Better Late Than Never

Last Saturday night, while everyone was getting ready to go out for their first weekend back at IC, I was sitting in my room, alone, in the dark, eating Chinese food (from Wegmans, because why not?), watching Friends.

I had been told since I was--I don't know--born to watch Friends by many people in my life. My friends reference the show all the time and I play along as if I know what they're talking about. Just last week, Taylor Swift performed in Los Angeles as part of her 1989 World Tour and brought Lisa Kudrow out to perform a song that her character, Phoebe Buffay, wrote on Friends called "Smelly Cat." My roommate Ali freaked out and showed me a video. I didn't really know how to respond.

This weekend I decided to give it a shot and Netflix made it very easy by putting all 10 seasons up (YAY). Also, each episode is only 22 minutes long, so it was very easy for me to get right into the show.

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't like the first episode. It seemed like every other cut was a jump cut, I couldn't see why everyone loooooves Rachel, and it just felt the same as every other sitcom I've ever watched. Then I realized that most of the sitcoms I watched growing up were based off the success of Friends; once I let this fact go, it started getting better.

By the fourth episode, I caught myself laughing out loud (literally) at one of Chandler's lines.  

By the fifth, I was invested in the characters. By the seventh, I remembered something important that one of my professors abroad had said about the show. 

Dr. Richard Weight taught my British Youth Culture class, and he often brought up the reasons why youth culture exists. Basically, young adults suddenly had more time to be young. They were going to school, living and learning with people of the opposite sex, and most importantly, not having children. He always put this into fancy terminology and called it "pre-marital cohabitation" and used Friends as the biggest example of this in the media. 

Friends is not just the sitcom that influenced all other sitcoms--it shows a drastic shift in youth culture. People did not go straight from being children to having children. Young people took their time in life and learned to be independent. In the pilot episode of the show, Rachel moves in with Monica when she runs away from her own wedding.

The show is also culturally important because it is one of the first shows where the characters openly discuss dating, childbirth, sex, and sexual orientation. (And I'm only 10 episodes in). Samantha Allen writes in an article for Arts.Mic that, "There would be no New Girl, no Mindy Project, no Sex in the City without Friends."

After reading her this blog, Ali says that she's "proud of me." I don't know how much more of Friends I'll watch, solely because there are many other TV shows I want to see, but I don't regret a minute of it.

Pushing Daisies

Freshman year, I took a class where we looked at different TV shows and critiqued on its aesthetics and presentation. One show that really jumped out at me was called Pushing Daisies. This Tv drama was like no other. The colors and patterns shown on screen really made an impact to the viewer. The creator of the show, Bryan Fuller, told several magazines and publishing company's that he was going for a "Tim Burton trippy" look, with bright colors and exaggerated patterns. the picture below says it all.






It gives the viewer an Alice and Wonderland look, with a twist of a cartoon fashion. Many shades of red and orange brighten the picture, and you also get a sense of symmetry in ever shot. The NY times say the show looks like a Candyland version of life. Even the plot has a fantasy feeling.

New, the town pie maker, discovered a special gift he had when he was young. He had the power to touch anything dead, whether it was a person, plant, or animal, and make it come back to life. However, the next time he touched him, her, or it, it would remain dead forever. Watching the pilot episode, I really thought this looked corny and stupid. But the characters really kept the driving the story. Ned and a detective pair up to solve murder mysteries to collect the reward for catching the killer. There is no Law and Order terms in this show, and the dialogue is funny and easy to keep up with. The music sounds like a fairy tale Disney movie, but for adults, setting the tone of every scene. This is a show I definitely recommend to all looking for something new to pick up.

The Insane Production Design of AMC's 'Mad Men'

I recently finished watching a number of different shows and was in need of something new to sink my teeth (and my rapidly decreasing free time) into. Knowing that I am both into advertising and the 1950s, a friend of mine suggested that I watch Mad Men. I had not previously intended on getting into the series, mostly because of all the hype the show had received over the years. I didn't want to be disappointed if it turned out to be just another run of the mill drama. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong.

Mad Men is a highly stylized and highly entertaining show, created by executive producer Matthew Weiner for AMC. The show's website sums it up well:

"The series revolves around the conflicted world of Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the biggest ad man (and ladies man) in the business, and his colleagues at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Advertising Agency. As Don makes the plays in the boardroom and the bedroom, he struggles to stay a step ahead of the rapidly changing times and the young executives nipping at his heels. The series also depicts authentically the roles of men and women in this era while exploring the true human nature beneath the guise of 1960s traditional family values."

While the writing is outstanding and the acting spot on, the most impressive aspect of Mad Men is the production design. From the wallpaper to the liquor bottles, everything is hand picked to transport the viewers into the world of New York and LA in the late 1950s/early 1960s. The creative team, guided by Matthew Weiner's vision, responsible for crafting the look of the show is headed by Production Designer Dan Bishop and Art Director Chris Brown. Along with a large team of professionals ranging from graphic designers to historical researchers, the duo makes sure that the show is as authentic as possible. Dan Bishop says in an article,

"...we want to try never to be inaccurate. The question is, did it exist in 1962? Then the next question is, was it in common use in 1962? And then, was it in common use in New York City? Sometimes we will say, "You know what? Probably most people didn't have this in their home in 1960, but this character is modern and up-to-date and maybe they had it shipped in from the West Coast."

An example of this meticulous attention to detail can be seen in the Drapers' kitchen:


Part of the allure of this show is that you are given a glimpse of life in transition between two very different decades: the demure '50s to the wild '60s. The sets and props are designed to change with the times. You can see how the outside world affects the characters' own worlds through both the costume design and the set design. For example, the Drapers' living room gets a makeover in the third season to keep up with the trends of the time. Their original living room is filled with '50s pastels and light floral accents:

When it is redone, the room has a more modern feel with the bold prints and primary colors of the '60s:


Since the show's beginning in 2008, Mad Men has been given awards left and right. The show has won the Excellence in Production Design Award from the Art Directors Guild consecutively for the past four years as well as many Emmy's for "Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series." These prestigious awards and the excellent quality of the show itself will keep it running for many more seasons, which give me many more years of nerding out about antique rotary phones and floral wallpaper.

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Here's a short video piece that talks more about the design choices with Dan Bishop and set dresser Amy Wells:



To read more, try these links:
'Mad Men': Production designer Dan Bishop - latimes.com
'Mad Men' series designer Dan Bishop discusses how he gets the sets so right - washintonpost.com
'Mad Men' Has Its Moment - nytimes.com

Wadup!

Skins cast

Hey, First of all, I'm a huge fan of British Television. This summer I started watching Skins (you guys have probably heard of it), and I really liked it. I would highly recommend it. It's set on Bristol, UK, and it basically follows the lives of a group of friends. The whole cast usually changes every two seasons which makes it kinda cool because you get involved with the different characters, and it gives the show a chance to develop new stories. People usually say that it's just a show about drugs, partying and sex, but I think it's more than that. The writing is great, and the way they tell the story of each of the characters is really innovative. My mind gets like blown every time I watch it. The only bad thing about this show is the technical aspect. While I was watching it, I noticed several continuity problems, like harsh movement of the characters, or stuff appearing and disappearing. But besides that, what really makes the show (as I already mentioned) is the writing. They hire people our age (around their 20's) to write the show. It really gives the show a fresh style, so if you have time to check it out I would totally recommend you to do so!