BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Accuracy of details

**Posted by tobeornot221b** April 26, 2013 6:44 pm

Every time I watch the episodes I get more and more impressed by the accuracy of details and the love for perfection on the part of the production team - even in relatively insignificant parts or props.
I think we all have read the newspaper articles in TRF. Ok - there are some repititions of passages - but surely the producers didn't mean those to be read by crazy fans frame by frame.
Maybe you don't remember Henry in HOUNDS holding a framed picture during his anxiety attack. We only get to see this pic upside down and very brief. So I decided to have a closer look, take a screen cap and rotate it. This is the result:

Amazing - isn't it? Little Henry with mum and dad.
For an average TV production, it wouldn't have been necessary to be that meticulous.
But Sherlock is far from average. Nothing new to us, of course.

An more observations concerning that amazing details accuracy?

**Posted by Tantalus** April 26, 2013 9:30 pm

Isn't there also a picture of Soo Lin and her brother that Sherlock looks at in her apartment?

**Posted by Lily** April 27, 2013 7:28 am

And they mentioned that there is a photo of Sherlock and Mycroft as teenagers somewhere in Sherlock's room.

**Posted by Be** May 15, 2013 8:55 am

tobeornot221b wrote:
Every time I watch the episodes I get more and more impressed by the accuracy of details and the love for perfection on the part of the production team - even in relatively insignificant parts or props.
I think we all have read the newspaper articles in TRF. Ok - there are some repititions of passages - but surely the producers didn't mean those to be read by crazy fans frame by frame.

Remember the man-in-the-car -boot-scene in Scandal:
Lestrade has got some forensic transparent bags in his hands. You can read the imprint. The name and adress of a website of a supplier and manufacturer of crime scene investigation equipment.
The producers obviously bought real crime scene equipment there.
If you visit the website you can find film props and see some interesting videos about forensic investigation.
I wondered at first whether it was a made up webpage, but is is probably a real one.

http://www.tetrasoc.com/index.php

Probably no lead there I'm afraid. Except some interesting insight in forensic science. If you are interested in that kind of thing.

So the Sherlock team obviously made a perfect job with Sherlock.

**Posted by butterfly grl** May 16, 2013 6:19 pm

I'm curious as to how they illuminate Sherlocks eyes when he is "using" microscopes. If the diaphragm is open so far that that amount of light is coming through the optitics, you'd be blinded.

There is a scene in the flat where it's not even turned on. That is the only time he is close enough to the optics that he'd be able to actually see what is on the slide.

Frankly, the science is rubbish. I can certainly forgive that for the sheer genious of the show.
(and, yeah, I use microscopes daily at work).

**Posted by Be** May 17, 2013 7:51 am

I found a picture on tumblr with Sherlock standing in front of his bookshelf where I was able to read the titles of some of his books:

Here are a few:
Criminal Law
Investigative Interviewing
Darvin's Lost World
Ten Most Wanted
Dictionary of World History

And finallly one with some symbolism attached:

Malcolm Gladwell The Tipping Point - How little things can make a difference

Last edited by Be (May 17, 2013 7:52 am)

**Posted by bohemia** June 1, 2013 4:46 pm

I just mentioned this is the 'mistakes' thread for the episode, but it bugs me that they got the info on John's CV so wrong in TBB. I find the little details in shows fascinating - in another life I'd have loved to work on props and location scouting for TV and film. But for the CV, it's not like they had to source it and try and find something as close to accurate as possible - someone on the production team created it from scratch, completely customisable... and got it wrong. It just seems such a bummer when so much attention goes in to these things most of the time.

**Posted by butterfly grl** June 13, 2013 8:07 pm

bohemia wrote:
I just mentioned this is the 'mistakes' thread for the episode, but it bugs me that they got the info on John's CV so wrong in TBB. I find the little details in shows fascinating - in another life I'd have loved to work on props and location scouting for TV and film. But for the CV, it's not like they had to source it and try and find something as close to accurate as possible - someone on the production team created it from scratch, completely customisable... and got it wrong. It just seems such a bummer when so much attention goes in to these things most of the time.

The look I got at Dr. Watsons CV showed that he passed his first year in Med. School. Hardly impressive. I can diagnose most everything on the list, and I'm a clinical laboratory scientist (Medical Technologist is what we were called not long ago).

**Posted by The Doctor** June 18, 2013 2:25 am

The look I got at Dr. Watsons CV showed that he passed his first year in Med. School. Hardly impressive. I can diagnose most everything on the list, and I'm a clinical laboratory scientist (Medical Technologist is what we were called not long ago).

