Camera Analysis of MadMen

1. Media – Analysis Of The Use Of Camera Shots
In this report I will be analysing the various camera angles and techniques used
during the first ten minutes of series 1, episode 1 of Mad Men.
One of the very first shots of the episode is an establishing tracking shot, over-looking
all the men at the bar. They area is dimly lit, and shows all the men either
smoking or drinking. This links in with gender as it emphasizes the fact that men
were the ones usually found in bars, as men were viewed as more dominant and
able to enjoy themselves more. The next shot is a short, over-the-shoulder shot
at a high angle overlooking a conversation. The main character is sat down,
possibly to show his relaxed nature, and the man he’s talking to is stood up.
Again, this links to gender the same way the last angle did as there are no women
in the scene. as a bar would not have been their place in the 1950’s. The fact that
the man stood-up is black also has ties to the racism of the 1950’s, as the only
black man in the bar was working and being
A shot in the next scene is a long-shot, showing the main character and a woman
he is with. The woman is standing at her desk slightly closer to the camera than
the man, making her appear taller than him and giving her a bigger presence on
camera. This challenges the sexual stereotype at the time of men being dominant,
and shows the woman as stronger than most at the time. One of the next shots is
a close-up two shot of the main character and the woman, with the man lying on
the woman’s chest, a reverse of how this shot is normally played out. Again, this
links in to gender as it challenges the sexual stereotypes, with this portraying the
woman as stronger and more dominant, which goes against opinion at the time.
The shot is also very bland colour-wise, with only generic whites and greys
present on screen. This could be to show that there is no love in the relationship
or real feelings anywhere, and it means nothing relationship-wise when they get
together.
Immediately after that, the setting changes and there is an establishing birds-eye
view shot looking at the ground below the skyscraper. This scene shows the
dominance and higher class of the people in the skyscraper (males especially) to
the people on the ground.
After this, there is a deep focus shot in the lift, showing three men having a
conversation, each one at different depths from the camera and all in focus.
During the conversation they each glance at the woman in front of them and the
central character smirks. This again links to gender, showing that the men view
themselves as dominant and aren’t afraid to talk down to women or be labelled
as sexist. During this scene, all three men are in focus despite being at different
distances away from the camera. This gives each man differing levels of
importance in the conversation and shows that each will have something to say.
The man given the most dialogue in the conversation is in the middle of the
three, and he’ll have been put here purposely to be the one that the viewer looks
at the most. Also during this conversation, the woman in the shot is always either
out of focus or not visible on screen at all. This again puts forward the sexual

2. stereotype of women being the weaker, less important sex; a stereotype which
the woman in the previous scene challenges.
Once the men exit the lift and get to the man’s office, we get a shot showing a
close-up of a card for a strip club, which is the only thing in focus. This is
obviously to draw attention to the card and make sure it is the only thing the
viewer looks at, to make it plainly clear that the man is lying to his wife. This
represents gender again showing that the man has no qualms at all about lying to
his wife, showing he really isn’t too bothered about what she thinks and going
with the overall stereotype at the time that males were the dominant sex.
After this, there is a pan shot of the office, showing quite a few women working
at desks in long room. The area is a brightly-lit work environment, and the
women are all concentrating solely on their work, with none of them having a
break or talking to one another. When compared with the men (who each have
their own room and private space) the women are presented as inferior, not as
important; again showing the dominance of the men. In this scene, all the women
are wearing dresses, suggesting that they’re in there not because of their skills,
but to be something for the men to look at. The next shot in this scene is a low
over-the-shoulder shot looking up at the red-haired woman as she is telling her
the basics of working there. This shows who the dominant one is in the
conversation as the camera is looking up at her, showing she is confident and
thinks a lot of herself.
The final shot in the ten minute clip is a low establishing shot of the man in the
opening scenes taking a shirt out of the desk. The fact that he has a number of
shirts in his desk shows that him staying out all night ‘working’ is a regular
occurrence, again showing his disinterest for what his wife at home must be
feeling, asserting his dominance once again. The shot is also bland and quite
colourless, showing the man’s nervousness and apprehension for the day ahead
as he has no ideas to pitch for his boss. The colour and his facial expression both
reinforce his apprehension for the day ahead, showing he isn’t as confident and
brash as the other men in the clip.