Review: Art & Copy documentary

I attended the screening of Art & Copy (dir. Doug Pray) last week, organised by ICAD in the Sugar Club, Dublin.

The feature-length documentary is an entertaining account of contemporary (American above the line) advertising.
The piece is structured around interview of some of the biggest figures in the industry.

As described in the official site’s synopsis:
‘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.’

The insights, charm and oddity of the interviewees give the piece a pace which keeps you informed and entertained from start to finish. I found it fascinating to learn about the personal path and aspirations of people who seem to be mavericks, in the main, and endowed with insane creativity. Obviously their professional mastery is second to none, and the whole thing was so dense with invaluable information that I look forward to seeing it again.

Regretfully, the interweaving of interviews and narrative seemed to climax into advertising megalomania. We were explained that advertising is an artform, that it holds tremendous power over people’s decisions and popular culture…all the usual stuff…And with such conviction and up-your-own-assness that…I was waiting for one of them to claim that only advertising can save the world from impending doom. Unfortunately they stopped just short of that. Oh well.

In the same vein, I found the top and tailing of the documentary rather facile and patronising. It consisted of interview sequences of some guy who – like his dad, and his dad, and his dad too – puts up billboards for a living. His admission of not knowing the guys who come up with the ads was an easy link to – ta da – our heros. It seemed to me the guy couldn’t give two shits about the ads anyway, so the link was a bit flimsy.

Similarly, the ongoing peppering of stats about increasing advertising budgets, the number of tellies per American house-hold etc struck me as a bit desperate and delusional in the glaring absence of any reference to digital marketing whatsover. Considering what we all know about the shifts in consumer media consumption and advertising spend in favour of digital…I was really shocked.

I had thought – like anyone with any knowledge of the industry – that digital would have fitted nicely at the end of the piece, opening up the debate about the future of advertising.

No. Scratch that. In all honesty – personal bias aside – I had quietly expected it to feature earlier than that. And to be recognised as the latest significant evolution in the industry.

Perhaps an alternate documentary should be produced, entitled ‘The Elephant in the Room’.

LINKS

Art & Copy official site
Art & Copy