Jamie Bell

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ERinVA
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Re: Jamie Bell

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I did attend the "Turn" event yesterday evening and had a very good seat, as a matter of fact. The auditorium was full, but I had arrived very early. The doors opened at six, and the event began at seven, so there was a lot of waiting, but I would say it was worth it.

As it turns out, Jamie was a man of relatively few words. Most of the discussion took place among the show's creatives and the various W&M History Department and Film Department faculty members on the panel about the historical accuracy of the characters and events portrayed in the show, and the difference between being slavishly bound to fact and serving up a story that takes the essential historical facts and adds the necessary layers to tell a good story.

One comment at the outset was very interesting: Only in Williamsburg could Jamie Bell travel around town to the dentist and the grocery store in costume and not attract the slightest bit of attention. It's true! I get behind colonial people in the checkout line at Food Lion on a fairly regular basis. Nothing unusual in that! As a matter of fact, there were several people in colonial garb in the audience, apparently having come to the program straight from getting off work in Colonial Williamsburg. Jamie even took the opportunity to single them out to the rest of the audience when the house lights came up at the end of the program. :D Regarding his costumes for the show, Jamie's comments were along these lines: "Lots of buttons!" (there being no zippers, of course), and "My feet are constantly freezing in those leather shoes."

One question that I had, which I did not submit, but was happy to have answered by Jamie, was why the colonists in the show all sound Irish; whereas, the British characters all sound, you guessed it, British. As it turns out, Jamie said that in searching for an accent that he felt fitted his character, Abe Woodhull, a young farmer who becomes a member of General Washington's ring of spies, he settled on a light Irish accent as "feeling right." Of course, this meant that everyone else playing a colonist in the village ended up having to follow suit. ;) And that, friends, is why all those colonial farmers in Setauket, NY, sound Irish in this television series. :lol:

As I mentioned, the series is set in Setauket, NY, and environs, but just so you know, it is actually filmed entirely in Virginia. Go figure. I would say the Virginia Film Commission scored a bit of a coup. Filming late last week and early this week took place on the W&M campus in the Sir Christoper Wren Building, where the Great Hall stood in for King George III's throne room all the way across the pond.

Here's the book on which the series is based: http://www.amazon.com/Washingtons-Spies ... 0553383299

The author, Alexander Rose, who was a consultant on the show last season, is a writer for the upcoming season of the show.
Ellen



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angelenroute
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Re: Jamie Bell

Post by angelenroute »

If it was filmed in Setauket, I'd be set gawking in Setauket! Happy to hear you had a nice experience!

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StevenKing
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Re: Jamie Bell

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Now I'm interested in what exactly the accent would have been back then... And if we'd even really know. Also waiting for the Nantucket accents in In The Heart Of The Sea.
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Re: Jamie Bell

Post by kport »

StevenKing wrote:Now I'm interested in what exactly the accent would have been back then... And if we'd even really know. Also waiting for the Nantucket accents in In The Heart Of The Sea.
The Nantucket accent will be quite easy: you can find vestiges of it in Down East Maine and into Canada. It is closely aligned with Cornish or West Country accents still evident today. One example is to add a final 'r' to some words, while removing it from others:

Ex 1: idea is pronounced 'idear'

Ex. 2: lobster is pronounced 'lobstah'.

I think there is also an East Anglian influence, too.

I was intrigued to read that Jamie Bell chose a soft Irish accent for his character in 'Turn', which takes place in Long Island.
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StevenKing
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Re: Jamie Bell

Post by StevenKing »

Yea I don't know early Irish history in the colonies...the big Irish diaspora came later obviously.
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ERinVA
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Re: Jamie Bell

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There was some discussion about the fact that there were colonists with a variety of accents from England, which makes sense, since they came from a variety of places. West Country/Cornwall was mentioned, for example. Ships did sail out of Plymouth, after all.

But the reason Jamie said he settled on the accent he chose was that he associated Irish with a kind of "underdog" spirit, and the characters who are working against the British in the story fit that description.
Ellen



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StevenKing
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Re: Jamie Bell

Post by StevenKing »

Yea the Irish did make up a substantial minority at the time though over half of that was Scottish Irish who mostly settled elsewhere. And it seems they made up a very large part of the continental army, I'd say for obvious reasons lol. So good choice.
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Re: Jamie Bell

Post by kport »

Season 1 of Turn will be included the new March lineup on Netflix:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/2 ... 42666.html
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Re: Jamie Bell

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Season 2 of Turn begins with a 2 hour premiere on April 13th (Monday) at 9/8c, on AMC:

http://www.amctv.com/shows/turn

I came across this interview between Jamie and comedian Frank Skinner. It had to be filmed shortly after the success of the Billy Elliot film. If you have a few minutes, you may find it hilarious...........it is hard to tell who gets the better of whom!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P69Ga_xvZ0E
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Re: Jamie Bell

Post by ERinVA »

Thanks for the link. I had never seen that before. I agree, it was hard to tell who got the better of whom. Jamie was amazingly self-possessed, especially for a 14 year-old.
Ellen



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-George Balanchine 1904 -1983


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