Downton Abbey Two

The clip starts with an establishing shot of the Abbey and a very slight pan to highlight the size and grandeur of the Abbey. From the mise en scene (of the setting) we learn that the people who own and live in the Abbey must be very well off and high class, as it is an impressive and expensive looking setting. This is a typical representation of the higher classes owning big mansions and country estates. Cut editing is then used to move inside the Abbey, where we see the basicness of the servants personal rooms that are very bare and plain. The mise en scene here represents these woman as poorer with less positions and the fact they are waking up as clear from the harsh diegetic sound of the knock and call of "six" and their own conversation which is diegetic and asynchronous sound shows their life revolves around work which is a typical representation of the lower class.

The clip then moves to the kitchen by cut editing where a wide and very slight panning shot follows the ginger older female servant around the kitchen. Here this represents this servant with more power and authority, showing the ranks within the servants. This is a typical representation that the older servant would have control over the younger servant and is commonly used to represent the lower class. It is very clear to see the girl (Daisy) is lower class and has a very low status within the lower class due to the mise en scene of her clothes, they are much scruffier and less expensive and nice than everyone else's. The editing becomes faster paced here which represents the franticness and heticness of the lower class which is a typical stereotype and also fits the stereotype that the lower classes are overworked, stretched and under a lot of pressure from the higher classes.While the older woman is talking to the younger servant shallow focus is used which blurs Daisy, the younger servant out, again this represents Daisy's lack of status and the power the other woman has over her which fits the stereotype of the different ranks in lower class.

A slight panning and following shot is used to follow Daisy up the stairs to the grand main house. This represents the lower class as less than the higher class as they have to literally live below them, which fits the stereotype that the lower class are less important and powerful. The diegetic and synchronous sound of Daisy's footsteps and the clanking of what she is carrying is also used to carry on representation of the business and heticness of the lower class linking in with that they are pushed greatly by the upper class. Once entering the main house the camera continues to follow Daisy and then other characters using great swooping, wide and panning angles to empathise the greatness and affluence of the house and the people who own it; this juxtaposes with the servants highlighting the stark difference in class which is a common stereotype. The camera then changes to following another female servant representing her status above Daisy, before then changing to follow a male servant which represents his status above them both. The male servants mise en scene of his costume also represents this as it far smarter and more expensive looking which shows how he has more authority and a better position and status to them. As he enters the dining room the shot widens to show another male servant and from the first servants harsh and snappy tone which is diegetic and synchronous sound his power and authority is represented.

Cross cut editing is then used to return back to the room with Daisy in. Camera work is used here to represent the different statuses within the lower class, a low angled camera shot is used to show her looking up the other female servants and high angled shot to show them looking down at her. This continues to represent the different levels and positions that create statues within the lower class. The sound here also represents this as when Daisy is talking which is diegetic and synchronous sound her accent is very thick and sound quite common like whereas the other female servants is more pronounced and clear. This represents Daisy as the typical lower class servant girl. Cross cut editing is used again to change to a shallow focus shot of a woman holding keys as she walks down the corridor, from this shot the woman is represented as someone of power and authority and empathise by the camerawork on the keys connotate the power she hold. The diegetic and clear sound of her footsteps also represent this, her footsteps are a lot slower, calmer and less hurried than Daisy which continues to represent her control and calmness. Cross cut editing is used to switch to another scene before then returning to the room Daisy is in. Once the authoritative female servant enters the room the high and low angle shots are used to carry on representing the power she has over Daisy and their stereotypical different statuses.

Cross cut editing then moves the clip on to a tracking shot of a boy on his bike before panning slightly and then no longer tracking to show another establishing shot of the Abbey, which continues to represent the wealth and power of the owners of the house. The use of cross cut editing changes the setting to a woman in a bedroom, who appears to have just woken up. She is not dressed however you can still see she is higher class from the mise en scene as the room is large and spacious, with elegant décor. The shot then moves to a high angle shot of her looking down out of a window at the boy cycling. Immediately from this shot we learn how she is much higher class than him and how he has a much lower status than her as she is looking down at him. This represents the power and authority she has over him and how her higher class enables her to do this. This is also a typical representation as she is quite literally looking down at the lower classes.

Using continuity editing the scene then changes to the servant’s quarters downstairs, where the editing is more fast paced and the music that has been playing throughout the clip increases temo. This non-diegtic and asynchronous sound represents how the servants are lower class as in par with the editing as it is far paces which represents how it is far more chaotic and less controlled. The sharp diegtic sound of the bell also shows how the servants have a lower status as they are subject to serving the woman; the sound is sharp and clear to empathise this. The mise en scene also shows the servants lower status as they are in humbler settings, all eating in and sharing the same room and are all already up. This is a binary contrast to the upper class women who has only just got out of bed and again shows their lower class rolls, of being servants, cooks and maids. Being represented as servants is a typical representation of the lower class especially for the time period this clip is set in and as well as being represented as always busy and serving others.     

Cross cut editing and mise en scene shows how even within the servants there are ranks. When the male servant is getting the paper off the paper boy he is standing on one step slightly higher. There is a slight high angle shot here as the servant looks down at the paper boy which shows how although both their statuses are low, the male servant has more authority over the paper boy. These ranks among the lower status characters are also shown when the older male servant is speaking to the servant who is ironing the papers; here a low angle shot is used from ironers point of view which shows how the older servant has more authority over him. This sequence shows how the status and authority differ slightly between the lower class people in this clip. The mise en scene also shows how this older male servant is slightly higher up as his clothes are more high class and respectful, this shows how is probably in charge of all the others.