Quite a lot, apparently. In between sweding a mysterious music video outside his Williamsburg home, launching a new website and finishing a debut comic book, “We Lost the War but Not the Battle”, acclaimed eccentric Michel Gondry completed a book, “You’ll Like This Film Because You’re In It: The Be Kind Rewind Protocol ” and is traveling to promote it. About the book –
“Michel Gondry’s debut book is a functional memoir of his quest to put the tools of filmmaking in the hands of as many people as possible. At New York’s Deitch Projects, in February and March of 2008, Gondry emulated the heroic example of his characters, constructing a do-it-yourself film studio in which any visitor could assemble their own film from extant plot summaries and rent the results. His aim: “I intend to prove that people can enjoy their time without being part of the commercial system and serving it…Ultimately, I am hoping to create a network of creativity and communication that is guaranteed to be free and independent from any commercial institution.” This book chronicles Gondry’s journey towards what he calls “The Be Kind Rewind Protocol”, and serves as an inspirational guide to creativity and the art of having fun.”
We caught up with him at Family in LA a few weeks ago for a book signing and were surprised to find a genuine, humble and non pretentious dude. His material is often critiqued as unfocused, magniloquent or silly – partly due to a following of hipster fanboys that flock to anything with Gondry, Jonze or Kaufman involved, often missing the point of their work entirely. But there is no denying Gondry’s creativity, visual sensibilities or flow of ideas, and his goal in the book of presenting filmmaking as deconstructed and accessible is rad.
On the big screen, you can maybe expect Gondry doing the rumored Daniel Clowes penned “Master of Space and Time” at some point. We’re just glad he came out of the cardboard box.
