Gossip Girl - Location

Season 2, Episode 4; The Ex Files (Aired: Weds 18th Feb @ 9pm, ITV2)

In this episode there are a wide variety of locations, all of which help add meaning to the plot and provide us with an aesthetically pleasing background for the dramatic action that takes place.

The action takes place in the Upper-East side of Manhattan (the wealthy area) and Brooklyn (the poorer area). We can tell where we are in the programme because there are always est. shots of the area before characters are shown. For example, when in the Upper-East side, we are shown shots of:

• Large boats on the river
• Tall skyscrapers
• Trimmed bushes and trees with fences around them
• Clean streets
• Very few cars, little traffic

When in Brooklyn we see:

• The Brooklyn bridge
• Busy high streets
• Lots of cars and traffic
  

The most notable differences in location are when the scenes switch from the Upper-East side of Manhattan (where the rich kids Serena, Blair, Chuck etc live), to Brooklyn (where Dan and Jenny live).

UPPER-EAST SIDE - Serena's house:

• The inside of an apartment (possibly the penthouse suite - right at the top)
• Glass windows overlooking the city (could be metaphorical for the wealthy people looking down on the not so wealthy)
• Mahogany furnishings, marble flooring

Similar to the interior of Blair's house:

• Marble, chequered floor tiles
• Ornate furnishings (possibly made out of ivory)
• White and cream is the common colour scheme - signifies wealth
  
• Floral wallpaper
  
• Contemporary art on the walls
• Not much character to the house - simple furnishings
  

This shows the viewer that these characters are very wealthy, as the live in exquisitely-furnished houses, compared to the other characters. This could also connote the level of importance that the character has in the plot. E.g. Serena is the main character, so she oversees everyone else.

This is completely different to the interior of Dan's apartment in BROOKLYN:

• Brick walls; chunks of plaster missing from pillars
• Mismatched pieces of furniture - one leather armchair, another dark brown fabric chair
• Windows with different coloured panes of glass in them
• One yellow wall in the kitchen - gives a more homely feel
• Very cluttered - lots of character

This gives the viewer the picture that Dan and his family have less money than Serena's/Blair's family. They live in completely opposite areas of New York; yet they all go to the same school - which suggests that they do actually have a bit of money, just not as much as the others in the programme.

The distinction between rich and poor is highlighted further by parallel cross cuts between when both Serena and Dan wake up; we can clearly notice the difference in their bedrooms:

• Serena's bedroom has cream walls and is very large. There is a large art deco headboard and very lavish furnishings (marble dressers and large bedside lamps)
• Whereas Dan's room has dark grey walls and is tiny in comparison. He has wooden blinds and lots of pictures on the walls. It is a typical 'boy' room - very messy

Until now, I hadn't really noticed the deliberate techniques used to make the viewer see the clear variations in lifestyles of the rich and poor in Gossip Girl. Whenever a scene takes place in a wealthy area, the next scene jumps to a poorer part of NY, to define the contrast. This causes the audience to make a subconscious judgement in their heads - we see the rich people as rich and the poor people as poor (and therefore less important) because that is how the director wants us to see the characters.