DESIGN WEEK PORTLAND has a point of entry for virtually every area of interest, and film is no exception. A mix of documentary, archival footage, and even YouTube videos are included in the screening department of this year’s festival. Here’s the skinny:
Getting to Know You(Tube)—This recurring event features a curated lineup of presenters who, essentially, show you their favorite YouTube videos. Artist and designer Jason Sturgill picked out presenters for a Design Week-specific audience, with art director and illustrator Adam Garcia of the Pressure studio, ad whiz Jelly Helm, and software developer Cabel Sasser of Panic, Inc. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Tues Oct 8, 7 pm, $10.
Design Is One: Lella & Massimo Vignelli—Lella and Massimo Vignelli are legends in the design world for their prolific and diverse body of work, including graphic, interiors, products, and beyond—it’s said that everyone is familiar with their work, even if you’ve never heard of them. This documentary gives a peek at their everyday work and process. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Tues Oct 8, 9:30 pm, Sat Oct 12, 7 pm, $10.
Dial D for Design—PNCA’s professor of video and sound, Stephen Slappe, presents a collection of 16mm films that exemplify the design and advertising era of the ’60s and ’70s, including the unintentionally hilarious Graffiti: Fun or Dumb? (1976) and a mid-’70s “consumer-awareness film” starring Billy Crystal. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Wed Oct 9, 7 pm, $10.
Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story—A look at the life of an infamous French illustrator whose 70-plus years of work ranges from children’s stories to activist art and eroticism, combining documentary footage with animation and interviews, including one with Maurice Sendak. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Wed Oct 9, 9:30 pm, Sat Oct 12, 5 pm, $10.
Demo Reel Review—AEPDX hosts a three-judge panel of experts to give immediate feedback to animation and motion reels submitted by Portland artists, agencies, and studios, with prizes for the standouts, including an audience choice award, and an “audiovisual electronic music event and creative mixer” immediately following. Beer and cocktails provided! Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate, Thurs Oct 10, 6 pm, $5.
PixelSea—Motion graphics studio Cardboard Castle will unveil a projected installation of in-house animation, along with the opportunity to discuss it with its creators. Cardboard Castle, 4703 N Albina, Thurs Oct 10, 6:30 pm, free.
Saul Bass on Film: Commercials, Titles, Shorts, and Rarities—The Academy Film Archive presents a retrospective primer on the designer who created familiar graphics for everything from AT&T to Girl Scout Cookies, as well as the movie title sequences for classics like Vertigo, GoodFellas, and West Side Story. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Thurs Oct 10, 7 pm, $10.
The Shape of Story—A somewhat mystifying experiment that involves the viewing of short films, sharing your reactions with a smartphone-enabled web application, and engaging in discourse with filmmakers and fellow audience members as moderated by Think Out Loud host David Miller. Tonight’s topic: guns. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Fri Oct 11, 7 pm, $10.
Sign Painters—A new documentary from DIY documentarian Faythe Levine and Sam Macon about the fading tradition of hand-painted commercial signage including over two dozen interviews with both old painters and the young ones who are reviving the practice. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Sat Oct 12, 2:30 pm, $10.