INSTITUTO ANTONIO M.

SAENZ
PROFESORADO DE INGLES
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE II
PROFESORA: MA. CRISTINA LLORENTE
ALUMNA: RIGONAT YANINA

A term coined in the late 1950s to describe the advertising executives of

Madison Avenue.

MISE-ENSCENE______________________________________________________________
Mise-en scene (French, 1833) encompasses what the audience can see and the way in
which we are invited to see it. So in talking about mise-en scene one is also talking about
framing, camera movement, lighting, costume, dcor and the actors themselves-according
to John Gibbs in his book Mise-en-scene, Film Style and Interpretation, 2002.

SETTING: The plot is setting in the New York City around 1960 in a high-powered and
glamorous golden age of advertising industry. Through the episode you see different
locations but the main location where the action takes place is the offices of Sterling
Cooper, a Madison Avenue advertising agency. The floor is full of offices rooms. While
the male executives occupy private offices around, the female secretaries are
permanently on display in the central open area of the floor.

The office of Don is decorated in an art deco style, with huge windows, excellent solar
light, American shutters and wood furniture. The room is full of warm colours with
decorative objects, books, plants, portraits and drinks in a minibar.

Other objects such as cars and office appliances (standing fan, phone, typewriter and
communicators) in the setting represent the concept of filthiness.

LIGHTING: In general the lighting establishes mood and directs attention to detail.
There is an effect such as high key light, which shines directly upon the characters to
emphasize their mood, in contrast with the metallic colours that male characters wear.
The use of solar light gives a realistic atmosphere in the main offices and outside the
building, in the street.

In location such as different bar or restaurant the lighting is placed with artificial light
such as lamps that illuminate characters faces. In general, there is a clear difference
between day and night in which both are well-defined

In the next scene, there is a close-up shot of characters face which shows him
sleeping. There is key light effect (A little contrast between dark and bright revealing
of detail).This change in brightness on the frame, imitates the glow of exploding
bombs in the distance, and the diegetic sound of the bombs emerges from the scene
itself.

COSTUME AND HAIR: Short hair with gel in men and hair pulled, ponytail or even short
hair in women was sophisticated symbol. Dressing up impeccably was a way of life.
Fashion saw an emergence of consumer-driven attitude in the 50s and 60s. The
male characters are wearing suits based on the institution of colours (Metallic colours
like blue, grey and black). Suits are combined with light shirts (especially white shirts).
The look was made up of a slightly-flared jacket; shoulders following natural lines, a
narrow cut, a bowler hat, and an overcoat. There are some objective correlatives that
help to be the extension of the males characters such as suitcases or canes.

The glasses made the difference. It also made it very credible to wear glasses. (Clark
Kane style). Glasses have become something to complete the look.

The style adopted by women in the '50s and 60s is best defined as feminine,
sensuous and elegant. The figure was majorly highlighted by the outfits clothes. The
fashion in the fifties evolved to fuller calf-length skirts and soft shoulder lines that
enhanced a woman's figure. The shape of the clothes was categorized by dresses that
had a below-mid-calf length, full-skirt, pointed bust, small waist, and rounded shoulder
line. Several women had taken to wearing trousers. And in the sixties, they continued
to wear pants.
During the day, the formal wear was defined suits which combined jackets, skirts, hats
and gloves. Women wore dresses generally opted for patterns with full skirts and a
fitted bodice. Evening dresses often were of the same length as day dresses and were
combined with a short, bolero jacket.

The most famous icons in fashion were Dior and Chanel. In the late 1950s Coco
Chanel headlined with the Chanel suit, a braid trimmed jacket styled after cardigan
worn with an A-line skirt.

FIGURE BEHAVIOUR:
Mad Men highlights the female oppression of patriarchal
ideologies. However, it also draws the attention to the shifts that were occurring as
the result of the impact of second wave feminism.
There are two well-defined different female personalities. The first one, the
housewife, who domains the domestic space of her home, takes care kids and must
accept what her husband says and acts according to socially acceptable feminine
decorum. And the second one, the feminist worked class, who tries to rise, based on
boosting male egos and seducing men with playful flirtation, but females are aware of
their position as sexualized objects of the male gaze and they take advantage of it.
The figure of the males characters is represented through masculinity and patriarchal
structures. Don, the main character, says Im not going to let a woman talk to me
like this, - he refers to Rachel Menken. Don represents the body of masculine
perfection, power and privilege, independence and freedom. This strong identity is
followed by his partners who see Don as a very successful man.
There is a collective fantasy construction in the society supported by the advertising
industry , the use of social values and the prevailing imaginary homeland of
American Dream; this activate the desire to consume all type of things and it is
perceived as progress.
MAKE-UP:

1960s high-fashion makeup became all about the eyes and full lips with bright colors;
the rest of the face was kept more soft and natural, or pale.

