FACT SHEET
TITLE:
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE SCULPTOR
LENGTH:
1/60
NOLA CODE:
TETS
CATEGORY:
Documentary/Art & Culture
OFFERED:
Fall Marketplace 2004
RELEASE DATE:
April 1, 2005
CONTRACT TERMS:
Unlimited releases to be completed by March
31, 2008.
Noncommercial cable, school re-record,
simulcast and video-on-demand rights have
been granted.
PROGRAM SUPPLIER:
Asti-Trevi Productions via APT
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
The intense process that precedes a sculptor’s
taking a hammer and chisel to stone has rarely
been documented. Through the Eyes of the
Sculptor examines the intricate and creative
process behind this ancient art form, as master
sculptor Emmanuel Fillion creates a new piece.
Through the Eyes of the Sculptor highlights
the marriage of personal vision and old-world
craftsmanship that transforms raw stone into
art, and artists into masters.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS:
Use above for listing. A press release, artist and
producer biographies are included. All
materials, including photography, are available
on APTonline.org.
-more-
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE SCLUPTOR /2
FACT SHEET
CONTENT ADVISORY:
The program contains shots of classical nude
statues throughout.
PRODUCTION DATE:
©2004 Gina Minervini
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Executive producer: Gina Minervini. Consulting
producer: Emmanuel Fillion.
Director of
photography/Cinematographer: Bob Kronovet.
Editors: Adam Powers and Bob Kronovet.
UNDERWRITERS:
The Annenberg Foundation
Walker-Zanger
United States Gypsum Co. - Industrial Products
Division
Rubeth Haggart
Charles Abruscato
John and Maria Minervini
BROADCAST HISTORY:
U.S. television premiere
RELATED MERCHANDISE:
This program is available on home video.
Individual viewer purchase: The program is
available on DVD for $24.95 and VHS for
$19.95. To order, please call 1-800-950-9648 or
visit www.tteyesof.com.
Pledge: If you are interested in pledging this
program and need further assistance, please
contact APT Station Services at 617-338-4455.
VIEWER INQUIRIES:
Asti-Trevi Productions
729 9th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90402
WEB SITES:
www.tteyesof.com
www.emmanuelfillion.com
COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
Dawn Anderson
American Public Television
(617) 338-4455, ext. 149
dawn_anderson@APTonline.org
1/31/05
CONTACT: Dawn Anderson
(617) 338-4455, ext. 149
dawn_anderson@APTonline.org
PRESS RELEASE
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE SCULPTOR
Marriage of Personal Vision and Old-World Craftsmanship
Transforms Raw Stone Into Art
It has been said that “a sculpture comes alive in clay, dies in plaster, and is reborn again
in marble.” However, the intense process that precedes a sculptor’s taking a hammer
and chisel to stone has rarely been documented. Through the Eyes of the Sculptor
examines the intricate and creative process behind this ancient art form, as master
sculptor Emmanuel Fillion creates a new piece.
The broadcast premiere of Through the Eyes of the Sculptor airs on public television
stations nationwide beginning April 1, 2005 (check local listings).
Raised amid the limestone quarries in the small town of Emerville, France, Fillion was
inspired to carve at a young age. He was educated as a restoration artist, and walked in
the footsteps of the master carvers by restoring many of the country’s top historical
monuments, including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre. Fillion’s work on these
monuments inspired him to sculpt his own statues and figures.
Fillion’s background gives him special insight into one of the country’s current restoration
projects: the Pont Neuf, a 17th-century Parisian bridge straddling the river Seine. He
details examples of the carving process that a restoration artist must follow in order to
stay true to the work of history’s master sculptors.
Upon completion of the plaster model of his own new piece, Fillion travels to northern
Italy, to the stone-carving villages of Pietrasanta and legendary marble mountains of
Carrara. Pietrasanta, considered a mecca for sculptors, is home to the “artigiano” or
master artisans. They continue a time-honored tradition of sculpting that dates back
centuries, and their unique skills are highly prized. It is here that Fillion assembles the
team that will assist him during the process of sculpting his work.
But first he must locate the perfect block of marble. For this, he turns to one of the
largest marble quarries in Carrara. Michelangelo supervised the quarrying of his own
stone from this region’s mountains, and Fillion’s exploration of their tunnels and massive
caves highlights the methods that sculptors must use to track down the perfect piece of
stone.
