Behind-the-scenes Production of Downton Abbey Season 2

Li Rui, a reporter from the International Herald Tribune, is from London.

Known as "the best TV series in the world", it was selected into the Guinness Book of World Records. It won the Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award on American soil, and made the British prince and princess one of millions of die-hard fans. Downton Abbey, a story about the family life of British aristocrats at the beginning of last century, pushed the brilliant English drama to a peak again.

A little longer than the movie and a little shorter than the soap opera.

Julian Fellowes, a generalist in British film industry and winner of the Oscar for Best Screenplay, starred in Professor McGonagall in The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and ITV released Downton Abbey in prime time on Sunday, which has all the elements that are not popular.

How hot is it? Look at these data. The first season attracted 6.5438+million viewers in the island country of England, and gained more than 4 million viewers in the United States. The ratings of Spanish TV dramas were the first, and those of Australian TV dramas were the second.

According to The Wall Street Journal, this is a historical drama that runs through secrets, extortion, scandals, sex scandals and struggles. And, of course, the marriage, property and class of British nobles.

The whole film is based on World War I and revolves around the inheritance right of Downton Manor. Robert Grantham, the owner of the manor, has no children, and his three daughters have different personalities. Matthew, a distant relative with the right of inheritance, and his mother are both middle-class in Manchester. They are incompatible with the Earl's family because they advocate self-reliance and pioneering spirit. In addition to the nobles upstairs, the servants downstairs are also playing their own small abacus, with different minds. Until the sudden arrival of the war, it changed everyone's fate.

The script played a vital role in the success of the whole play. Screenwriter Julian was an actor, made a film and acted in a play, and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay with Gosford Manor. This time in Downton Abbey, he takes nobles and servants as the two main lines of the story. The intricate relationship between characters, the historical background of drastic changes, the fierce drama conflicts and the ups and downs of the plot often make the audience complain that they can't find the North after a few minutes of mistakes.

Julian said, "I hate going to the kitchen to eat sandwiches and coming back to find that I didn't miss anything."

However, the most successful part of Downton Abbey lies in its depiction of human nature. There is no absolute "villain" in the play, each character has his own personality, and the cuteness and dislike of the characters are just right.

Joanna, the actress who plays Anna, the maid, said that Julian created a distant and familiar world. Every character will encounter all kinds of moral problems. They have both advantages and disadvantages. People you know in real life can always find similarities in the characters in Downton Abbey.

There is no historical drama of "crossing"

Magnificent historical dramas can never be separated from luxurious and exquisite costumes, especially Downton Abbey, which is full of beautiful women. The ladies in the manor have to change their clothes several times a day, and they all wear different clothes when eating, dancing, hunting and traveling. Clothing, modeling and props reflect the elegance and delicacy of Downton Abbey as a historical drama from another aspect.

From the first season to the second season, with the extension of time, the skirts of the ladies in the play gradually became higher, and the overall clothing lines became loose and soft. In the first season, all female characters from ladies to maids wore corsets with "S" lines, but in the second season, corsets were used less. Susanna buxton, the stylist of Downton Abbey, said: "Because of World War I, the second season has fewer colors, simpler tailoring and fewer hats than the first season, because it is not as gorgeous as wartime, and even has military uniform elements.

On the one hand, these historical details have become the biggest attraction of Downton Abbey, on the other hand, they have also become the most vulnerable weakness of the play. Some people try to find fault with the plot. For example, they asked whether the word "boyfriend" was too modern for people in the play to use in conversations. As a result, the screenwriter Julian, who is regarded as "the encyclopedia and life chronicle of British upper class", immediately pointed out that the word "boyfriend" appeared in English newspapers in 1889, so it should be used orally earlier.

Background analysis of works

When Hollywood blockbusters swept the world with many American dramas, low-key British dramas gradually emerged. Whether it is historical drama, political satire, detective drama or modern drama, when people chew relaxed and pleasant American fast food, they will raise their eyebrows for the English dinner they inadvertently taste.

The historical drama represented by Downton Abbey is a quite mainstream work in English drama. King Arthur, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, etc. They are all adapted objects that British people like, so a large number of TV works such as Pride and Prejudice and The Legend of Merlin have appeared.

British columnist M.Gowlett said that there is always a historical drama that will be "your cup of tea". "They took us back to a certain era in the past and let us feel the life experienced by our predecessors. Those scenes and times will always make people feel wonderful involuntarily. "

In Baker Street in central London, a small door is always crowded with people. The house number engraved with 22 1B is the home of Sherlock Holmes. The BBC's latest masterpiece, Sherlock, has once again set off the craze for detective English dramas.

