92 - The Understated, Tragic Storytelling of "The Crown"

Netflix's "The Crown" picked up a whopping 24 Emmy nominations this year, including one for Best Drama Series — which is understandable, considering just how innovative, understated, and tragic the storytelling on that series is. 

This week, we're speaking with two of the nominees responsible for some of that incredible storytelling, longtime collaborators Yan Miles ACE, the Editor, and Lee Walpole, the Supervising Sound Editor & Re-Recording Mixer. Yan was nominated for editing and Lee for sound mixing the emotionally wrenching "Fairytale" episode from season four, which tells the heartbreaking story of Lady Diana's days from her engagement to Prince Charles up until her wedding day, which by then, it's safe to say, the "fairytale" was over.

This episode is like a masterclass in non-verbal storytelling, tone, and subtext as we follow Diana's emotional journey beyond dialogue, by showing us her relationship to things like food, loneliness, silence, and dance. We're delighted to share this conversation with you so you can get a glimpse into just how this talented creative team approaches this very complex subject matter.

"I was very mindful of that in the scene, to lean into this innocent, happy, young woman, always. And to always tread very carefully, because it's unusual to watch a film when you know the ending. That's a very unusual sort of storytelling. So I always, always [remembered] that, all the time. What would this young girl be going through, in these experiences? And I imagine any girl around the world, when she is sort of happy or sad, dances around the bedroom to a piece of music! It's relatable, it's hugely relatable. [Lady Diana] just happens to be in this huge, great big room or happens to be roller skating around this huge, great big palace."

–Yan Miles ACE, Editor, "The Crown" 

Be sure to check out the fourth season of "The Crown" on Netflix ahead of the Emmy Awards on September 19th.

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