DEFINITION October 2019

DRAMA | DOWNTON ABBEY

there is a back story to each character and a reason as to why they say certain things. Fellowes, on some occasions, chose not to divulge what those were because it would have taken the story in a different direction. Some writers do that, and I find it quite fascinating, but it’s like, ‘are you in on the joke?’.” In this instance, the joke is about Queen Mary’s daughter, Princess Mary, and her relationship with Lord Harewood, who she was married to. It wasn’t a happy union and the princess, who was sick and bored of her marriage, went to see the Queen at Buckingham Palace to ask for a divorce. But royal protocol at that time would never have allowed it, and legend has it the Queen frogmarched the princess back to her house in Yorkshire, never to speak about it again. ALL ABOARD THE STEAM TRAIN Smithard’s camera choice had to be cinematic; it needed to have a different look to the TV series, which had famously been shot on Arri Alexa since season two. He explains: “I wanted to broaden the horizon of the image and make it bigger. I needed a camera that had a wider range of colour, contrast and luminance… In an ideal world, I would have shot Downton on 35mm or 65mm film, but that wasn’t really an option. So, I shot it on the best camera and best lenses that I could get hold of, and when you see it on the big screen, you’ll hopefully see what I was trying to achieve.” You don’t really get the opportunity to use a full-size helicopter on set anymore, because everyone wants to use drones

Sony Venice was paired with Zeiss Supreme glass, a companion lens for large- format cameras. Smithard used the 25mm, 29mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 100mm and explains, “We got one of the first few sets, and I thought that they were going to be a little bit too sharp or a little bit too crisp, but they’re actually really good. I mean, they’re as you would expect from a company that’s been designing lenses for over 100 years. Zeiss do know what they’re doing.” He continues, “I also had some involvement in the design of the Sony Venice. I had shot two films on the Sony F65 [ The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Belle ], which is the Venice’s predecessor, and I knew it was coming because Sony asked me to be involved in the redesign. It’s a very boring thing, but basically, I was put into a room with a load of Japanese designers for about three hours and they asked me about the functionality and appearance of the control panel. And so, I tested the Venice and it’s a great camera. I’ve used it on a couple of features now.” Moving the camera required a Steadicam, an Arri Rental GF16 crane and two PeeWee Mk4 dollies – “the usual stuff” as Smithard notes. “What’s interesting is

that I got to use a helicopter for this film, and I hadn’t used one in a long time. I love doing helicopter work, because I’ve shot on them all around the world, but mainly on commercials.” The helicopter was used to capture the 50-mile journey of a steam train, a shot which, in the film, represents the journey between London and Yorkshire. The train is carrying the letter from the royal household that notifies the Crawley family of the King and Queen’s visit. “You don’t really get the opportunity to use a full-size helicopter on set anymore because everyone wants to use drones, but you can’t fly a drone and chase a train for 50 miles.” He finishes, “Although the aerials around Downton Abbey are all done with drones… it would be a bit risky to fly a helicopter so close to the world’s most famous abbey!” The film was released in UK and US cinemas on 13 and 20 September respectively. Virtually every major cast member is returning for the Crawley family reunion, including Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess.

DOWNTON ABBEY IS ON GENERAL RELEASE IN THE UK AND US

TOP Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle) in all its glory, with a Sony Venice on an Arri Rental GF16 crane in the foreground

20 DEF I N I T ION | OCTOBER 20 1 9

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