If I am asked to summarize my opinions on the two modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, I would say, the BBC version is brilliant while Elementary is just mediocre. This is just my subjective and abstract feeling, yet it surely comes from some detailed contents in the two adaptations. So here I’m trying to find the reason for my feeling from a film-stylistic perspective.
By manipulating the software Cinemetrics, we got the data of shots duration and focal length of 20 minutes of each episode (Elementary S1E01 & Sherlock S1E01).
Table 1, Elementary:[1]
| Name: | Mobile | CU | MS | MLS | FS | LS | FX | Total |
| Number of shots: | 70 | 57 | 168 | 31 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 366 |
| ASL(sec): | 3.9 | 2.4 | 3 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 5.1 | 3.3 |
| StDev | 3.1 | 1.5 | 2 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1 | 3 | 2.4 |
| Min(sec) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 0.5 |
| Max(sec) | 17 | 8.8 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 10.6 | 4.5 | 10.6 | 17 |
Table 2, BBC Sherlock:
| Name: | Mobile | CU | MS | MLS | FS | FX | Total |
| Number of shots: | 45 | 70 | 179 | 34 | 9 | 39 | 376 |
| ASL(sec): | 8.8 | 2 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 3.3 |
| StDev | 11.1 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 4.8 |
| Min(sec) | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Max(sec) | 52.4 | 11.8 | 16.2 | 17.6 | 7.7 | 5.9 | 52.4 |
The average shot lengths of the two 20-minute clips are both 3.3 seconds. This is not a big number, partly owing to the nature of detective genre of Holmes stories, and partly because that shorter duration of images and faster editing are the contemporary trend and a well-established modern visual convention. Another phenomenon we can see from the tables is the comparatively more frequently used close-ups and mobile framing. The mobile framing shots in Table seems to be less than that in Table 1, but actually most of the FX shots are also mobile framing shots, so the two clips are similar in this dimension. BBC Sherlock has more close-ups than Elementary. The biggest difference shown in statistics is the standard deviation of shot length. The StDev of Elementary is 2.4 while that of Sherlock is 4.8, which indicates more shots in Sherlock compared that in Elementary are scattered around the two poles of image duration. Namely, Sherlock has more very short takes and more very long takes. This finding is supported by the difference between the ASL of mobile framing shots (Elementary 3.9s; Sherlock 8.8s) Also, the longest take in Table 1 is 17s; the longest in Table 2 is 52.4s. One more notable numerical difference is the number of FX shots-shots with special effects.
Then do these findings help explain my abstract feeling about the two shows I expressed before? Of course they do. The larger StDev of Sherlock I think greatly contributes to the suspense and tension of the story. That change of image durations among shots creates a rhythm, which properly handled could affect audiences viewing experience tremendously. The longer average shot length of mobile framing shots in Sherlock is probably caused by its exploitation of more complex camera movements and varying staging. This definitely adds to the enjoyment of spectators. In terms of shots with special effects, they do not necessarily, actually, help make spectators more interested. We modern audience, after all, is way too familiar with all kinds of visual effects. However, I think the FX shots used in Sherlock are well balanced with story-telling itself. The scene in which Holmes and Watson are at the crime scene in episode 1, for instance, includes many shots with various nondiegetic words popping out on the screen. This way of using subtitles in Sherlock, combined with large amount of close-ups, helps better depict Holmes’ deducing process and helps audience, through the filmic visual language, see things as Holmes does. However, in Elementary, most of the deduction is squarely addressed by Holmes himself in a, I’d say, over-speeded and not so convincing manner.
In conclusion, the statistics and analysis above well explains, not completely but at least partially, my preference for Sherlock rather than Elementary.
[1] Mobile-mobile framing, CU-close up, MS-medium shot, MLS-middle long shot, FS-full shot, LS-long shot, FX-shots with special effects, ASL-average shot length, StDev-standard deviation