Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has taken the world by storm in 2023, captivating audiences globally and building on the success of its parent series, Bridgerton. This prequel delves into the early life of Charlotte (played by India Amarteifio) and her marriage to King George (Corey Mylchreest), a love story that blossoms amidst his mental health struggles. To pave the way for their union, the Princess Dowager (Michelle Fairley) orchestrates a groundbreaking experiment to elevate people of color to nobility, and Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas), now a noble herself, must fight to maintain her position amidst personal challenges.
The world of Bridgerton was already familiar to fans through its first two seasons, but Queen Charlotte had the task of revealing its origins. To maintain a sense of continuity, the prequel series includes present-day scenes with Charlotte and other familiar actors. The creative team also maintains the same musical aesthetic and vibrant costume palette as Bridgerton. However, intertwining George and Charlotte’s romance with the alternate universe of the original series was a monumental challenge that required the collective effort of the entire team.
FilmmakerFocus had the opportunity to speak with editors Matt Pevic and Denise Chan, who worked on the first and second episodes of Queen Charlotte respectively. They shared their experiences in Shondaland and discussed their collaboration with Shonda Rhimes. They also expressed their admiration for the chemistry between India and Corey.
Matt Pevic & Denise Chan Talk Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
FilmmakerFocus: What does being an editor entail for you generally speaking, and how usual is it to only work on one or two episodes out of the season?
Matt Pevic: The job of editors is to take in all of the footage that is shot throughout the project and make sense of it. We take the wide shots, medium shots, close-ups, and specialty shots, then put them all together in a style that helps enhance the writing, acting, directing, and cinematography. Our job as editors is trying to elevate everything; heighten the emotions of the story or enhance performances as best we can.
I’ve been with Shondaland for over a decade, so I was back when they were on ABC. That was a different situation than it is now, where we’re at streaming with Netflix. Almost on every project, there tends to be three sets of editing teams. Denise and I are a team, so we had the first two episodes. On longer series, you’re going to end up editing a lot more episodes, but that’s generally how it goes. Every once in a while an editor might get to do an entire series, but in general, they separate it out by team.
Denise, when going from assistant editor in episode 1 to editor in episode 2, which aspects established by Matt did you want to build on or did you need to shift tonally?
Denise Chan: First of all, I love being able to collaborate with Matt. He’s so generous with his mentorship, letting me come in and play with the episode and work with him on it. It’s fantastic. I see him as my first producer; he’s my first line of defense. I’m cutting something and watching his reaction, so he is my first customer. I always want to make sure that the audience is reacting well.
We could disagree on certain things, like maybe who the story belongs to or what perspective we focus on, but we talk about it. It’s like, “Okay, what direction are we going to take this?” Then we figure out what we can try, and I’m always very open to trying. That process of going about it is really wonderful, and it just makes the story much stronger.
The show is primarily about Charlotte and George’s romance, but it is also responsible for establishing the political reality we see in Bridgerton. How does editing come into play when balancing both those aspects of Queen Charlotte?
Matt Pevic: I would say that, in every relationship that I am looking at from an editorial perspective, we’re looking at a power dynamic. That’s the nature of a scene, especially a two-person scene, right? You’re looking at who has the push and who has the pull, and who we’re going to favor to enhance that power dynamic. Then we come to a resolution at the end of the scene, and we move on.
In balancing the political nature of this story with that love story, we found that they really intertwined beautifully. The political is told in the love story, and the love story is told in the political aspects. It’s about joining together; about people uniting — and I think that is a genuine theme that Shonda looked for as she was writing the story. How can we unite people of different cultures, aspects, and creeds? It’s Bridgerton’s first gay couple uniting together; it’s black and white.
And that’s always been a theme in Shondaland, which is one of the reasons that I’ve been here as long as I have. It’s fun to tell that story, and it’s fun to see the
Get ready to be captivated by the latest series, Queen Charlotte. This show has been receiving an incredible reaction from viewers because it truly brings people together. Just take a look at this stunning image from the show:
[Image: Queen Charlotte](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/queen-charlotte-india-amartiefio.PNG)
Now, let’s dive into the behind-the-scenes details. We had the opportunity to speak with Denise Chan, one of the editors, about the trickiest moments in the editing process. In episode 2, they had to tackle a challenging montage. This episode focuses on Charlotte’s story, and it’s a deep exploration of the complexities of marriage. The team had to convey Charlotte’s emotions without any dialogue, creating a silent film-like experience. They showcased simple actions like changing clothes or putting on a gown, emphasizing the repetitive nature of her life. It’s a heavy story that only gets heavier, but the show cleverly incorporates moments of levity to keep the audience engaged.
