Agnelli ~ with Framestore

— Men wanted to be him, women wanted to be with him.

Premiering at Venice International Film Festival in 2017, this feature documentary was a collaboration between HBO Films and Vanity Fair. Directed by true renaissance man; Nick Hooker, with Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter serving as Executive Producer. Two classier gentlemen would be hard to find.

Part of the joy for me on this project was the subject matter. I absolutely love documentary film, and I've had a long-standing fascination with this feature biopics central hero; Gianni Agnelli. Agnelli was the quintessential Italian man. Stylish, sophisticated, passionate, avant garde, (and incredibly wealthy having owned both Fiat and Ferrari).

The main title sequence imagery spoke to the many defining passions of Agnelli; his unbridled love of art, his cars, his family, (and his mistresses). He was a man of opulent tastes and excesses - as such the visuals showcased hints of the gold, marble, crystal and chrome that surrounded him for much of his life.

These trappings of decadence were juxtaposed with intimate portraits of some of the defining characters in his life projected across their surfaces. In doing so, we offer a portrait of a man at times torn between tradition and honor, and wanton visceral pleasures.

In addition to directing the main title sequence, I was tasked with leading 30 minutes of graphic content throughout the film. A joy of a project. Bespoke vintage-inspired Italian typeface design? They had me at ciao…