THIRTEEN\/WNET NEW YORK’S AMERICAN MASTERS EXPLORES THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF A PIONEERING ARCHITECT IN SKETCHES OF FRANK GEHRY, DIRECTED BY SYDNEY POLLACK, PREMIERING SPRING 2004 ON PBS
\nPollack’s First Feature-Length Documentary<\/p>\n
Features Interviews With Disney CEO Michael Eisner, Musician Bob Geldof, Actor Dennis Hopper, Architect Philip Johnson, And Artist Julian Schnabel<\/p>\n
In 1998, acclaimed director Sydney Pollack traveled to Spain to see the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a curvaceous, free-form structure that confirmed the world-wide reputation of its risk-taking architect, Frank O. Gehry. In Spain, at the site of his old friend’s masterwork, an idea took hold for a documentary – Pollack’s first. Like Gehry’s buildings, Pollack’s film would be different, a juxtaposition of the sophisticated and the adventurous. The resulting documentary, AMERICAN MASTERS Sketches of Frank Gehry, is both a testament to Gehry’s greatness and a visual dialogue between two old friends – a compelling conversation about art, architecture, film and American culture.<\/p>\n
Sketches of Frank Gehry is directed by Sydney Pollack and produced by Mr. Pollack and Ultan Guilfoyle for AMERICAN MASTERS, the Peabody Award-winning series that won the 2003 Emmy for \u201cOutstanding Primetime Non-Fiction Series\u201d \u2013 the fourth time it has earned that top honor for television documentaries. The film premieres in Spring 2004 on PBS.
\nPollack, who has known Gehry for 30 years, says he hopes to create a filmed complement to Gehry\u2019s architecture. \u201cFrank often says that the sketch is the most fulfilling thing,\u201d says Pollack, a director\/producer whose most recent film is Cold Mountain. \u201cWe want to preserve that, the sketch quality \u2013 in the way we tell the story, and in the way we make the film.\u201d
\nSusan Lacy, creator and executive producer of AMERICAN MASTERS, says Sketches is about the creative process, about art, light, movement and form. \u201cFrank Gehry is absolutely an American Master \u2013 he is an artist, a poet, a Picasso for our time,\u201d says Lacy. \u201cWe are so fortunate to have Sydney Pollack directing this film. The interplay between these two great artists is wonderful to witness. Their friendship is, really, the heart of the film.\u201d
\nIn a nod to Gehry\u2019s own impromptu style, Pollack used hand-held video cameras to record hours of conversations between the two men at Gehry\u2019s studio and Santa Monica home. Always in the background are the radical design and unorthodox materials such as chain link fence, corrugated metal and plywood that helped propel Gehry to architecture\u2019s forefront.
\nTo capture the beauty and distinct nature of Gehry\u2019s architecture, Pollack turned to film, utilizing the powerful visual style that earned him critical raves for Oscar winners like Out of Africa. Together, Pollack and Gehry traveled to several of Gehry\u2019s signature buildings, such as the brand-new, $274 million Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, which The New York Times called \u201cthe most gallant building you are ever likely to see.\u201d
\nGehry\u2019s creative process often starts with an abstract sketch. From there, as Pollack shows, Gehry turns ephemeral drawings into architectural models created in his own studio. The resulting buildings \u2013 constructed of titanium and glass, concrete and steel, wood and stone \u2013 have risen in Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, and the United States.
\nFor lifetime achievements, Gehry was awarded architecture\u2019s highest honor, the Priztker Prize in 1989. Calling Gehry \u201crefreshingly original and totally American,\u201d the Priztker jury wrote: \u201cIn an artistic climate that too often looks backward rather than toward the future, where retrospectives are more prevalent than risk-taking, it is important to honor the architecture of Frank O. Gehry.\u201d
\nBut as Gehry himself says in Sketches, \u201cI don\u2019t dwell on talent or creativity. I worry that if you think about it too much, it\u2019ll go away.\u201d
\nAMERICAN MASTERS Sketches of Frank Gehry premieres in Spring 2004. Susan Lacy is the creator and executive producer of AMERICAN MASTERS. Jac Venza is director of cultural and arts programs at Thirteen\/WNET New York.
\nAMERICAN MASTERS has become a cultural legacy in its own right, producing an exceptional film library that illustrates the creative journeys of our most enduring writers, musicians and visual and performing artists. Now in its 18th year, the series set the standard for documentary film profiles and has received widespread critical acclaim, winning 12 Emmys, including four for \u201cOutstanding Primetime Non-Fiction Series,\u201d five Peabodys, an Oscar, a Grammy, and 33 Cine Golden Eagles. With authenticity and integrity, the series enhances an appreciation of our cultural heritage and maintains the kind of in-depth, thorough and insightful explorations that viewers have come to expect from public television.
\nFor more information on this and other American Masters programs, visit www.thirteen.org and www.pbs.org. This colorful web companion contains biographical essays, additional video footage from the film, filmmaker interviews, a complete list of past American Masters, an interactive timeline and activities for teachers including lesson plans, tips and resources.
\nCorporate sponsorship for AMERICAN MASTERS is provided by American Century Investments. Funding is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Rosalind P. Walter, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Jack Rudin, the Andr\u00e9 and Elizabeth Kert\u00e9sz Foundation, and public television viewers.
