WIRED: When Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce moved into its new offices in the Time Life Building, the year was 1964. Herman Miller was the go-to furniture company for creative offices at that time, so it made sense that Mad Men set designer Claudette Didul-Mann would outfit the set with desks and chairs from the company’s 1964 catalog.
4 comments:
This exhibit sounds like it is going to be amazing! I was actually at the original set in los angelas over spring break and being a huge fan of the show was thrilled to be there. although its sad that the show is about to end I'm glad they are keeping it alive by doing this exhibit of the sets. I loved reading about how precise they were in getting the set exactly right. even the apples had to be taken out because unfortunately today's apples are pumped with chemicals to make them bigger, like it said in the article the apples then were naturally smaller. The set and the era are very important to the show and how the characters react. Everything is beautifully designed and nothing will be quite like it.
The details of a production are what make it. I'm really happy to see someone who is so invested in the production that they feel the pressing need to go out and buy time period specific apples. To me, that screams dedication and is why I got into this business. I love stories of people who go above and beyond to create the world of the characters. Even reading about the processes that designers go through is very interesting to me, although I'm not much of a designer myself. These details mean so much to the fans as well. In the case of the Depression-era actors, I'm glad that they thought about body-type when casting. Nowadays, Hollywood gets caught up in casting beautiful people for historical roles who's real life equivalents were probably not as model-like. Judos to them. Even though I'm four hours outside of New York City, I think it will be worth the trip to see this exhibition. I also would recommend clicking through the article to look at the other anachronisms; they're riveting.
I love this! One of my favorite things about design for a production is the little details that make it really come together. When I was in high school, my role as stage manager also included some dramaturgical duties, which I tended to take to a pretty extended level, which included very similar things as the Mad Men creative team: the weather, the methods of travel, the amount of time it would take to get from one place to another, what time the sun set in this area at this time, etc. I absolutely love making something that is actually pretend resemble its exact reality. There is something so much more satisfying to me about that, mostly in the way that I know my choices are validated by hard fact. One of my biggest pet peeves in design is "Wouldn't it be cool if..." or "I think _____ would look good." Life isn't always cool; life doesn't always look good. There should always be a very strong reason behind these kinds of choices, and I think Mad Men does a beautiful job with this.
The audience interest in the production of a show, almost as much as their actual interest in the show, is something new and refreshing. Instead of merely appreciating the story that is being told, modern audience's crave details from all aspects and facets of popular television shows. Today's conceptualization of celebrity really illustrates this, as audiences seek to know more about the actors who portray their favorite characters. Sets have become fascinating things to program viewers, and have achieved the quality of being almost hallowed ground.
It is wonderful to see such a detailed exhibit being put up to meet these demands for more knowledge, more access, and - simply put - more ways to connect to a show. The creators of the exhibit really seem to be utilizing this exhibit to educate visitors on the process of creating a show, especially by featuring the writers room "mid process". I believe giving people a more realistic glimpse into show production is vital to audience comprehension, and dispelling the fairytale image TV and movies so often garner.
Post a Comment