But editing such a montage wasn’t an easy task. The pieces were shot over a span of months, and it was up to the editors to bring them all together. They had to create a soundscape and find the right music to convey the emotions and tone of each scene. Shonda, the show’s creator, was hands-on throughout the editing process, ensuring that everything aligned with her vision. It was an exciting learning experience for the editors, and they had to find the perfect balance between comedy and drama.
Speaking of Shonda’s involvement, we also had the chance to chat with Matt Pevic, another editor on the show. He highlighted Shonda’s talent for engaging the audience through rapid-fire dialogue and powerful character connections. As an editor, he aimed to enhance the writing by carefully crafting the pacing and rhythm of each scene. With Shonda’s guidance, the editing process became a collaborative effort to bring her vision to life.
Queen Charlotte is a six-episode series that promises to immerse you in a world of intrigue and emotion. With Shonda’s meticulous attention to detail and the editors’ dedication, this show is sure to leave a lasting impact. Get ready to be swept away by the captivating storytelling and stunning visuals.Matt Pevic: Let me tell you, editing this show was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. We had so many discussions about the length of the episodes. Should we go for eight half-hour episodes or six one-hour episodes? It was a constant debate, even before the scripts were written. But in the end, we found that six hours was just perfect. The scripts were so tight, there wasn’t much that needed to be cut. It wasn’t until later episodes that we had to make some tough decisions.
In the first episode, there was one scene that got cut right after the marriage. It was a beautiful montage of the characters dancing together. They had actually shot an entire song’s worth of that scene, so it was quite a long one. There were so many subtle looks exchanged between the characters, hinting at the political tensions, but everything was left unsaid.
Shonda, being the genius that she is, made the call to save that scene for later. She knew it would undercut the impact of the ball in episode 3 if we showed their love story through a dance. And she was right. Now, we have these little snippets of their dance, and it’s absolutely lovely. It’s a clever way to make the audience fall in love with the characters, only to have the rug pulled out from under them when George reveals his desire to go back to Kew.
Speaking of falling in love, India and Corey’s chemistry on screen is truly something special. When I first read the script, I was blown away by their meet-cute scene. I wanted to do everything I could to enhance that magic. But it wasn’t until I saw Corey’s performance that I knew we had something truly extraordinary. He brought so much charm and charisma to the role, it was mesmerizing to watch. My job then became to step back and let them shine, to let their love story unfold naturally. And that shot of him grabbing her hand in the garden, that was the moment I knew we had something truly special.
Editing this show was a challenge, especially with that scene coming in so late in the process. But seeing the power of their acting in their big fight scene early on reassured me that we were in good hands.Denise Chan: Let me share an interesting story with you. During the meet-cute scene, as I watched Corey’s acting on the dailies, I was captivated by his performance. He brought so much variation to his delivery, sometimes pausing for dramatic effect. I thought to myself, “Wow, this guy is really talented. He’s playing with the rhythm, elongating and contracting his lines.” But then, I realized that at one point, he actually forgot his line. However, he was so skilled at covering it up that he turned it into a comedic moment that we could use. That’s the mark of a true actor with incredible chops.
Also, I had the opportunity to edit the gag reel, and it was clear to me that the connection between Corey and his co-star was genuine. They were high-fiving each other and providing unwavering support. Their bond was so strong, and it had a positive impact on the entire set. You could see the comfort and camaraderie among all the characters. When the morale on set is high, it translates beautifully on camera.
Matt Pevic: I have to give credit to Tom Verica, the director of this series. He played a significant role in establishing such a fantastic atmosphere on set. Although I wasn’t present, I know that he worked closely with Corey and his co-star off-camera, encouraging them to get to know each other. He created opportunities for them to have casual conversations about anything and everything, fostering a sense of familiarity and comfort. When the challenging scenes came along, they were able to tackle them with ease. Well, maybe not exactly a breeze, but they made it look effortless.
About Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Centered on Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power, this Bridgerton-verse prequel tells the story of how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is now streaming on Netflix.
