David Kelly

AS Media: Assessment 2: MAP 1

In the opening sequence of Mad Men season one: episode one, many different shots are used to represent different things about gender. An over the shoulder shot is used in the first minute showing the main character, Don Draper, sat in a bar drinking what looks like whiskey. The shot also shows him in a suit showing he is smart and successful. Whiskey usually represents men as it is stereotyped as mans drink so this shot shows his masculinity. In the same shot a shallow focus is also used to show he is the main character.

When the waiter is talking to Don an eyeline match is used because they’re having a conversation. Soon after another waiter came at which point it showed a two shot of the two waiters, one towering the other as the other looks down. This shows that the other waiter could be discriminating the other one because of his skin colour. The reason the man came over was also discriminating because he thought the waiter was disturbing Don.

In the scene were Don goes to the woman’s flat, she seems more dominant, when they’re talking there is a shallow focus on her, even though there is a man in the room, showing she is not like the other women in the show as she is the main character in this scene. A long shot is also used to show what the woman is wearing; she wears clothes that differ from other women shown in the show. Other women wear more revealing clothes such as short, tight dresses or skirts whereas this woman was wearing a mans shirt, which may have been Don’s, and trousers which shows dominance and that she is not interested in attracting a man.

In the elevator the three men stood over the woman in it showing they’re more dominant, they also showed this by talking about women in a disrespectful way but not directing at her.

In the office scene it uses a dolly and track shot to show that all of the women working there are in one place and there are not many men as they have their own workplaces. An eye line shot is then used to show the women talking to the other one about how to act and impress men. The camera then pans to the right as Don Draper walks past; this shows dominance in the male gender as when the men come into the picture the camera instantly turns to them.