\nThirteen\/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Wide Angle, Stage on Screen, Secrets of the Dead, and Cyberchase \u2013 as well as the work of Bill Moyers \u2013 to audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers each
\nweek, airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York. With educational and community outreach projects that extend the impact of its television productions, Thirteen takes television \u201cout of the box.\u201d And as broadcast and digital media converge, Thirteen is blazing trails in the creation of Web sites, enhanced television, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, educational software, and other cutting-edge media products. More information about Thirteen can be found at: www.thirteen.org.
\n……….\u2026
\nPress Contacts:
\nMatthew Baumoel
\nJess Michaels<\/p>\n
Thirteen\/WNET New York
\nThirteen\/WNET New York<\/p>\n
212.560.3118
\nBaumoelM@thirteen.org
\n212.560.3014
\nMichaels@thirteen.org<\/p>\n
Sketches of Frank Gehry is directed by Sydney Pollack and produced by Mr. Pollack and Ultan Guilfoyle for AMERICAN MASTERS, the Peabody Award-winning series that won the 2003 Emmy for “Outstanding Primetime Non-Fiction Series” – the fourth time it has earned that top honor for television documentaries. The film premieres in Spring 2004 on PBS.
\nPollack, who has known Gehry for 30 years, says he hopes to create a filmed complement to Gehry’s architecture. “Frank often says that the sketch is the most fulfilling thing,” says Pollack, a director\/producer whose most recent film is Cold Mountain. “We want to preserve that, the sketch quality – in the way we tell the story, and in the way we make the film.”
\nSusan Lacy, creator and executive producer of AMERICAN MASTERS, says Sketches is about the creative process, about art, light, movement and form. “Frank Gehry is absolutely an American Master – he is an artist, a poet, a Picasso for our time,” says Lacy. “We are so fortunate to have Sydney Pollack directing this film. The interplay between these two great artists is wonderful to witness. Their friendship is, really, the heart of the film.”
\nIn a nod to Gehry’s own impromptu style, Pollack used hand-held video cameras to record hours of conversations between the two men at Gehry’s studio and Santa Monica home. Always in the background are the radical design and unorthodox materials such as chain link fence, corrugated metal and plywood that helped propel Gehry to architecture’s forefront.
\nTo capture the beauty and distinct nature of Gehry’s architecture, Pollack turned to film, utilizing the powerful visual style that earned him critical raves for Oscar winners like Out of Africa. Together, Pollack and Gehry traveled to several of Gehry’s signature buildings, such as the brand-new, $274 million Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, which The New York Times called “the most gallant building you are ever likely to see.”
\nGehry’s creative process often starts with an abstract sketch. From there, as Pollack shows, Gehry turns ephemeral drawings into architectural models created in his own studio. The resulting buildings – constructed of titanium and glass, concrete and steel, wood and stone – have risen in Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, and the United States.
\nFor lifetime achievements, Gehry was awarded architecture’s highest honor, the Priztker Prize in 1989. Calling Gehry “refreshingly original and totally American,” the Priztker jury wrote: “In an artistic climate that too often looks backward rather than toward the future, where retrospectives are more prevalent than risk-taking, it is important to honor the architecture of Frank O. Gehry.”
\nBut as Gehry himself says in Sketches, “I don’t dwell on talent or creativity. I worry that if you think about it too much, it’ll go away.”
\nAMERICAN MASTERS Sketches of Frank Gehry premieres in Spring 2004. Susan Lacy is the creator and executive producer of AMERICAN MASTERS. Jac Venza is director of cultural and arts programs at Thirteen\/WNET New York.
\nAMERICAN MASTERS has become a cultural legacy in its own right, producing an exceptional film library that illustrates the creative journeys of our most enduring writers, musicians and visual and performing artists. Now in its 18th year, the series set the standard for documentary film profiles and has received widespread critical acclaim, winning 12 Emmys, including four for “Outstanding Primetime Non-Fiction Series,” five Peabodys, an Oscar, a Grammy, and 33 Cine Golden Eagles. With authenticity and integrity, the series enhances an appreciation of our cultural heritage and maintains the kind of in-depth, thorough and insightful explorations that viewers have come to expect from public television.
\nFor more information on this and other American Masters programs, visit www.thirteen.org and www.pbs.org. This colorful web companion contains biographical essays, additional video footage from the film, filmmaker interviews, a complete list of past American Masters, an interactive timeline and activities for teachers including lesson plans, tips and resources.
\nCorporate sponsorship for AMERICAN MASTERS is provided by American Century Investments. Funding is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Rosalind P. Walter, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Jack Rudin, the Andr\u00e9 and Elizabeth Kert\u00e9sz Foundation, and public television viewers.
\nThirteen\/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Wide Angle, Stage on Screen, Secrets of the Dead, and Cyberchase – as well as the work of Bill Moyers – to audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers each
\nweek, airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York. With educational and community outreach projects that extend the impact of its television productions, Thirteen takes television “out of the box.” And as broadcast and digital media converge, Thirteen is blazing trails in the creation of Web sites, enhanced television, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, educational software, and other cutting-edge media products. More information about Thirteen can be found at: www.thirteen.org.
\n………….
\nPress Contacts:
\nMatthew Baumoel
\nJess Michaels<\/p>\n
Thirteen\/WNET New York
\nThirteen\/WNET New York<\/p>\n
212.560.3118
\nBaumoelM@thirteen.org
\n212.560.3014
\nMichaels@thirteen.org<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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