This is one of those documentaries where magnificence flies with appreciation. Craft and art thrive upon a foundation of a surreal nature in The Pantone Guy. A documentary where a true story unravels a lot of insightful factors that I did not even think about. The elements that kept coming to my mind were commercialism and different trends of colors. Throughout those two aspects, there is deeper insight that searches below the surfaces for a more thorough meaning. 

 

It is a documentary that feels like a time machine. The emphasis on color and early days of printing and advertising come together for a magnificent reunion. From the mind of director Patrick Creadon, his focus of going deep into a thought-provoking subject is glorified on a creative level in The Pantone Guy. This is a film of wonders that seeks to inspire. Its focus is the visionary, Larry Herbert, who is just over nine decades old. The Pantone Guy is an exploration of the life and mind of Larry Herbert himself and his revolutionizing of the business of color. This is a subject that many do not think about in this day and age with revolving technology. It seeks to amaze as it demonstrates his championship in climbing the ladder. Its artistic approach just blew me away. The core values of realism, art, and true colors vibe cohesively in The Pantone Guy.

 

The film continues with interviews with Larry’s children and old acquaintances. It takes every shot carefully to keep building a portrait of resilience and to tell his full story. The accuracy of the representation is one that is unique and clever, because each conversation felt magical in a sense. I kept thinking back to how colors played a role back in the day and continue to impact our perception. Herbert was the legend behind much of what earns marketing dollars with a universal system of colors. Hence why the film is called The Pantone Guy.

 

The early days of Herbert and his fascination with movies in cinemas sparked my mind because I too am such a movie lover. The correlation of film reels, printing, and special objectives all combine to grasp imagery at the finest level in this film. What is most inspiring is how the depths of honesty and truth keep finding a presence of amazement. The Pantone Guy does not stop in its tracks in telling the story of what Herbert did to change the world.

 

In seeing this feature in The Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival, I felt the colors of the festival poster played a mesmerizing role with The Pantone Guy. The many colors of “pantone” shine vigorously in the film and throughout the fest also. Going back though, The Pantone Guy develops moving parts that take intentional steps for real imagery. Four out of four stars.