Downton Abbey: Representation of Class and Status

Downton Abbey: Representation of Class and Status

Downton Abbey is a period drama, shown and produced by the BBC. There are several representations of different social classes throughout the whole series (upper, middle and working) and they pretty much become a main topic in the show. It reinforces the stereotypical binary opposite between those with higher social class (wealthy, educated sophisticated) and those with a lower social class and status (uneducated, poor, backwards). The Crawley family is a perfect example of a wealthy family during the time this drama is set. Their mansion, well-spoken English, fancy clothing and accessories are all massive giveaways that this family is obviously extremely wealthy. For personalities and attitudes; Robert, the master of the house, is actually quite a counter stereotype. This is because when he found out innocent people were harmed in the Titanic tragedy, despite their position in society, he showed emotion and felt sympathy for them. When he hears the news about the ship sinking, he mentions how the working class women and children wouldn't have been rescued due to their wealth and refers as the people 'below deck' as "poor devils". The daughters of the family however, are stereotypes because as expected, they have a snobby attitude due to having a lot of money. In contrast with this, the way working class people are represented is through the Crawley family's maids and servants. Their accents are less standard and more informal and they appear to be wearing dull, unflattering uniforms, with no colour whatsoever. However, the workers who work upstairs, like the Butlers for example, who actually come in contact with the family, are seen to be wearing smart clothes like tuxes and dresses. This is because they are part of the family's image and the better they are presented, the better the Crawley family look. 

In this first few seconds of the clip, an establishing shot is used to set the scene. By doing this, the audience can clearly see where and when it's set and also it gives an idea of the character's position in society (a big stately home usually means whoever lives there has a fair bit of money).  After this, we are shown the maids, servants and butlers panicking downstairs about something that has happened in the news. Tension is built as everyone seems concerned by it but the audience has no idea what it could be. Later on in the scene, an over-the-shoulder shot of Robert (father of the Crawley family) is used, this shows him looking down at the newspaper, the camera shows the audience the page of the newspaper that he is reading, which is about the Titanic sinking. Using this shot helps narrate to the audience what the previous characters we were shown before were reacting to and also gives them an idea of exactly when the show was set and the situation the family is in. After this is revealed, the audience are able to recognise what the characters are talking about and it is easier for them to follow the storyline. A couple of close ups are used in the clip to portray how certain characters react to the news about Titanic. These close up shots really help to set a tense atmosphere and makes it a bit more realistic for the audience as they can get more involved and feel like they are there with the characters, looking at them. 

Non-diegetic sound was used during the more tense parts of the scene. When the sad news is revealed about the Titanic sinking, this sound is used. When Robert finds out that the family actually knew people on board, music starts to play over their dialogue and is a bit louder than it had been previously when dialogue had been going on. The music is slow and has a deep bass, this really builds a tense, uneasy atmosphere for the audience. Diegetic sound is used also when the characters use dialogue. All of the conversations the characters appear to have can be clearly heard by the audience and due to their accents, its easy for them to identify which social class their in. For example, the Crawley family are very well-spoken, using a lot of standard English, they sound more formal and they speak to everybody in the same accent. Unlike the workers who, downstairs, talk quite informally using a lot of slang and not much standard English. But when they are upstairs, serving the family they speak a lot more formally, watching what they say.

The editing techniques used for Downton Abbey are used to help to give the show an older appearance (less like a television show, more like the audience actually there). There isn't anything jumpy or weird; it all just flows and is very naturalistic. One of the main techniques used to achieve this was cuts (different shots are cut and put together to make it appear continuous) this helps to show everything happening in the scene, whether it's good or bad. One example of this is when Robert, the master of the house, finds out the family actually knew some people who were on the Titanic and didn't get rescued. When this happens, a more tense atmosphere is created by using faster cuts. By having faster cuts suspense builds up for the audience because they know that something (probably bad) is going to happen. Faster cuts can also help show emotions (slow paced editing - character might be upset or in shock) and show the characters are going through. Shot reverse shot has also been used a numerous amount of times in the scene. This is mainly used when two characters are having a conversation. Using shot reverse shot in thee show helps the audience see the characters having a conversation and also the speed of which everything is happening in the scenes. There is a very clear contrast between the editing techniques used when filming the Crawley family and when filing the maids and servants. When the servants are being filmed, a hand-held effect is used to show the hustle and bustle of the kitchens downstairs and the speed in which they are working in. This completely contrasts with the smooth, slow filming when upstairs, filing the Crawley family - this really portrays how different the working class and upper class lifestyles were.

There are a many hints throughout the scene suggesting the different characters social classes, they couldn't be more obvious. For starters, appearance. The Crawley family all wear very fancy, formal looking clothing. These clothes also look rather expensive as they fit them all so perfectly. The women also all have their hair beautifully done even though they don't appear to be going anywhere special, this shows how much time they have one their hands compared to the maids and servants who just have theirs thrown in a neat bun as they have to work. The servants are also shown wearing old, colourless, rag clothes that seem to be of bad quality due to rips and tears on them. However the servants who work upstairs and are actually in contact with the family have much smarter looking clothing for example, the butler is seen wearing a tux, so they look professional and ready to serve the family. Clothing is a indication for the audience as to who is rich and poor. There's a big contrast with the lighting upstairs and downstairs in this scene; upstairs, where the Crawley family are, the lighting is warm and bright, it highlights all of the expensive looking ornaments and furniture. Whereas, downstairs the lighting is dark, dull and cold looking, this is again, to represent the different social classes.