I Heart Street Art?

Ive been a fan of Banksy for sometime and as a film student I of course love films and going to the cinema. So when Banksy ventured out into film making to create 'Exit Through The Gift Shop' I thought two of my favourite things have come together colliding in a mess of art and film madness... And i wasnt far wrong!



Warning Spoilers Ahead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guerilla artist turned guerilla film maker Banksy created the film out of a messed up camera reversal with Thierry Guetta, a french man who started out with a filming obssesion and soon became a street artist himself. The film started out just as a project of Thierry's, he filmed every part of his life that he could. Venturing out with his cousin the street artist Space Invader, he started to film street art and became more and more involved with the movement. Soon he found himself filming as many street artists as possible and he told them it was all for a documentary, that at the time he had no intentions of making. Once Thierry had become fully submerged in the street art world one artists name kept coming up. BANKSY! He tried everything he could to get close to Banksy but he had no leads or he found connections to Banksy but they wouldnt give him the vital information he needed to find the artist. Soon enough Banksy came to LA and through some connections contacted Thierry believeing that he was the one who knew the great graffi spots in the area. After a while Banksy and Thierry become friends and Thierry becomes Banksys right hand man. Soon enough Banksy realises that the supposed street art documentary isnt going to be made. So he makes Thierry sit down and collect all his footage from the last few years to create the documentary. When Banksy sees the final cut he is supprised... And not in a good way.
This is where the film flips into the hands of Banksy. Convinced that Thierry is not a film maker but merely a camera man, filming what he sees. He persuaded Thierry to create art himself while Banksy sorted the film footage and fliped the camera onto documenting Thierry.

And i think i'll leave it there so I dont spoil the entire film! I think that the way the film suddenly jumps from one focus to another creates a very intresting piece. And what can you really expect from Banksy ... A straight forward Film? Really?