CINEMATOGRAPHY_________________________________________________________________
____
Cinematography: The term of formal analysis that encompasses everything to do with the
camera. By Amy Villarejo

At the beginning of the episode, the camera travels from one point of a night bar, and
then it is running the length of a bar and finishes the shot on the back of a man.

A zoom shot allows changing the distance between the camera and the subject
without moving the camera. It finishes with an over the shoulder shot and a close-up
shot of the heads man.

In the next scene, the camera crosses the axis and the camera shot, now, is based on
the 180 degree rule.

There is a close-up shot of the character and then a close-up shot of his hands to show
details. (There are napkins which have some ideas written)
Don has a conversation with a waiter so the camera crosses the axis again and again.
The frame is constantly changing from Dons perspective (a close-up shot) to the
waiters perspective (a medium shot).

The frame which shows the entrance to the Sterling Cooper Building is shot on
location in Madison Avenue. Here, there is a top shot looking directly down on a scene
from the top of the building.

There is another scene which shows a fixed shot focusing on a beige sofa.
The static camera records a sequence of frames in which the character moves in a
way that lies on the sofa. He looks up to the ceiling and sees a fly trapped in the
square lamp, which is part of the ceiling.

The shot shows the characters perspective and the bright of the lamp takes the
viewer to imagine the characters dream.

MAD
MEN
AND
THE
DREAM________________________________________

AMERICAN

Mad Men shows the advertisings world in the 50s or 60s but also concentrates the
show in American life and culture. When the episode stars, Don Draper is sit alone
taking a cocktail in a bar. Its worth pointing out here that Don is white. While Sam,
the waiter, is black. Basically, Don, the main character sells the American dream.
When he reaches to grab some weights, a purple heart labeled Lt. Donald Francis
Draper- falls to the floor. He puts it back in the drawer without much thought.

This scene seems to show an ex- military who fights for his country. Now, he takes the
weights and he practices. He is an active, proudly and successful creative director
advertising agency. This is an era of successful guys who drink, smoke and get laid as
much as possible. The glamorous settings and mise-en-scene of mad men provides an
idealized fantasy world in 1960s. Don says:-Advertising is based on one thing:

happiness- Happiness is the smell of a new car, Its freedom from fear-. Despite of
his actual success, hes struggling with the question of how to sell cigarettes in a
world where the public is slowly awarding to their health risks. He finds a success
slogan, Its toasted, to sells the brand Lucky Strike. The inspired and innovative
approach that he gives denote the ability and skill that the character has in this
business

The manipulation of the messages about different values in ads generates that
consumers buy everything which satisfied their needs, even everything not satisfied
their real needs but helps people to feel part of the society. The aesthetics of female
beauty captures through the traditional housewife, a beautiful and nave childlike, and
the emergent figure of the working woman who is gaining independence financially
and emotionally, are clear examples of the messages that show wants to focus on.
Women are targeted as consumers and constitute the core for the majority of
advertising campaigns, even though these ads fail to achieve the womens real
needs. (In the first episode, Don wants to offer coupons to housewife to sell
cigarettes).

THE
CHARACTER:
MENKEN_____________________________________________

RACHEL

Rachel Menken is a well-educated, smart-minded, sexy Jewish lady. She is the owner
of department store (catering to a largely Jewish clientele). Her father worked himself
to the bone to give her the status she has now and shes well aware of it. She feels
the pressure of a daughter who was supposed to be a son. She comes to Sterling
Cooper agency to try to get new ideas to advertise her store. There, she represents a
strong woman who is willing to face whatever it takes to fulfill her will. She exerts
power overt him when she demands Don to turn her store into the next Channel and
she degrade his position for his poor innovate idea to offer coupons to housewives.
She uses her power to demonstrate that she is in charge. Through the first episode,
she touches Dons vulnerability saying -it must be hard being a man too.- She sees
that Don understands what it is to be outside sometimes and uses it to break his
prejudice.
She has a mix between Coco Channel and Jackie Kennedy style, known for her classic,
tailored suits and ladylike dresses, almost always in strong, solid colors. These clothes

designs express independence, dynamism and defined silhouettes. And of course, it

denotes sophistication and high society status.

The work here is put in to make her look different from the rest of the women in the
cast. Her Jewishness was an early plot point. I would think that her attractive but not
sexy attitude would attract Dons personality.

ETHNICITY
GENDER_____________________________________________________

AND

There are some themes that appear on Mad Men in this episode. In the first scene,
Don sits alone in a bar. A black, gray-haired man comes and Don asks him for a light.
He begins to talk with the waiter, Sam. Immediately, another waiter but, this time, a
white waiter man comes and asks Don if Sam is being too chatty. Don says its okay
and orders him another drink, an old fashioned. It is evident the racial discrimination
against black people in that days, the black people only occupied low-wage jobs such
as waiter, elevator man or domestic service women.

