ArtFilm
Bringing Art to Life
Art focused filmmaking and photography
Using the experience gained over many years as a freelance photographer of works of Art and Design at Christie’s, London’s leading auction house, I was tasked with bringing a motion capture offering to complement the traditional catalogue and online lot photography.
Being in the unique position to bring my existing videography and editing skills and combine them with the knowledge gained over more than 10 years of learning to correctly handle, stage and light all types of Art and Antiques, I set about the process of bringing my unique creative perspective to the production of lot videos.
The aim was to continue Christie’s photographic heritage of quality, precision and the craft of highlighting the best in any given object, capturing some of the world’s rarest and most valuable objects in motion.
Researching and specifying the necessary equipment for video capture, lighting, motion control and editing along with a short but successful testing period gave me the time to develop a working practice which was immediately embraced by all departments. Very soon I was making videos of practically all of the top lots in their respective sales.
This website is the culmination of four years of development and progression towards offering my filmmaking and associated photography services to the wider Art World.
Artfilm offers full production of moving and still image capture, editing and delivery of videos and photographs that bring Art to Life.
Matt Spour, owner. ArtFilm
“Check out the categories in the Works of Art section in the navigation above to see many more videos and stories”
Triceratops Skull 68-65 million years old
One of many highlights was making the lot video of a huge Triceratops Skull.
This video, created for Christie’s Science and Natural History Department was a challenge! Especially as the skull could not be moved. Curved sections of track and a dolly were used to orbit the camera around the fossil to create movement and engagement while moving a spotlight over the piece for the establishing shot, again challenging due to the height of the Triceratops skull and it’s stand, gives an impressive reveal to begin the video.
Working in a space that was not quite big enough for the beast also complicated matters and I had to build a light proof ‘hide’ outside of the door into the warehouse room to get far enough away to capture it’s entirety. Minimising the amount of natural light from the main warehouse area was essential so I had to cover the area between the gap in the doorway I was shooting through and the lens. Many black polyboards, black cloth and no small amount of gaff tape later, I was ready to roll.
This partial Triceratops skull fossil sold for £94,500 at Christie’s in May 2023.
ENRICO CASTELLANI (1930-2017) Superficie bianca
Castellani, An Italian painter and member of the ZERO avant-garde group sought to rid art of its pictorial expressionism. Castellani’s work is focused on the sculptural aspects of art. Using variations of shape and monochrome surfaces, his works produce mesmerising effects using the play of shadows and sculptural planes that accentuate and remind the viewer that all art forms are physical objects.
Wanting to produce a video which demonstrates the three dimensionality of this Castellani work, moving light and camera at the same time was the only way to release the kinetic energy that a photograph just could not capture.
Working with a colleague operating a high power LED on a large and heavy stand we choreographed sequences to demonstrate the range of shadow and shape that could be produced by the raised peaks and corresponding troughs on the painting. Using a motorised track system I programmed camera movements to further enhance the dynamic qualities of the painting.
Estimate £350,000 - £550,000. Price realised £403,200
Sold by Christie’s, July 2022 in London.
SAFIN’S FRACTURED MASK FROM NO TIME TO DIE
One of three worn by Rami Malek as Safin in the Norway sequence of the James Bond film; No Time To Die.
This video was made to promote the charity sale of memorabilia from 60 years of James Bond films and was shown in the Great Room at Christie’s King St. London ahead of bidding on Safin’s mask and costume, Bond Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were in the front row!
From the slow reveal at the start of the video to the light tracing across behind the Japanese theatre mask’s eyes in homage to the signature ‘gun barrel’ scene at the beginning of every movie. JLJ and I were aiming for pure Bond.
Estimate £8,000 - £12,000. Price realised £107,100
Sold at Christie’s London in September 2022.
An Egyptian Limestone Group Statue for Mehernefer and His Son
Old kingdom, mid-late 5th Dynasty, circa 2400-2300 B.C.
One of the earliest works of art from ancient Egypt to arrive in England, this magnificent Old Kingdom statue of Mehernefer and his son was first presented to King George III as a gift from the Ambassador in Constantinople, Sir James Porter, during his appointment which lasted from 1746 to 1761. King George III subsequently donated the statue to Thomas Worsley (1797-1885) at Hovingham Hall, where it remained ever since. This masterfully carved statue reflects the style of 5th Dynasty royal portraiture from Memphite workshops, which established the canons for subsequent generations of Egyptian art.
It was an honour to spend time with an antiquity of such standing and the form retained so much detail that it was a absolute joy to light. Utilising a programmable motorised turntable and a motion control pan tilt head I was able to create smooth and repeatable movements to capture the key areas of this incredible ancient sculpture.
Price realised £6,014,500
Sold by Christie’s in July 2022, London.
Thanks for visiting…. You’ve come this far, why not get in touch about your next video or photography project?