Art & Copy Doc Examines Aesthetics of Ads
Doug Pray’s Film Pays Tribute to Hal Riney, George Lois, and Others
Mar 30, 2009
Art & Copy was screened at its East Coast Premiere in the American Independent Competition at the 2009 Florida Film Festival.
Who Will Enjoy the Documentary Art & Copy?
For people who tape all their television programs so they can fast-forward through commercials, change the radio station when an advertisement comes on, and have never once clicked an online ad, they probably won’t get much out of Art & Copy. To them, it might seem like just an 86-minute advertisement for advertising.
However, for any consumer who jumps on the bandwagon with each new catch-phrase (“Where’s the Beef?” “Just Do It,” “I’m Lovin’ It,” etc.), this independent documentary examines some of the most successful advertising campaigns in the past 40 years. Past and future advertising copywriters and artists will also enjoy this look at the cream of the advertising crop.
The Experts Who Created the Advertising Campaigns
Viewers learn from advertising heavyweights, Lee Clow, Jim Durfee, Cliff Freeman, Jeff Goodby, David Kennedy, George Lois, Charlie Moss, Hal Riney, Phyllis K. Robinson, Ed Rollins, Rich Silverstein, Mary Wells, and Dan Wieden. These mostly anonymous men and women worked behind the scenes creating the concepts and slogans that captured the spirit of the times.
Aggressive showman George Lois, for instance, discusses how his campaign took the then little-known designer Tommy Hilfiger and turned him into a household name by linking his name with three other top designers of the time. In a print ad, Lois created a puzzle in which consumers filled in the blanks of the top four designers, ensuring that people would quickly associate Hilfiger with his already-established peers. Hilfiger also recounts on camera how embarrassed he was by all the attention at first, and felt enormous pressure to live up to all the hype.
How Advertising Can Rise Above Crass Commercialism
Although each of the featured advertising experts offers a unique perspective on how their ads served a purpose for their audience, they all united in their belief that few campaigns actually rise above crass commercialism. The film discusses advertising as art (advertising posters and billboards), as social conscience (buy the world a Coke), as a steady industry (generations of billboard rotaters in one family), and as personal motivator (just do it – whether exercise or some other personal goal). Sometimes, of course, advertising really is just persuading people to buy a useless product that they will never need or want.
Like a slick ad in a glossy magazine, Art & Copy gets its message across while fully taking advantage of its medium. Many interesting camera angles and beautiful juxtapositions make this documentary a perfect example of what good advertising should be: important information wrapped inside aesthetic entertainment.
- Art & Copy
- This documentary explores some of the most successful modern advertising campaigns since the mid-1960s and the people who created them.
- Director: Doug Pray
- Run Time: 86 minutes
To learn more about independent documentaries, read Movie Review of Pressure Cooker and Young @ Heart Movie Review.
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