3Are you in New York City, and can you speak German (and English) fluently? We’re looking for a volunteer translator for a few days this month. If you can help out, or to get more information, please email: info (at) objectifiedfilm (dot) com.
Categories: Film News
2
Filming people buying “democratic design” is a tough job, especially on an indie film budget. That’s why Objectified DP Luke Geissbuhler swears by DØLLI, the ingenious DIY camera dolly that we improvised last week at Ikea and gave a suitably nonsensical faux-Swedish name. I mean, c’mon, who comes up with these product names anyway? [Try the Ikea Game and see if you can decipher them.]
Needless to say, our usual “stealth” mode of observational filming went out the window with this rig. And if you think Luke looks goofy using it, you should’ve seen when he was actually standing on it operating the camera while I was pushing the cart. But we ended up getting some surprisingly nice footage out of it. The shoot threatened to veer into Jackass territory when we got all wacky on lingonberry juice and started ramming furniture displays.
Back to the edit suite,
– Gary
Categories: Film News, Production Stills
7
I’m in Tokyo this week, and had the privilege of spending a day in the busy studio of Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa. My taxi ride there ended prematurely when the side street we were driving on became so narrow that the driver actually got the cab wedged between the walls on each side of the street. He managed to reverse to a slightly wider area and let me out, and I continued the journey on foot.
Fukasawa is known for his work with companies like Muji, IDEO, NEC, KDDI/AU, Issey Miyake, and his in-house design brand plusminuszero. During the interview we talked about the differences between Japanese and American design, and the different ways each culture relates to objects. We discussed the pros and cons of plastic and other materials. We also talked about his creative inspirations, and the concept of designing “without thought” — how people’s unconscious (and sometimes unintended) uses of objects can inspire new design possibilities. A few examples of this are Fukasawa’s umbrella with an indentation for holding your bag, and his Light with a Dish for catching your keys and change.
I did some vérité filming of the studio at work, with Fukasawa and his staff fluidly switching back and forth between new chair designs and an exhibition design. Afterwards I visited the plusminuszero shop, and did some filming at the huge Muji store in Ginza the next day.
Doing more shooting around Tokyo this week… if it would just stop raining…
Kanpai!
–Gary
Categories: Film News, Production Stills
5
Most of the interviews for the film have already been shot, but there are a few late additions we’re doing this month. One is BMW’s Chris Bangle. Bangle is based in Munich, but we missed him when we were in Germany a few months back. He was visiting the States this week to attend the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach, so DP Luke Geissbuhler and I headed out to California to meet up with this controversial designer. “A wild-eyed revolutionary destroying one of Europe’s blue-chip luxury brands? The most influential automotive designer of the early 21st century?” asked an article in Motor Trend.
The Concours was a complete circus… there was no parking, it was swarming with people, and it was impossible to find a quiet place to interview Bangle anywhere near the show’s headquarters at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. So Luke and I commandeered a new BMW X6, threw Bangle in, and headed north along the Pacific coast. We found a vacant stretch of land overlooking the ocean, and actually conducted most of the interview inside the car.
Our conversation topics included the evolution of automotive design over the last 50 years, the emotional appeal of the automobile, the differences between European and American design, his work at BMW, and his thinking on user interface, materials, sustainability, and the future of car design (and even of the car itself).
At some point soon we’ll be uploading clips from a number of our interviews for your viewing pleasure.
Back to the studio,
–Gary
Categories: Film News, Production Stills
2I just wanted thank everyone for the response to the announcement of the film. It’s been overwhelming, and I appreciate all the emails, interest, and suggestions. And thanks to all the folks who’ve been spreading the word: Design Observer, Daring Fireball, Kottke, Coudal, Core77, Computerlove, Swiss Miss, The Skinny, Aisle One, and everyone else who’s written about it. Thanks!
And special thanks to Jason Santa Maria for all the help getting this site launched. The man is a rock star.
Cheers,
-Gary
Categories: Film News
18Greetings, and welcome to the site. Objectified is a documentary about industrial design; it’s about the manufactured objects we surround ourselves with, and the people who make them. On an average day, each of us uses hundreds of objects. (Don’t believe it? Start counting: alarm clock, light switch, faucet, shampoo bottle, toothbrush, razor…) Who makes all these things, and why do they look and feel the way they do? All of these objects are “designed,” but how can good design make them, and our lives, better?
One reason that I’m delving into the world of objects in this film is that I, admittedly, am obsessed by them. Why do I salivate over a shiny new piece of technology, or obsess over a 50-year-old plywood chair? What does all the stuff I accumulate say about me, and do I really need any of it in the first place?
Those of you who followed the making of my first film, Helvetica, know that the reason I make these films is not that I have a comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter. I wasn’t an expert on graphic design, and I’m certainly not an expert on industrial design. But they’re both fields that fascinate me, and that I want to learn more about. I’m interested in industrial designers because their work influences so many aspects of our world yet most of the time it’s taken for granted. And I think that, especially today, it’s crucial for us to re-examine how we make and use consumer products at every level.
And if you could get all of these designers and design experts together at a dinner party, what would they talk about? This film will hopefully represent that conversation. I’ve been lucky to be able to include an amazing group of participants in the film so far, and I sincerely thank them all for their time and knowledge.
The term objectified has two meanings. One is ‘to be treated with the status of a mere object.’ But the other is ‘something abstract expressed in a concrete form,’ as in the way a sculpture objectifies an artist’s thoughts. It’s the act of transforming creative thought into a tangible object, which is what designers in this film do every day. But maybe there’s a third meaning to this title, regarding the ways these objects are affecting us and our environment. Have we all become objectified?
The film will premiere in early 2009; in the meantime on this blog we’ll be discussing the issues covered in the film, posting still photos from the shoots, and video excerpts as we finish the movie. I hope it’ll be something you’ll enjoy watching.
Cheers!
Gary
Categories: Film News
8We love the logo that Michael C. Place of Build (a.k.a. the British graphic designer in Helvetica with those crazy hairless cats) has designed for the film, and our first batch of Objectified merch:
Can’t read it? Step back a little. Got it? Now get it on American Apparel T-shirts, as well as a limited-edition silkscreen print.
Categories: Film News, Merchandise
4Are you in New York City, and can you speak Dutch, German, French, or Japanese fluently? We’re looking for volunteer translators for a few days in August. If you can help out with any of those languages, or to get more information, please email: info (at) objectifiedfilm (dot) com.
Categories: Film News