This is a modern drama adapted from Conan Doyle's classic collection of detective stories Sherlock Holmes. Detectives "crossed" from19th century to 2 1 century, and solved the case with the help of modern scientific and technological means such as smart phones and laptops. Although the prototype of Sherlock Holmes' story can be smelled in six episodes, Sherlock easily captured the hearts of the younger generation through this more modern and fashionable adaptation and interpretation.

The British call their English dramas "TV miniseries". Compared with American dramas, English dramas are indeed shorter and more exquisite. American TV shows have about 20 episodes per season, and English TV shows have about 10 episodes per season. Sherlock even has only three episodes per season, which makes people cry "not enough".

"Emergency Stop" is just another great charm of English drama. The arrogance of the British people is once again shown here. Regardless of the ratings, the script is over and the TV series is over. They don't write as many plays as Americans do to please the audience, thus avoiding the possibility of anticlimactic.

Downton Abbey hitchhiking

The seemingly casual rise of English drama is actually reasonable. As the first country to propose and develop cultural and creative industries, Britain, which bears a heavy history, has never lacked excellent playwrights, dramatic actors and producers. Nowadays, with the promotion and operation of foreign companies such as the United States and France, the popularity of English drama has spread from the British Isles to the whole world, and tourism and other industries have also taken a share.

David Thomas Wright, who studies pop culture at the University of Warwick in the UK, said that the success of Downton Abbey was a milestone for ITV, the producer of the film. In the past few decades, people often think that only the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) can produce a perfect historical drama, because the large-scale production of historical dramas costs millions of pounds per episode.

ITV took a risk while filming Downton Abbey. After all, they don't have many advertisers and sponsors. However, the success of the film has promoted overseas broadcasting rights and DVD sales, and also attracted the attention of advertisers. Downton Abbey, located in Highbury Castle, Berkshire, England, has also become one of the most popular destinations in Britain from obscurity.

Jessica, the niece of screenwriter Julian, also got on the bus of Downton Abbey, and the novel Downton's World, which describes the behind-the-scenes story, firmly occupied the top of the bestseller list on 20 1 1. Jessica said that the success of this play lies in breaking the "generation gap". Moms said that for the first time in many years, they could sit down and watch the same drama with their daughters.

David murray, a professor at King Smith College, University of London, believes that the British people's love for Downton Manor may be more due to the pursuit of historical memory, while China people's pursuit of Downton Manor may be based on the imagination of aristocratic life and the pursuit of upper-class life.

Professor Murray said that China is the main market for Rolls-Royce, the top luxury car in Britain, and China, which is developing and transforming rapidly, has also produced a large number of elites. They may want to live a high-quality life, and Downton Abbey provides a luxurious and noble blueprint for British nobles.

Despite the thunderous applause, Sir Simon Shama, a famous British historian, made merciless criticism. He said Downton Abbey was "a cultural hermit" and "served a plate of hot snobbish soup to the audience", and the ascetic housekeeper Carlson and the old count's widow showed an "arrogant and overbearing matriarchal atmosphere". The first season of Downton Abbey premiered on September 26th, 20 10. The premiere of the play was very strong, attracting 1 1.8 million viewers. After that, the strong viewing trend was maintained to the end, and the first season finale on February 7 attracted12.8 million viewers (ITV 1+ HD+replay +ITV player). In the first season, the average ratings of the drama also ranked second in British TV ratings TOP 10, second only to the British "national treasure" longevity drama Doctor Who. In addition, Downton Abbey is also very popular in America. On 20 1 1 1 9, the first season of the drama was broadcast by American classic (PBS), which not only won unanimous praise from people in the industry, but also was twice as high as Masterpiecein (which is also the most watched drama in the history of this TV station).

This TV series was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as "the most popular TV series in the world in 20 10". Even the British princess watched the TV play. This TV series produced in Britain won many awards at the Emmy Awards ceremony in the United States. There are down-and-out aristocrats who marry the daughters of rich people, British butlers with full temperament, and poor servants who desperately want to climb into the upper class. There are wars, adultery and homosexuality. "This TV series is Downton Abbey.

British romance

It's hard to imagine a time English drama that doesn't involve love stories at all. In the magnificent picture of the times, the romantic and reserved love between gentlemen and ladies will always make people feel relaxed and happy. Downton Abbey inherits this glorious tradition. Different from some previous dramas that were purely for expressing love, the writers of Downton Abbey skillfully linked the hero's love story with the fate of Downton Abbey from the beginning, making their romance a main line.

