Screening Journal #1 Date: October 8th, 2015
Student Name: Rui Shi
Student Number: 250782627 TV Serial Chosen: Mad Men Season 2 Episode 1: For those who think young
The first episode of Mad Men starts as people in advertising firm Sterling Cooper face new challenges in work and their lives. With no prior knowledge to the show, I like its anesthetic style of story-telling. Throughout the first episode, the sound and visual styles they use impress me. Lacking of thrillers or humour in the show, this episode paints real pictures of the chaotic 1960s. Its mise-en-scene and cinematographic techniques are especially detailed that make the seemingly plain show still enjoyable. Most importantly, after analyzing the show, I start to appreciate the encoded insights in the show about the American society in 1960s.
Sound/visual styles and their implications
The sound and visual style in Mad Men very …show more content…
As Bulter mentioned in the textbook, Mad Men is amongst one of the shows that reveals the ceiling. Indeed, the lighting is exceptional and it is designed to signify the feeling of the character. In many shots, dark symbolizes anxiety and sadness. Let us take Don as an example. As he defense himself about his life during his physical example, half-shadowed face (Figure 9) suggests that he might not believe what himself is saying. Figure 2 shows the bar scene where Don’s whole body is heavily shadowed. The shadow implies Don’s inner anxiety and stress about his life. Even when Don goes home (figure 10) the low key lighting has the face of Don and Betty is completely shaded. Although no lines regarding to the character’s feeling is found, the shadow implies the unhappiness exists in Don’s family and provides the audience the evidence of Don’s inability to satisfied his wife and being a good
Student Name: Rui Shi
Student Number: 250782627 TV Serial Chosen: Mad Men Season 2 Episode 1: For those who think young
The first episode of Mad Men starts as people in advertising firm Sterling Cooper face new challenges in work and their lives. With no prior knowledge to the show, I like its anesthetic style of story-telling. Throughout the first episode, the sound and visual styles they use impress me. Lacking of thrillers or humour in the show, this episode paints real pictures of the chaotic 1960s. Its mise-en-scene and cinematographic techniques are especially detailed that make the seemingly plain show still enjoyable. Most importantly, after analyzing the show, I start to appreciate the encoded insights in the show about the American society in 1960s.
Sound/visual styles and their implications
The sound and visual style in Mad Men very …show more content…
As Bulter mentioned in the textbook, Mad Men is amongst one of the shows that reveals the ceiling. Indeed, the lighting is exceptional and it is designed to signify the feeling of the character. In many shots, dark symbolizes anxiety and sadness. Let us take Don as an example. As he defense himself about his life during his physical example, half-shadowed face (Figure 9) suggests that he might not believe what himself is saying. Figure 2 shows the bar scene where Don’s whole body is heavily shadowed. The shadow implies Don’s inner anxiety and stress about his life. Even when Don goes home (figure 10) the low key lighting has the face of Don and Betty is completely shaded. Although no lines regarding to the character’s feeling is found, the shadow implies the unhappiness exists in Don’s family and provides the audience the evidence of Don’s inability to satisfied his wife and being a good