The Creators Project: At the Museum of the Moving Image's new exhibition, Matthew Weiner's 'Mad Men,' the costume displays are fabulous and the set design is immaculate, but the most important section is a hallway devoted to the show writers who built the sprawling seven-season narrative.
6 comments:
As a big Mad Men fan (only 3 seasons in, don't spoil anything!), this seems very, very cool to me. I have always been quite fascinated by the way authors/playwrights/screenwriters create and nurture characters and storylines, so this is definitely a place I would love to visit. Mad Men in particular is such an intricate series, in its cultural accuracy and its ability to stay relevant as well as its very well developed characters, relationships, and story. I also love the thought of all those amazing costumes and props in the same place to see in person! It is incredibly cool to think of how much fun the costume designer must have creating the clothing of whatever time period Betty Draper is in now, and all the fun research that went into the props of the show. The only thing I wonder is why an exhibition is being put together when the show still has a few more seasons to go...seems a bit more like a "Now that it's off the air" thing to me.
I have watched the entire show and cant wait to watch the last season, although i am very sad to see it go. I went to the relativity studio in L.A. where a lot of it was filmed and was in awe to be in the rooms. I think what strikes me the strongest with mad men is its ability to seamlessly have a strong story while also developing changes in the characters as they react within themselves and occasionally with the world outside. never has a decade changed so drastically, the 60s blend so well with the characters because like the decade, by the time the series is over and 10 years has gone by, the characters are in a place they never thought they would be, they are in fact in many ways very different people. This sense of reality is what sets it apart. nothing is expected, no character is 100% good or innocent, this creates a story that we can relate to and learn something from.The exhibition is a good way to bring something so powerful back to people who have nothing else to watch.
This is a truly brilliant idea. I feel like a lot of the scenic design work goes without notice even more so on tv and film than in theatre. It's great to see the sets on display being appreciated for the amount of work and artistry that the designers and carpenters put into them. I'm actually surprised something like this hasn't been done before, because it's truly a fantastic way to showcase this art style (considering the set is more box-like set like Mad Men's) and really a great way to make more money out of a series that is now off-air. I feel like this was a really good move for the show considering it's content as well, as I feel like the people who are die hard fans of the show are likely to be interested in seeing a museum exhibit like this. I'm sure this is an incredible experience, especially for those who considered the show so near and dear. I can imagine it being somewhat religious. For instance, if I were able to see the set of Scandal, I would probably be willing to pay tons of money to enter the exhibit.
This would be an awesome place to visit, particularly for the people who are interested in creating worlds like the world of Mad Men (us). It’s quite amazing how people go about their work, and how one job can lead to the next. I believe that all the hard work has paid off too, the intricacies of the story, the set, the costumes, and just the way people are acting captures the essence of that era, or at least our perception of it today. I can remember watching an episode with my mom one time, who was a child of comparable age to some of the children in the show, and having her react so seriously. She’d remember being in an extremely similar scenario, one that would never occur in today’s society, and said that ‘that’s just how things were back then’. I think that the potency of that effect is something that is a bit unprecedented as well, because I’m sure everyone has heard their parents tell a story about how they grew up, or have conceptions of the era, but there are no examples that I can recall that show this story with the point of having the details add up to show how bizarre and in many occasions hurtful people could act back then. It stands testament to the fact that the little things about how you tell a story add up.
This show is ridiculously anal with its attention to detail -- and I eat it up. I'm so glad they gave such a cool room to the writers, because I feel that the people who create the characters we fall in love/hate with never get the recognition they deserve. You can tell, if you've seen the show, that these writers know each character's full seven season arc. And that's what is so fantastic about Mad Men, because it's not as if they're going to throw in some sort of dumb side plot for Peggy or Don because that's not how they are going to move along in their lives. If it isn't necessary to their character development, it isn't going to go into the script. If you cut out the fat, you have a lean script that makes people want to watch it. And if they've gone on for seven seasons, then that's certainly a testament to their development and smart story-lines. I would absolutely love to work on a show like Mad Men -- in basically any of the departments. You can see the passion that pours from people's fingertips and into the costumes, the set, the writing, the directing, the acting...
I feel like the writers of shows, while often more visible than crew members, are too often overlooked. They are seldom truly credited with their true position at the heart of the show. I really appreciate this exhibit on multiple levels. It is bold in that it devotes so much to a recent show, instead of waiting for time to give the show historic or nostalgic importance. Many people don't perceive museum type exhibits as able to showcase recent or near-current events, and this defies that expectation. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of design and the spaces the writers used gives a dynamic sense of integration, and depicts a much more realistic depiction of a production than is often given. Design often feels segmented and cut off from writing, when in fact the two are so intertwined and co-dependent. The separation of the two compromises a holistic and comprehensive understanding of these vital production elements. This exhibit, about a show that showcases the production of a show, is true to the deepest, truest parts of a production and truly honors the show.
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