In the final analysis, it is the inheritance of Downton Abbey. Earl Robert Grantham, the owner of the manor, has no children but three daughters. According to the British law at that time, a hundred years later, his title and manor could not be owned by his daughter, but only by his distant relatives. Mr. and Mrs. Grantham don't want their property to be abandoned halfway, so they have to hope that their eldest daughter, Miss Mary, will marry a good family and give her a generous dowry when they get married. It happened that this Miss Mary is a fatalist, playing around among all the handsome guys, and even the audience is critical. But the dark horse finally appeared-that is, the legal heir, the little lawyer Matthew. Mary's process from looking down on him to falling in love with him is simply to let people appreciate a wonderful battle in which the enemy retreated and we entered.

Don't you think the drama of Miss Jiaojiao and the poor son is too sweet and tired? It doesn't matter, this is an English drama, and there are many handsome uncles! Grantham's valet and veteran Bates, although a little lame and a little fat, is definitely a handsome uncle with more and more flavor. His feelings with Anna, the chief maid, are calm in appearance and fiery in heart, just like a cup of mellow wine, more flavorful and even a little cruel. And the Grantham couple, the head of the family, also have a legendary past-Count Grantham married this American wife for money, but after a year of marriage, he really fell in love with her, and they * * * advanced and retreated together and respected each other. Although there is not much ink, it is enough to make people think deeply.

Master and servant

Downton Abbey, like the film Gosford Abbey and the English drama Upstairs and Downstairs, is full of divisions and oppositions between different classes. For the domestic audience who are not familiar with the old-fashioned relationship between master and servant in Britain, you can learn a lot of interesting bits and pieces from watching this drama.

Although it is a master-servant relationship, as a gentleman and nobleman, the master will not order his servants around. On the contrary, when a servant does even a small thing for his master, the master will politely thank him. In the big house of the manor, servants have their own habitats, and the master can't cross the border. Once, Miss Mary apologized to Bates very nervously because she broke into the servant's room with her guests. Servants also have their own tea time. Their chatting at the dinner table belongs to freedom of speech and is protected by parliamentary laws. For servants, it is their bounden duty to do their duty for their master. If they are deprived of the right to work, they will feel uncomfortable. These are the new highlights in the eyes of China audience.

Downton Abbey is also quite successful in depicting all kinds of sentient beings. Matthew, the heir to the title, and his mother, isobel, are from the middle class in Manchester. They advocate self-reliance and have the spirit of innovation and reform. So this kind of character setting runs through-even if they become heirs, they can take this opportunity to enter the upper class, come to Matthew, who has lived in Downton Manor for a long time, or apply for the position of lawyer at the beginning of getting off the bus, while isobel stubbornly intervenes in the hospital affairs invested by the Grantham family, because their values are that they can't reflect their personal values without working.

The first season background setting. On the eve of World War I, Downton Manor also caught many precursors and big ambush pens of social change. Downton Abbey began to use electric lights, so that the mother of Count Grantham, Vio.

Old lady Wright was dazzled; Cars on the road began to increase; Maid Gwen began to be unwilling to fate, secretly learning typing by correspondence, dreaming of becoming a secretary; The third lady of the Grantham family advocates the feminist movement, wears fashionable pants and dines with her family ... These little details add luster to Downton Abbey.

In the second season, Downton Abbey fell into the haze of war. Men are going to war, and Downton Abbey will become a hospital for the wounded. The great era and background, coupled with exquisite historical details, make Downton Abbey hold the audience tightly.

There is no "toilet time"

What really makes Downton Abbey look good is the fierce drama conflict in it, which makes the British audience complain that the plot may be lost in a few minutes. The writer Julian fellers said, "If the play goes at a glacial speed, the audience will definitely not like it so much. I hate TV shows where you go to the kitchen, eat a sandwich, and come back only to find that you haven't missed anything. " In Downton Abbey, there is a conflict within the aristocratic class-Miss Mary, who is loved by thousands of people, has a second sister who always wants to compete with her, but later hates her because of jealousy. There are also conflicts within the servant class-although collectively referred to as servants, in fact, from the big housekeeper, housekeeper, personal maid, maid foreman, chef, ordinary maid, the position is also hierarchical. Maids covet the position of housekeeper, while men are jealous of servants, so they make waves, which looks like modern office politics. The dramatic conflict between classes is even better-Ms. isobel from the middle class and the conservative old lady violette always have frictions everywhere, and they always fight when they meet in a narrow way, but their struggle is icing on the cake, not cruel, but just icing on the cake as a relief, supplemented by a touch of British humor.