True.. I have ttried to find out who in the production team actually wrote the CV but no information so far.

On the other hand, maybe the CV is supposed to reflect John's naivety? It reads so bad it may not be a coincidence?

**Posted by Be** March 4, 2014 9:49 am

Do you remember that we discussed the allusion to Alice in Wonderland when we talked about the roof top conversation and Humpty-Dumpty?
Now we have the tea cup and saucer in Mrs. Hudson's kitchen with references to Alice in Wonderland.

Does anybody know something about the art at Appledore on CAM's desk?
There is an emu (screams ostrich policy) and a small person (with wings!) riding it with a sword.
Actaully there are two. Another one is in the background. A bit blurry. Symmetry and symbolism.

**Posted by belis** March 7, 2014 12:06 pm

Be wrote:
Does anybody know something about the art at Appledore on CAM's desk?
There is an emu (screams ostrich policy) and a small person (with wings!) riding it with a sword.
Actaully there are two. Another one is in the background. A bit blurry. Symmetry and symbolism.

Apparently it's a cherub on an ostrich. Or alternatively Eros. There is a little meta written about it: http://skulls-and-tea.tumblr.com/post/78301053762/appledore

**Posted by Be** March 7, 2014 2:30 pm

Yes, thank you. I found that, too. And there is even a link to the website where you can buy it.
The piece is called bronze soldier with sword. My favourite prop.

Last edited by Be (March 7, 2014 2:44 pm)

**Posted by Be** March 31, 2014 12:39 pm

Interesting choice of wallpaper in John's flat. His subconscious mind is apparently playing tricks with itself?!

**Posted by Be** March 31, 2014 12:44 pm

Btw, have you seen that there are actually little elephants on a tie in TLV? The guy Janine dances with wears this tie.

**Posted by lil** May 15, 2014 7:50 am

belis wrote:
Be wrote:
Does anybody know something about the art at Appledore on CAM's desk?
There is an emu (screams ostrich policy) and a small person (with wings!) riding it with a sword.
Actaully there are two. Another one is in the background. A bit blurry. Symmetry and symbolism.

Apparently it's a cherub on an ostrich. Or alternatively Eros. There is a little meta written about it: http://skulls-and-tea.tumblr.com/post/78301053762/appledore

Yes these very interesting warrior cherubs on ostriches....camera seemed to focus on them and move around them...

Could be putti..putto...cherub offspring of weeping angels Moffat created for dr who...complex but obviously hugely researched..Mofftiss created whole legends there.So maybe a nod to the recent monster top ten thing.

Also they Reminded me a lot of chineese Fenghuang birds...similar looking bird figures of chineese mythology I've seen there.
Interesting when....phoenix...rise from ashes..pairs..spying for the master...yin/yang and when paired with a dragon symbolic of twins.
But thats obscure I know.

Then....the CHERUB books..( heh organisation)./ things Moriarty in Sherlock...James..final problem..thefall..orphans...secret agents..James..half sister and homosexual friend....wierd.
Just wiki cherub in caps for brief...

And then the magnifying glass between them...

Prop people playing curious symbolic games with us.?
Idk.

btw has anyone interested managed to get a pic where you can see the details of Marys bling broach on her red coat @ airport scene...?

Last edited by lil (May 15, 2014 8:30 am)

**Posted by tobeornot221b** June 29, 2014 5:03 pm

Today I was happy to finally having found "the elephant in the room". Yay!

On even closer examination I suddenly noticed that the cushions Lord Moran is surrounded by clearly refer to ACD's Colonel Moran as being an experienced big-game hunter.
I'm once more in awe of these thoughtful and carefully fashioned details - even if they are meant to be visible for just a few seconds.

**Posted by Harriet** June 29, 2014 5:07 pm

Great! There is a tumblr post somewhere that refers to The Elephant in the Room with several findings, but this big-game hunter motif is brilliant!

**Posted by SusiGo** June 29, 2014 5:08 pm

This is it:

http://finalproblem.tumblr.com/post/72031544909/elephants-in-the-empty-hearse-no-im-not-saying

**Posted by tobeornot221b** June 29, 2014 5:11 pm

Never knew that elephants could be so tiny!
Thank you Susi, for the link.

**Posted by tobeornot221b** June 29, 2014 5:30 pm

There's just one small error: These animals on the cushions are not to be found in India where Colonel Moran was supposed to have been in the Army. The elephants' big ears and the rhinos indicate African animals. But who am I to complain about our genius writers ...