Just like being there is a documentary about the poster making community. It walks the viewers through the whole history of how the art of making music posters commonly known as gig-posters flourished during the 80s and 90s.
The interviews with various artists were really insightful and fascinating. Individual artists tell their own story of how they saw the poster making industry change as well as their contribution to it. They each had their own style which made them unique in their own way, adding more variety to the gig-poster making community.
The first-ever poster show, ‘Flatstock’ in San Francisco which led to the formation of the American Poster Institute. The movie shows how that initiative brought together different artists from all over America and made them inspired by each other’s artwork as well as making them work harder and gave them a purpose.
The music in between some of the interviews kind of feels odd in the sense that there is an atmosphere of calm while the interviews are displayed and suddenly there is a chaotic vibe. The directors might have put the music in order to make the experience a bit personal so that the viewers know what band the artist was making the poster for. But they could have had a better execution for it.
The documentary also mentions how the change in technology changes the whole game in the poster making community with all the screen print and the various software which helps them make more geometric designs. It was interesting to see the screen print process. It can make one appreciate the underrated art forms and work like gig-posters, graphic designing.
The artists did a great job of describing the whole art and the process of each different posters. For instance, how the gig-posters which bridge together art and music came into play. Also, one of the greatest artists, who designed the posters for Star Wars and Harry Potter was interviewed which were really interesting to watch as we could have an insight into what goes in their head when they are making the poster and what kind of audience they are aiming for. For instance, the artists making the Star Wars poster had to be aware of the fact that they were not just aiming for an audience below the age of 16 but also adults who enjoyed science fiction.
The documentary also shows how the artists keep up with their personal life. It was not portrayed in detail which made it kind of absurd to just put it in there amidst all the art talks but it did cover the directors’ motive to show, how the artist’s personal life inspires the art.
The movie does throw a lot of information within an hour and a half so it does get a bit difficult to keep up with it. Also, the number of artists and their different names might get a little overwhelming. But overall it is a good documentary for anyone who wants to know the history of gig-poster making community.
