PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2014: MAD MEN {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 31st William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Dolby Theatre, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television’s creative community. This PALEYFEST 2014 seminar honors "Mad Men" the drama series about the goings-on at a New York City advertising agency in the 1960s, centering on high-level executive Don Draper.
Host Dany Berghoff (vice-president, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks before introducing moderator Mike Schneider (Los Angeles bureau chief, TV Guide magazine). Schneider then brings executive producer/creator Matthew Weiner to the stage. Weiner explains the setup for the sixth season finale, "In Care Of," which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 113936.)
After the screening, Schneider moderates the following panelists: producer/cast member Jon Hamm (Don Draper) and cast members Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris); Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olson), Robert Morse (Bertram Cooper), Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell), Jessica Pare (Megan Draper), and Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper).
The panelists discuss topics which include: how they're preparing for the show's final season; the challenges for Hamm in portraying Don's downward spiral in season six; Shipka's mixed feelings while shooting the pivotal final scene in "In Care Of"; internet rumors that surfaced regarding the death of Pare's character; whether friction arose over a recent New York Magazine cover's headline: "Elisabeth Moss Has Been the Star of 'Mad Men' All Along"; the effort for scripts to depict the progress of women in the work place; the complex, ever-evolving relationship between the characters of Joan and Peggy; cast members' theories on the ongoing mystery behind "Bob Benson"; Morse's gratitude to the show's writers for continually coming up with "the moments"; why Weiner has habitually guarded future scripts so closely; how Hamm's role as a producer has evolved over the years; and if the actors find the scripts' moments of silence more challenging than dialogue.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: Kartheiser's reaction to shaving parts of his head as Pete loses his hair; whether Bryan Batt (Sal Romano) will return in season seven; costume designer Janie Bryant's contributions to the period ambience; if Pare was intimidated at joining the cast after the show had already "clicked"; what the actors learned when talking to advertising executives that thrived in the '60s; if cast members ever unconsciously let their characters bleed into their home lives; the potential for spinoffs; reflecting on how "Mad Men" changed the AMC programming lineup; and the actors' most memorable moments while being part of Weiner's ensemble.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 21, 2014 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:05:08
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 113933
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Dany Berghoff … Host
- Mike Schneider … Moderator
- Jon Hamm … Panelist
- Christina Hendricks … Panelist
- Elisabeth Moss … Panelist
- Robert Morse … Panelist
- Vincent Kartheiser … Panelist
- Jessica Pare … Panelist
- Kiernan Shipka … Panelist
- Bryan Batt
- Janie Bryant