Art & Copy

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Doug Pray, director of BIG RIG and SURFWISE, returns to STF with his latest film that chronicles the real life Mad Men. This is the first New York sneak preview following the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Here’s the Sundance catalogue description: Got creativity? Got manipulation? Got art? Advertising’s profound effect on modern culture is unquestionable. Art & Copy takes us inside a powerful, yet surprisingly unknown, industry to reveal the most influential creative forces tapping the zeitgeist of our time. Think of those commercials we can never seem to get out of our heads. Each one is the brain child of an industry typically associated with pandering and manipulation. Is great advertising actually a rare and rebellious accomplishment more akin to–dare I say it–art?Beginning in the 1960s, a creative revolution revitalized the advertising industry. Bill Bernbach launched the Volkswagen Beetle, prompting viewers to think small.” Dan Wieden coined “Just Do It” and forever changed the way we motivate ourselves athletically. Phyllis Robinson empowered the “me generation” with a Clairol tagline. Hal Riney all but insured Reagan’s reelection with heart-tugging TV ads. Mary Wells Lawrence reinvented the big bad apple via her “I love NY” campaign. George Lois gave Tommy Hilfiger the makeover of a lifetime, while Cliff Freeman wondered “Where’s the beef?” and Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein asked, “Got Milk?” Renowned documentary filmmaker Doug Pray (SCRATCH, SURFWISE) intermingles dazzling footage of TV satellites being launched and billboards being erected with some of the most remarkable ad campaigns of all time. Like the talented subjects he profiles, Pray creates a rousing synthesis of art, commerce, and human emotion.

Part of the Spring 2009 season of the Stranger Than Fiction documentary series.

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.