Creative Influences from Mad Men

I'm a video production major, which is just an excuse to watch lots of TV.
One of my all-time favorite shows is Mad Men, which is the creative vision of creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner. Of course, the work of many other brilliant people comes together to make this show as great as it is.
Mad Men, set in the Manhattan advertising world of the early 60s, has the close attention to detail, depth of characters and plot, and visual flair that I hope to reflect in my own creative work. Every aspect of the show has so much care and research put into it--costumes, props, story, music, visuals and editing. Everything is accurate to the time, and carefully chosen to add to the greater meaning of the story. And each episode has an overarching theme which rewards careful viewers. I admire the thought and care it takes to combine all the parts to make a meaningful whole, and I hope my own creative work will someday live up to that standard.

Contrasting Characters
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In this clip, the colors of Peggy (Elisabeth Moss, right) and Joan's (Christina Hendricks) clothing contrast with each other to show the difference between their personalities: Peggy is a timid new secretary in muted, conservative colors, and Joan is the vivacious head secretary in attention-getting pink and a huge bag. We also notice that the other secretaries' clothing is in affinity with the colors of the office, visually tying them to their environment: their lives are all about work, and to the men they work for, they are little more than fixtures. Costume designer Janie Bryant often uses color and shape deliberately to reflect the characters' personalities, whether it's matching a housewife to the colors of her home or putting Peggy in girly silhouettes to contrast with the men's sharp suits.

The "Carousel" Monologue

Watch this clip here
In this scene, ad man Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is giving a pitch for a new Kodak slide projector. His speech about nostalgia and the human longing for simpler times rings true for his own life--Don's life is all about work, and he regrets drifting away from his family. He keeps his past secret from even his wife, and he seems to be growing tired of keeping up a facade. None of this is never said outright, but through the acting, emotional score (by David Carbonara), and scene direction, we as the audience can actively deduce these meanings, instead of being told in a didactic manner. This would be a horrible scene if didactic storytelling was used! All I can think of is some cheesy voiceover of Don's thoughts: "Maybe I should spend more time with my children, now that I think about it..."

Tension & Subtext
In this last scene, Joan and her onetime lover Roger (John Slattery) are returning from a dinner date, though both are now married to other people. His wife is distant and her husband is off in Vietnam. They have a romantic history and are still attracted to each other, though neither will do anything about it. To add to the romantic and sexual tension already going on before the scene, they get mugged while walking home. The baseline of normality (talking while walking down the street) is set at the beginning of the scene, then tension is introduced when the mugger appears. When he takes their wedding rings, the subtext is that they are both unhappy with their marriages and are about to re-start their affair--this only adds to the buildup of tension. This tension is finally released when they (finally!) kiss.



While is Mad Men a visual treat and fun for history buffs, it is at heart an example of great storytelling. The subtle techniques used to create deeper meaning keep me coming back to this show every week!