The Intersection of Marketing and Documentary
I documented artist Sally Wern Comport as she completed a project for THG Creative, her contracting agency, and Tishman Speyer, their client. Sally was tasked with creating murals for the mezzanine of Rockefeller Center’s visitor experience, Top of the Rock, in New York City. She viewed our film project as an opportunity to market her business, Art at Large.
My approach to documenting Sally’s work was similar to that of a biographer—asking many questions and actively listening. This process allowed me to identify conceptual themes in Sally’s career and business. The insights I gained from this approach fueled my creative process.
I chose to use Sally’s work on Top of the Rock as a lens to explore her past and showcase the capabilities of Art at Large.
Below are the films I created from this approach.
The goal of this film was to explain the painting enhancements Sally incorporates into each piece of artwork.
I aimed to express the conceptual theme of intentionality in one’s work. When an artist is deliberate, the viewer can sense the energy or “presence” within the art.
The goal of this video was to highlight the overall project concept and showcase Art at Large’s creative capabilities.
I aimed to convey the conceptual theme of blending. Sally fully immersed herself in the client’s creative brief, allowing her to integrate the visitor’s experience concept into her artistic process. This seamless merger of ideas inspired her to use the medium of gold leaf in an innovative and impactful way.
The goal of this video was to explore what “life” means to Sally and to showcase her incredible talent for illustration.
I aimed to express the conceptual theme of life. When Sally draws, she often says she is putting life into her subject. But what does life truly mean? I believe it’s about fully immersing oneself in the subject as it takes shape, bringing it to life through intention and connection.
The goal of this film was to showcase what goes into handling art of this magnitude and how Art at Large designs visuals on such a grand scale.
I aimed to convey the conceptual theme of scale. While Art at Large is known for working on large projects, the Top of the Rock project elevated this further by compounding elements and pushing the physical boundaries of their creative process.
