Es gab mal eine Zeit in der Murals, Banner, Schilder und Billboards zu Werbezwecken durchaus ansprechend, handgemacht und individuell mit Pinsel und Farbe gestaltet wurden und das Straßenbild prägten. Wie so fast alles wurde auch dieses Handwerk industrialisiert und automatisiert. Vor drei Jahren haben Faythe Levine und Sam Macon zusammen mit Filmemacher Travis Auclair angefangen eine Dokumentation über die alten Werbekünstler in den USA zu produzieren. Mehr als 20 Akteure kommen zu Wort, sieht nach einem interessanten Film aus!
This the official trailer for SIGN PAINTERS a documentary by Faythe Levine & Sam Macon. For information regarding screenings, and other news please visit signpaintermovie.com
About the project…
There was a time, as recently as the 1980s, when storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards, and even street signs were all hand-lettered with brush and paint. But, like many skilled trades, the sign industry has been overrun by the techno-fueled promise of quicker and cheaper. The resulting proliferation of computer-designed, die-cut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into our landscape. Fortunately, there is a growing trend to seek out traditional sign painters and a renaissance in the trade.
In 2010 Directors Faythe Levine and Sam Macon, with Cinematographer Travis Auclair, began documenting these dedicated practitioners, their time-honored methods, and their appreciation for quality and craftsmanship. Sign Painters, the first anecdotal history of the craft, features the stories of more than two dozen sign painters working in cities throughout the United States. The documentary and book profiles sign painters young and old, from the new vanguard working solo to collaborative shops such as San Francisco’s New Bohemia Signs and New York’s Colossal Media’s Sky High Murals.
The book published by Princeton Architectural Press in November 2012 features a foreword by legendary artist (and former sign painter) Ed Ruscha. We encourage you to pick up a copy at your local book shop, or directly from Princeton Architectural Press
