into different rooms where the camera is one second following one made and the other second following another maid in a different direction leading the cameras into all of the different rooms the castle holds. These handheld tracking shots create peace as the camera sways and makes the jobs look so easy amongst all of the chaos the maids actually have to face, like a Facade the camera puts on to make it seem different and make the maids and workers look happy And to show what they have learnt over the years of experience. These different kind of shots help the audience gain an understanding of the jobs the maids have to do in the castle and get an understanding of how hard-working they are. Establishing shots are not the first shots in the Film, however, they are used to set the scene of the castle later on. The establishing shot is an extreme wide shot showing the castle along with trees and bushes which symbolises wealth by using an extreme wide shot to show the whole of the castle. During this shot the camera slowly pans to the right building on the point of the outside being peaceful and and stress free opposite to the inside. Overall, many movements and angles of the camera and composition are used to engage the audience and help them have an understanding of what is happening in each of the scenes like showing them how many maids the castle uses to keep it tidy and orderly and how many jobs are needed to be carried out to satisfy the wealthy class. 

Lastly mise- on sceneIs used in the drama TV series to refer to everything put into the frame of the shoot. This all comes down to the props, costumes, lighting, and symbolic colours etc. The lighting used Inside the castle is quite low and Dim lit. This links to the fact that the wealthy is still asleep while the staff are already up and making the castle tidy and structured. For you show downtown Abbey is based on is the 1910s. This is shown through the outfits, the hair, and the very old-fashioned language. The outfits the maids where I like costumes or Uniforms which are quite old and Conservative which makes them seem representable and respectable. The clothing they wear are quite dark which could link to them getting all scruffy from doing a lot of hard work for the whole day Which also symbolises being vulnerable and in the working class. On the other hand, the lady still in her pyjamas wears a white dressy gown .That flows down to her knees which is quite Conservative and old school. This outfit she wears to sleep symbolises purity and wealth where the colour white doesn't get dirty as she is part of the wealthy class. Many different rooms are shown throughout the castle through the use of tracking shots Which is a faster way to get through the rooms of the castle. Later throughout the film the Inside of the castle Gradually becomes lighter as the maids open the windows which indicates the time that the wealthy class wake up. During this time there are lots of shots of the maids fluffing up the pillows which engages the audience as they get an understanding that the wealthy people like everything being ordered and want everything perfect. This connotes to The hard work of the staff as they need to have an eye for detail. The Symbolic colour of gold shows throughout the castle on pillows, bed covers, engravings in the walls, Art and little pieces of decor such as lampshades. This symbolic colour of gold symbolises wealth as gold Back in the 1900s is a very valuable material and still is. This shows that the lords and ladies living in the castle hold power and authority. The language used in the film is very formal and to the point which overall links to the maids getting work done and not having time to socialise much. Overall everything in the Castle makes the wealthy class look even more wealthy where as it makes the working class look more vulnerable and belittled.