Flos - Vincent Van Duysen: A Day in Antwerp
Unveiling the artist: the story of Vincent Van Duysen
Directed by Filippo Raineri
Interview by Ro Purushotham
Rhythmic black and white shots of Antwerp’s baroque and neoclassical architecture become Filippo Raineri’s canvas for the intimate portrait of architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen.
A collaboration with revolutionary lighting design firm Flos, the short documentary skilfully guides us across Van Duysen’s favorite spots in the city. From Plantin Moretus Museum to Grote Markt to Port of Antwerp – emerging film director Raineri provides us with a unique portrayal of the artist through Antwerp’s rich heritage, as well as through the words of Van Duysen’s longtime friends. Timelessness, distinctive style, humility, and "a lot of energy" - this is how the designer’s acquired family lovingly refers to him.
Raineri gradually established a trustful relationship with Flos through a series of projects, with the first being the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Flos’ Parentesi lamp. From then onwards the Milan-based film director has led several other significant projects, including documentaries shot in London on Michael Anastassiades and two studios collaborating with the brand, Pritchard Themis and SEAM.
In our conversation with Raineri, he speaks frankly about his latest documentary, his inspiration, challenges, and creative freedom.
In a few minutes, we can truly understand Vincent Van Duysen and his way of seeing the world. How did you manage to portray him so intimately?
What we did – as soon as we received the brief – was research and study. We studied Vincent's work and entered his world. Then I tried to understand him better as a person by reading and watching several interviews to avoid obvious or already-asked questions and to get to know the intellectual and creative process leading him to such results.
Great discoveries about people doing creative work are always made by studying their approach and method of working. Hence why we researched Vincent and Antwerp throughly. It was essential to be familiar with the place where we would go, as it was a critical aspect and we knew Vincent was very attached to the city - so much so that it later became one of the chapters of the documentary. This research work allowed us to structure the project into different chapters granting a greater understanding of the film.
We then sent the questions to Vincent before recording the voice-over. This meant that he had a clear understanding of the structure of the documentary and that he could prepare for it without sacrificing on spontaneity .
“We liked the idea of showing how Vincent has profoundly influenced his city and how he has been a point of reference and a source of pride for many.”
Was there a brief, and how did you interpret it? And how much freedom did you have in terms of showing the number of products?
Flos contacted C41 with a rather open brief. There were no major constraints, but they wanted something like the portraits that had already been done on Michael Anastassiades and the Formafantasma. As a result, this project also shares the same format as the previous ones.
Being a very open brief, we tried to make it slightly different in some respects, especially as in these kinds of projects the result is way better when the form and content adapt to the main character. It wouldn't make much sense to constantly use the same type of story when portraying a character. There were also no specific needs regarding the number of products to show, on the contrary we were given plenty of freedom. However, I am pleased that I was asked us to insert the products with 3D renderings, as this creates a nice contrast compared to the images shots. It is an unusual formula for a documentary, but it helps to give it a more modern and original look compared to similar projects.
Choosing a black-and-white look automatically gives the piece an element of elegance and style. Is this the main reason you opted for this approach? And what other techniques and approaches have you used to stay consistent with this look?
Black and white are - first of all - the look with which Vincent has always loved to talk about himself. Seeing the final result, I must say that it is a look that works on him and tells his story well. What we tried to do is then combine black and white with a raw shooting style, mostly all by hand. Plenty of other documentaries often choose more precise and fixed shots, which is a language that does work well within the design world. But I wanted to try a slightly different approach, with energetic language, many scenes and rhythm changes in order to emphasize specific moments.
What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
The main challenge was to fluidly combine the different conversations people were having with Vincent and who, at times, spontaneously joined in. We liked the idea of showing how Vincent has profoundly influenced his city and how he has been a point of reference and a source of pride for many. This also helped to get a more complete picture of the designer.
We asked everyone more or less the same questions and were pleasantly surprised with their answers. They told us how Vincent is now a point of reference for Antwerp, almost entering the collective mind. Everyone had similar answers, which has allowed us to create a discourse in which each character completes the sentences of the previous one.
What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on small commercials and digital content for campaigns. Yet one of the projects I am most fond of is editing an independent C41 film. It is an activity that will keep us busy for a while, which we are very excited about and look forward to finishing it.
At the same time, I am concluding a personal project shot in Berlin: a documentary on the life of an Italian boy who decides to move abroad to seek his fortune as a jazz musician. We are going through the editing process and we are almost ready. I am happy with the final piece, which is also something new for me, especially considering the ironic tone of the documentary. Lastly, I am starting to write another personal project – a documentary about my grandparents.
Produced by C41 (@c41.eu)
Thanks to Barbara Corti (@bb.corti) & Silvia Delaini (@sissidela)
Starring: Vincent Van Duysen (@vincentvanduysen) & Mateo Bou Bahler (@mateboubahler)
Client: Flos (@flos)
C41 Creative Director: LEONE (@leonedirector)
Director: Filippo Raineri (@raineri_filippo)
Photographer: Carlo Banfi (@carlo_banfi91)
DOP: Alessandro Luisi (@ale_luisi)
Camera Assistant: Federico Tarchini (@federicotarchini_dop)
Sound Engineer: Marcello La Fortezza (@marslaf)
Editor: Filippo Raineri (@raineri_filippo)
Post-Producer: Riccardo Calvi (@richard_karamazov)