ART & COPY – Inside Advertising’s Creative Revolution

Sitting down to watch Art & Copy, directed by Doug Pray, you might think you’re about to see the history of advertising or how to create excellent advertising campaigns.  But that would only be a small part of this well made documentary film. Art & Copy communicates on many levels. It’s about the creative process; about the artists, craftsmen who work in the industry and how advertising fits in to the world today. Watching Art & Copy is actually inspiring for anyone in the arts, film and advertising.

Director Doug Pray constructs a story that begins with simple images, a man working for a billboard company, just like his father and grandfather have done. Statistics appear showing just how many advertising messages Americans are subject to each day of their life. There is so much advertising out there today that most people feel inundated by the volume, choosing to try to ignore the onslaught as much as possible.

Art & Copy includes interviews with people who over the years have created advertising that has been innovative and convincing. Their motivation and work are strong themes in this documentary.  The names of industry legends like Lee Clow, Hal Riney, George Lois, Mary Wells, Jeff Goodby, Rich Siverstein, Phy K. Robinson, Dan Wieden and David Kennedy may not be household names but their work, in many ways, has changed the way much of the world eats, plays, shops, works and communicates.  Art & Copy brings these people and their work together in a way that explores many issues surrounding the advertising industry. At the same time the documentary presents a flowing visual commentary that provides the viewer with a context that transcends the words and glimpses of the advertising that has had such strong influence on life in American and much of the world.

The interviewees not only talk about how great their advertising campaigns are; they also talk about their creative process and their feelings about what they have done. They also communicate personal philosophy about their occupations as well as creative processes when it comes to advertising. These thoughts and ideas crossover into many other areas of storytelling. It becomes clear that good advertising is good storytelling.

In advertising, art, copy and other elements come together to tell a story in many of the same ways that these elements come together in a film, graphic or in a painting. Advertising campaigns, print and film are not the work of one person. They are a team effort built on a synergy of thinking and doing.

On example of a slogan, among many explored in Art & Copy, is the phrase “Just Do It.”  The evolution, how the phrase developed and the impact it had on people everywhere is an amazing story on it’s own.  But when you think about it, isn’t the phrase “Just Do it.” a story in three words; metaphor that anyone can connect with on many levels? The revolution in advertising is about telling stories in the most concise way possible. Among the other phrases looked at in the documentary, that took on a life of their own, are “Think Small,” “I Want My MTV,” and “Got Milk.”

Looking at Art & Copy from a filmmaking standpoint, Doug Pray has created a nonfiction visual story that goes beyond a basic documentary format, without hybrid style compromises. Pray’s work starting back with short documentary profiles sponsored by Doc Marten Shoes, shows an ability to focus on the subject. The profiles shown at Silver Doc Film Festival included a “Roadie” for a well-known band doing his job, and a Dispatcher (motorcycle messenger) in London, doing his job, among other docs. In Scratch Pray covered the art of DJ’ing, with excellent footage and editing.  His work shows innovation within the genre of documentary film storytelling.

Art & Copy presents a Zen like experience in the films design and presentation. This does not mean that the pace is slow at all. Instead it feels like there is time and space to allow the story to be told. The use of action, interviews, archival video, archival photographs, “B” roll and music all add to the story. The documentary is well made, entertaining and informative. It is a story anyone can enjoy and learn something at the same time.

REVIEW WRITTEN BY J R MARTIN,.  AUTHOR CREATE DOCUMENTARY FILMS, VIDEOS AND MULTIMEDIA    See other documentary reviews by James R Martin at https://www.jrmartinmedia.com/reviews

Sundance  Film Festival Selection – Art & Copy – 2009 – 89 minutes – Wide Screen – Directed by Doug Pray – Cinematographer Peter Nelson – Editor Philip Owenes – Original Score Jeff Martin

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LINK to DVD

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