Objectified

Objectified, a 2009 documentary, gets a mixed rating of 6/10 from me. It provides an insightful look into the world of product design and consumerism, but its execution lacks the engagement factor, making it somewhat tedious to watch.

The documentary does a commendable job in revealing the intricacies of how products are designed to appeal to consumers. It delves into the thought process behind everyday items, offering a perspective that's both educational and thought-provoking. The film highlights the ongoing cycle of consumerism, showing how products are continuously developed and marketed to keep consumers buying.

However, despite its insightful content, Objectified struggles to maintain viewer interest throughout. The presentation can feel monotonous at times, lacking the dynamism or narrative hook that keeps an audience captivated. It's more of an intellectual exploration than an entertaining watch, which might not suit everyone's taste.

In essence, while Objectified offers valuable insights into product design and the psychology of consumerism, its somewhat dry and unengaging presentation detracts from the overall experience. It's a documentary that's worth watching for the information it imparts, but it may not be the most exciting or captivating film in the genre.

"Objectified" was an interesting documentary, but you should know what you're getting into. It's about design, not ergonomics. The keyboard which has the bent, boomerang shape is ergonomic. It's made to be compatible with human hands. Design is whether the keyboard is black with flat, square keys or whether it's white with indented keys. "Objectified" has little to do with engineering and more to do with our emotional reaction to objects. It's not about why the $50 Williams-Sonoma egg whisk is better than the $3 Wal-Mart egg whisk. It's about why we'd pay for one and not the other. What were they thinking when they designed that pretentious European furniture at the gallery when it isn't any more comfortable than the chairs at Big Lots? Why did we buy this tie and not that one, since neither one serves a practical purpose? The movie is esoteric, not scientific. It makes it harder to understand, but ultimately, I found the 76 minutes to be thought-provoking and worthwhile.

Objectified is a rather dated, but still interesting documentary about objects and their importance in our society. One of the main things that I remember from the film is the absolute genius of the plastic, practically disposable chair that is made out of one piece that it could be made in one mold. One machine clamps coat closed, and in the next second the man pulls out a chair. Everywhere you will see this chair in different designs but the key is one piece of plastic, one single mold. Sometimes it's not the most beautiful design that wins. But the most utilitarian reminded me a lot of my visit to the Design Museum in Cologne, where I saw fantastic chairs, tables and other early design objects as well as an IBM Selectric typewriter, an iPod, an iMac and other objects that I have once owned. Design is important in our life. Look at the rounded corners of the phone you're holding. I enjoyed objectified

Transcribed by Otter.

I should give this film credit for what it does because, on the face of it, I have to be honest and say that when I started watching this I did so with a certain air of "why am I wasting 90 minutes of my time on a subject that holds little interest for me". You must agree that, to the casual viewer (which I am), a documentary on the nature of design is rather loose and perhaps lacks a real hook to get the punters in the door. This was my attitude at the start and I mention this because mostly I found the film to be engaging and interesting. This is mostly down to the way the film is pulled together (appropriately enough) because it has a real structure and rhythm to it that just works.

Some sections work better than others though. Anything to do with Apple is most accessible because we are all familiar with the brand as a thing of beauty and easy use and it makes the conversations around this easy to follow. Conversely the sections with the toothbrush is less so because the work being shown does not appear to be necessary or be going anywhere. Although there are some exceptions, everyone involved in the film is intelligent, well-spoken, clear and easy to listen to. There are a couple of slightly pretentious "design types" that rubbed me up the wrong way with their attitudes but otherwise I found it easy to spend time in the company of the contributors.

Ultimately the film doesn't quite provide the level of insight or passion that one might have hoped but it does engage across the admittedly quite short running time. The subject is well presented, made accessible and, as much as possible, tangible. Could have been better with more insight but for what it is it is accessible and engaging.

First off, just to let you know, I'm a designer. I say that because it may mean that I have more interest in the subject than most. Objectified however really points to the fact that we are ALL interested in this stuff. Far more than most consciously realize, and for those who do, probably more than we care to admit.

Gary Hustwit's previous, "Helvetica" is on my rack and gets viewed probably about once a year. It's just that kinda documentary. Objectified is, in my 'subjectified' opinion, not quite so good, not quite as thoroughly followed through but Hustwit remains one of my favorite documentarians.

Objectified is certainly engaging enough to pull you into the designing backstage of our world; the depth of thinking that goes behind much of what we take for granted. If you like "stuff" you'll like this movie. Even if you don't particularly care, then I still recommend it. Hustwit is again able to show just how powerful a pull we give to the things around us, what goes into them, and what we get out. You may find you care a lot more than you think you do. We really have a materialistic mindset and this is a good first step to seeing it clearly ... and maybe finding a way out.