Another example is the allusion of Jews, sometimes masked, sometimes overtbut

then, always in the context of the casual anti-Semitism. It has relation with the slow
emergence of Jewish culture into the American mainstream. Even Don Draper is not
immune to some form of prejudice. This he realizes when he meets the client from the
Menkens Department Store who was a woman. His mistake is even more emphasized
when he fails to recognize a colleague, and extends his hand to him mistaking him for
their client. The reason for his confusion is that Roger searches a Jewish employee to
help impress their Jewish client and this strategy ends up having someone from the
mailroom pretend to be a member of the art department. Many Jews found it difficult
to enter the mainstream advertising community, as often clients refused to have them
working in their accounts. Jews were only accepted at Jewish agencies;
Then, other controversial theme for the time is the homosexuality, which is overt
under the character of Sal, who his closed homosexuality is invisible to Don.

It is accompanied with a racial and sexual intolerance, and female subordination.

The progressive female views are encapsulated in Joan advice speech to Peggy in
which she suggested that Peggy go home and take your clothes off in front of a mirror,
place a paper bag over her head and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of her
appearance.

But at the same time, Joan beliefs in female inferiority, saying that the men who
designed the typewriter made it simple enough for a woman to use-

Also, it emphasizes the difficulties presented in female working class under the white
male dominance.
Based on her experience beyond the office Joan knows very well how to serve their
masters hinting that their services sometimes extend to the bedroom. Trying to adapt
her in the rhythm of the office, Peggy attempts to seduce Don Draper on her first day
and fails.

NARRATOLOGY___________________________________________________________
___
TV series: Mad Men, Season one, Episode one.
PLOT: The episode stars with the main character, Don Draper, sits alone scribbling
new ideas in a noisy bar. A black, grey haired waiter man comes up and Don asks him
for a light. Don begins a talk about cigarettes with Sam, the waiter. A white waiter
man comes to ask Don if Sam is being too talkative. Don says its okay and orders
him another old fashioned.
Later that night, Don knocks at Midges door, an artist friend of him. He tells her
about his tobacco campaign. He finds comfort to his frustration of his work on Midges
arms. She is a kind of lover in which Don can go to escape of his frustrations and truly
to be him. They make love. The morning comes and they wake up together. Don
leaves the apartment to go to work. Don suggests they get married, Midge says no.
Don again expresses fear about the tobacco meeting.
In the Sterling Cooper Building a bunch of business people is arriving at work. Peggy,
on her first day, gets into the elevator with three guys who are behind her. They walk
by the corridor of the floor discussing Campbells bachelor party and pass in front of
Campbells secretary, who tries to stop them but she fails.
Office manager Joan gives Peggy, the new secretary, an office tour to show the work.
Joan advises Peggy to look a little sexier at the office.
Roger Cooper and Don Draper enter Dons office. They discuss the tobacco account
while Don changes his shirt. Roger asks Don if there are any Jews on staff because
they have an 11 oclock with Menkens Department Store and he thinks a Jew there
would make them feel comfortable.
A purple heart labeled -Lt. Donald Francis Draper- falls to the floor when he tries to
grab some weights, so he puts it back in the drawer without much thought. While he
is training his arms, Salvatore enters and shows some drawings for the tobacco
campaign. Greta Guttmann, a researcher, discusses about the death wish and the
danger of smoking with him. Don throws away the report and she leaves the offices
threatening him.
Don falls asleep on his sofa. He awakes when Peggy tells him that Pete is waiting
outside. Pete enters and he starts flirting aggressively with Peggy, suggesting that she
should dress more attractively. Don apologizes for Petes attitude. Don and Pete leave

for the meeting, Don advises Pete for his behaviour and then they arrive at the
Menkens meeting.
Peggy visits the gynecologist recommended by Joan Holloway. He writes a prescription
for Enovid.
Rachel Menken is defrauded with the ideas presented in the meeting. Don ends up
leaving the meeting.
Don has a meeting with Lucky Strike. The sudden interest on the health claims
generates a crisis within the tobacco company. The client is waiting a good argument
to fight with the problem but Don is silent and paralyzed. To solve the situation, Pete
tries to make a move exposing a solution. Disappointed at the possible result, the
client tries to leave the office. In that moment, Don proposes something different. Don
gives a Toasted speech. Everyone surprises by the ability of Don to convince the
client. Roger and Don drink celebrating the Lucky Strike account. Roger comments
about a Nixon presidential campaign.
Peggy insinuates Don, but he puts her in her place. Pete takes the guys in to celebrate
Dons success and then they go to the bachelor party.
Don meets Rachel in a restaurant; he apologizes and gives her a cold view of life and
love. She sees how similar they are. She suggests a new meeting to Monday morning.
Don takes the train and drives to his house. His wife awakes when she hears him
arriving. They begin kissing. He goes to see the kids, and his wife enters to the
childrens bedroom.

