SYNOPSIS
ART & COPY is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!), it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time — people who’ve profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising’s "creative revolution" of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in ART & COPY were responsible for "Just Do It," "I Love NY," "Where’s the Beef?," "Got Milk," "Think Different," and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.
Via Swiss Miss
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Caught this film in a cinema packed with ad folk during Sydney Film Festival, and it really left me wanting more. It felt like an advert for the advertising industry, cloaked in a flimsy guise of documentary. Ultimately though, it was self-congratulatory and not as visually spectacular or as cleverly structured as I was expecting from a film focusing on those who specialise in spectacle and twist.
I was also craving some kind of investigative angle into the darker side of the advertising industry- where was the discussion of propaganda, or the implications of promoting unethical products? Where was the rising panic (or the savvy pioneers) of a changing media landscape?
Art & Copy definitely has some interesting interviews and personal stories, and for that, it is worth seeing- but be warned, like most bad copy aimed at a mass market, it underestimates its audience.