Entertainment

Heres A Musical Ode To 'Mad Men's Tracking Shots

by Alanna Bennett

Mad Men's got a lot going on when it comes to its relationship with its viewers. One of those things is its seeming ability to turn everybody into a film student. That's probably why it's only shows like Mad Men that could get songs written about their tracking shots.

For those of us who actually studied film in school, the Mad Men audience's love of the show's more cinematic elements can be sort of nostalgic thrill — like we're back in some darkened classroom studying a shot of Humphrey Bogart. In reality, we're watching modern AMC, though that doesn't stop Mad Men from being one of the most cinematic shows on television when it wants to be. If we're simplifying things, that's what a lot of people love about it: Mad Men is at once literary and cinematic, while simultaneously taking the form of a contemporary TV show we can tweet along to.

Which is why I find myself greatly amused and delighted by this music video celebrating "Every Mad Men Final Tracking Shot." Critic Matt Zoller Seitz recently made the case that modern criticism of film and television should include more attention paid to form and the way it influences what we're seeing. This video isn't exactly a Mad Men recap or a season in review — but videos like this certainly count as pop culture analysis in this day and age, and it's certainly tackling form. All you have to do is look at some of the lyrics:

It's at the end of the hourYou need a visual with powerTo show your character's desolationBut there's no crying there's no screamingWhen you're battling inner demonsSo they just sit in isolationThat's why the camera can't be stagnantYou need a shot that's more dramaticWe need to watch them as we walk awaySo we dolly through the doorway

And hey, no one's ever accused Mad Men of slacking when it comes to portraying inner demons.

Image: AMC