STORY
AND
TRACK_____________________________________________________

STORY

SOUND

SOUND TRACK

The sounds of jazz and blues go back

Events reconstructed in chronological
you to the golden age where
order.
romanticism and modernity come
Two consecutive days in March, 1960.
together in a sense of progress.
Opening credits.
Opening scene, Don, the main character is
sitting in a bar, scribbling down ideas. At
night.
Later, Don visits his lover Midge. He talks
to Midge about his cigarette work and she
puts on a record. In the morning, he leaves
the Midge s apartment.
The entrance to the Sterling Cooper
Building. There are three men who have a
talk in the elevator.
Joan gives Peggy, the new secretary, an
office tour and she gives Peggy some piece

"A Beautiful Mine" by RJD2.

Band of Gold by Don Cherry.

Unidentified song.
"Elevator
Carbonara.

Gossip"

by

David

"The New Girl" by David Carbonara.

of advice.
Roger and Don have a conversation about
the tobacco account while Don changes his
shirt.
Don reaches to grab some weights; a
purple heart falls to the floor.
Salvatore comes in Dons office and he has
a conversation with Don. Then Greta
Guttman discusses a health report with
Don.
Don is sleeping on the sofa of his office, it
seems that his mind reminds the sound of
bombs exploding in the distance
Don leaves his office and he has a talk with
Pete.
Don and Pete arrives a meeting with Rachel
Menken, the owner of a store.
Peggy visits the doctor recommended by
Joan.
Another scene about the meeting with
Rachel Menken. Don discusses with Rachel
and leaves the room.
Don has the Lucky Strike tobacco meeting
and he presents an extraordinary idea to
publish the brand.

The sound of bombs exploding in the

distance.

"These Modern
Carbonara.

Times"

by

David

Pete's bachelor party is in a strip club.

"Shangri-La" by Robert Maxwell.

Don has a meeting with Rachel Menken in a

restaurant at night.
Don travels in the train, on the way of his
home.
Ending scene, Don is in the bedroom with
his two kids, and his wife enters.

Caravan (Instrumental) by Gordon

Jenkins.
On the Street Where You Live by Vic
Damone.

OPENING
SEQUENCE_________________________________________________

CREDITS

The opening title sequence to Mad Men, it is for me probably one of the most touching
openings in the history of television. The creator Matthew Weiner does not waste the
first thirty-seconds to catch the attention of the viewer. The entire sequence is
animated. The viewer follows a black silhouette which is completely anonymous and it
enters on an office, sets down his briefcase, and takes a few steps.

After a few seconds the office crumbles at once, sending the entire contents of the
office, including the silhouette himself, cascading into a downward spiral of
advertisements, smiling ladies, and slogans.

It ends with the same silhouette resting in a chair with a cigarette while the title to the
show appears and sets off into the episode.

This opening matches the visual style of the show, sets meaning in the
advertisements that in some part represent the American dream: a family with kids,
wedding ring, and an attractive female. Additionally there are ads of liquor and sex.
Visibly noticeable is an ad for a Kentucky Bourbon called Old Taylor 86 which comes
with the tag line Enjoy the best America has to offer.

The office is seen in an art deco style, with black bold lines outlining objects on a desk
and windows. It gives the viewer the same modern feel that encompassed the 1960s.
The idea is represented the real office where the events take place.

The entire series is built upon perfecting every set piece and it was almost a
monochrome world. The character is represented by a black silhouette in a suit. It is
highly stylize. Characters main motivation in the series involves finding that
American dream. He wants a perfect family with children and a perfect smiling wife.
You can see that when he falls over the glass of whiskey, the liquid ripples and when
he falls over the womans naked leg it moves up and down.

This could be symbolic of how he will continually give into liquor and affairs with other
women, and how powerful their impact is on characters life.
The opening credit sequence is full of obvious and hidden clues as to what this series
is all about. The only figure you see is the falling man. As the man has no identity, it
leaves the question as to what the protagonist will be, what kind of characters it will
encounter, and the plot of the series overall.

Observation: an interested point that I found investigating the series is this initial
fuller concept of opening credits.

The frames show a silhouetted guy running and being chased. The meaning of the
show, the essence of the character would be misunderstood or misinterpreted for that
reason it was changed.
Although in this sequence there is more color, the styling, the production design and
the graph paper skyscraper idea, and the 60s architecture inside the agency ideas
were conserved in the last final opening credits.

Yanina Rigonat.