Location

Gossip Girl S02 E07
Episode Summary: Jenny makes friends with a model who encourages her to confront Eleanor Waldorf. Dan is uncomfortable when Serena meets an artist. Blair tries to seduce Chuck.

The title sequence of every episode of Gossip Girl includes a shot of New York at night, with bright colourful flashing lights - this connotes the glamour and welath of the city, and characters of the show. When a scene changes in Gossip Girl there is almost always a short montage. At the very beginning of this episode there are 5 short shots of New York city staring with an ELS with water in the froeground and the famous buildings in the background - all 5 shots are cut to the beat of the music. The last one is of brooklyn bridge which clearly estabishes where we are, then the camera slowly pans up one window in a block of flats, we can then presume that the next scene will take place here.
The Humphry family live in Brooklyn while the other wealthier characters live in the Upper East side of Manhatten. The humphrey families apartement is much more colourful and 'lived in' with lots of books and general stuff around, whereas the homes of Serena and Blair are far more minimalist and immaculate. Their homes are made of shiny materials such as crome, granite and glass, whereas Dan Humphreys home has more wood reflecting the differnce not just in their wealth but in their personalities too. The school also give us the impression that the characters are all very well of as it is in a very old fashion style building with white pillars and courtyards. The location helps to establish a lot about the characters and their lives, yet it also helps us learn a lot about the mood of the scene. For example when Blair and Chuck meet in a bar, it is very low lit, with rich colours such as purple and gold this refelcts the seductive scene but with sinister, saddening undertones as it ends in a fight between the characters where it should have ended in romance.

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