(via) Dig the trailer for Sign Painters, a documentary on the [not yet lost] art and culture of sign painting.
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.
this is where i got my start – at age 14 my mom got me a job in a sign shop.
the fellow who ran it only worked by hand brushwork and lettering – we had no vinyl machine until a few years later. everything was done by hand – looking back, it was unbelievable how he could approach a 4×8 piece of plywood, and hand letter the entire thing without an error – even with a dozen lines of copy – it all just fit perfectly!
looking forward to this movie.
dale
On the website they have Vancouver listed as one of the only two screening dates, rad! It just says TBC though re: venue, will have to keep eyes peeled for updates