twenty2product-fmra . american stamps documentary . fmra09_080501
. .. ... .... ..... ...... ....... ........ ......... .......... ........... .......... ......... ........ ....... ...... ..... .... ... .. .

overview . graphics . roughcut


Thirty years ago an exceptional group of design professionals were brought

together to produce all of the postage stamps used here in the United States.

Six art directors remain and are responsible for portraying the American

experience in miniature to a worldwide audience. This 30 minute documentary

is a collection of stories told by the art directors, their artist collaborators, and

key USPS employees that detail how some of the thousands of topics

submitted each year by the American public will become postage stamps.


Since the characters talk about the creative process of making stamps,

the subject requires an unusual approach to making the film. All footage, the

interviews, postage stamps and supporting imagery are woven into a

stream of music and motiongraphics consciousness that carry from one

art director's vignette into the next. Nori-zso Tolson and Terry Green are the

designer-filmmakers producing this program, and in the past 7 years

they've screened 5 short films that combine impressionistic storytelling with

signature animation and compositing techniques to audiences worldwide.


Everyone on the planet is interested in the creative process. Artists,

designers and architects are always asked where their ideas come from and

how they do what they do. These stories are about the art directors' personal

connections to the monumental characters and events they depict and

the extraordinary lengths they'll go to find just the right image to illustrate

them. And because postage stamps are designed for the public, they make an

ideal medium to explain how creative professionals think through all the options

to get to the most universally appropriate solution.


The USPS has granted twenty2product the right to show the stamps and

the stamp-associated artwork and has allowed us to interview an

impressive group of people for this project. The producers extend grateful

thanks to Terry McCaffrey, Manager of Stamp Development at the USPS for

the generous access to his colleagues and professional associates.

. .. ... .... ..... ...... ....... ........ ......... .......... ........... .......... ......... ........ ....... ...... ..... .... ... .. .

email to terry green or nori-zso tolson . motiongraphics and interactive . twenty2product