Art & Copy
So, I finally saw this movie I’ve been meaning to see for a while, “Art & Copy”. It’s a sad, disgusting (read: excellent) documentary about the collection of whores and egomaniacs working in the advertising business, and, by extension, about everything that is wrong with our society.
“By the way, if anyone here is in marketing or advertising…kill yourselves…” —Bill Hicks
It was difficult to watch - painful, even; for a variety of reasons. Because my father’s best friend (Jim Durfee) is in the film; because my father, my mother-in-law, and college friend all work(ed) in that horrible business. Because I knew from an early age that my father’s profession had absolutely no nobility — getting paid large sums of money to figure out how to make people buy shit they don’t need. It’s disgusting.
And yet, this film glorifies these people — well, actually, the interviewees do a great job glorifying themselves, for ninety minutes, about all the Good Work they do — and the sick, sad infrastructure that is in place to support this behemoth. There are snippets of factoids presented throughout the flick, about how much money is spent on advertising annually in this country (billions and billions), and how many communications satellite launches annually are for commercial communications (most), but the overriding message — delivered by some of the biggest names/egos in the business — is even worse than Gordon Gekko’s “Greed is Good”, it’s “I can Manufacture Greed for you, for a Price (and an Expense Account)”.
$750K for thirty seconds to try and sell your shit on “American Idol” is all you need to know about what is wrong with this picture. Waste-wise, this kind of money on selling shoes and deodorant is second only to the kind of money we spend on weapons of mass destruction.
“What if we used all this money we spend on guns that shoot things that can fly down a chimney, on guns that can shoot food into the mouths of starving people in Africa?” — Bill Hicks (again)
Every American should see this film, but sadly I think the real takeaway will be lost on most. To me, “inspiring advertising”, which apparently is the kind all these assholes were congratulating themselves for “creating” (one even used the term “midwife”, swear to god) throughout the flick, is the most disgusting of all.
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2 comments
I am still trying to see this since you put it on my radar last year. I have a love/hate relationship with advertising, having worked approximately nine years in the field and having the good fortune to make some lasting relationships with talented people. I agree with you about much of the product. I handled billings for Ketchum and would get nuts thinking how much money was made/spent advertising crappy Pizza Hut pizza. I would walk past scads of homeless people during my daily Philly commute and think how much good could be accomplished if they took one month’s regional media spend dollars and used them to help the homeless. We could solve so many problems.
I have a couple of friends who do great work largely within the non-profit sector. There are people in the industry with a conscience who recognize what is broken about the system. Unfortunately the majority are walking egos with an expense account.
Hi sis; yeah, I was stoked to see it on the Netflix streaming menu, so I watched it right away. I know there are some good people in the biz, and to Durf’s credit, he mostly talks about revolutions in the industry and others’ achievements, but for the most part the flick is a disgusting sad chronicle of what is a sick manifestation of capitalism. I refuse to watch “Mad Men” because it only depresses me and reminds me of the sorry pathetic excuse for a father we had, and the industry he chose to slither to and embrace and praise as great. I think it’s very telling that he flocked to that world. Watching that movie I couldn’t help but wonder how many other people out there are walking around, damaged goods, being exposed to that mentality during their formative years. Because back then, it really was a great vehicle for a guy who just wanted to get drunk and have sex with lots of different women, and have some “client” pay for it all as a random expense for “the campaign”. That they call it a “campaign” in the first place is a laughable expose of their egos. As if they are trying to win a war. And they will respond they ARE trying to win a war. A war to sell breakfast cereal, or sneakers, or whatever. The whole thing is laughable.
Definitely try and find it, it’s a good watch. The Chiat Day asshole who did the Macintosh launch ad features prominently. Watch him carefully and see how these people evolve in a single lifetime to believe they are doing great things.
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