Along the way, professionals extract the stone from enormous quarries to reveal how
marble is cut, transported and exported. The program explores this dangerous work, a
point driven home by the stories from quarrymen who once moved the massive pieces of
marble with only ropes, pulleys, soap and wood.
-more-
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE SCULPTOR /2
PRESS RELEASE
Executive producer is Gina Minervini. Consulting producer is Emmanuel Fillion. Director
of photography/Cinematographer is Bob Kronovet. Edited by Adam Powers and Bob
Kronovet. Major funding was provided by The Annenberg Foundation. Produced in 2004,
Through the Eyes of the Sculptor is supplied by Asti-Trevi Productions and presented
by American Public Television through the Exchange service at no cost to public
television stations nationwide.
About Asti-Trevi Productions
Based In Santa Monica, California, Through the Eyes of the Sculptor is the company’s
first documentary program effort produced specifically for public television. Over the
past decade Asti-Trevi Productions has developed, placed or produced projects for
television, film and theatre. Inspired by projects that are driven by fully developed
characters and strong storylines, ATP is actively in development on a variety of subjects,
including the intent of producing another Through the Eyes Of…installment.
About American Public Television
For 44 years, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of
programming for the nation’s public television stations. APT distributes more than 10,000
hours of programming including JFK: Breaking the News, Simply Ming, Globe Trekker,
Rick Steves’ Europe, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, Battlefield Britain, Jungle,
America’s Test Kitchen, Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen and classic movies. APT is
known for identifying innovative programs and developing creative distribution
techniques for producers. In four decades, it has established a tradition of providing
public television stations nationwide with program choices that enable them to
strengthen and customize their schedules. Press should contact Donna Hardwick at
617-338-4455 ext. 129 or via email to Donna_Hardwick@APTonline.org. For more
information about APT’s programs and services visit APTonline.org.
###
1/25/05
EMMANUEL FILLION
Sculptor/Host
Emmanuel was born in France in a quaint village surrounded by limestone quarries and
began carving at an early age. By 15, he was a stone carver and majored in the
restoration of historical monuments at the “Ecole Saint Lambert”.
He traveled as an apprentice sculptor throughout France restoring the famous
monuments of different periods, including Gothic, Renaissance, Empire, Romantic, as
well as Contemporary, including Notre Dame, the Louvre and Chateau de Chambord.
In 1995 he came to Los Angeles and within one week he received his first commission to
carve an elaborate fountain entitled “scene d’eau”. The piece portrays Neptune and
Naiade embraced in a large seashell sculpted of the purest white statuary marble,
“bianco statuario.”
Today, in his Malibu studios his commissions take form in clay, bronze, limestone and
marble. He often travels between Italy and the United States to work with the best
materials and specialized artisans for his projects.
One of his most outstanding commissions represents the mythological figure Phaeton
and his two horses. It was sculpted from over 25 tons of white Carrara marble for one of
the most prestigious American homes in Los Angeles.
Emmanuel hopes Through the Eyes of the Sculptor will bring a new appreciation to
sculptures, and that viewers learn the process a sculptor takes to create a work of art.
More information about Emmanuel Fillion may be found on his Web site,
www.emmanuelfillion.com.
GINA MINERVINI
Executive Producer/Writer/ Director/ Narrator
Filming in Malibu, California, France and Italy for Through the Eyes of the Sculptor is
Minervini’s debut as producer, writer, director and narrator. She was fascinated by the
concept of letting the hands-on experts tell their own stories and determined to create a
program that would inspire and educate using story-like, informative narration to take
viewers on a special journey.
Under her company’s banner, Asti-Trevi Productions, she independently traveled with a
video camera to Pietrasanta and Carrara, Italy on an exploratory scout. There she
visited the quarrymen, local artisans and workshop leaders. She was given a lesson in
sculpting marble to help her fully understand the process.
At this time she was privileged to watch master sculptor, Emmanuel Fillion, finishing two
magnificent, pure white marble horses in a local studio. Captivated by the masterwork
and passion of the artist, she knew it should be captured on film. Here the program
Through the Eyes of the Sculptor was born.
For over a decade, Minervini’s company, Asti-Trevi Productions, has strived to develop,
place and produce projects that are driven by fully developed characters and strong
story-lines. The company is actively in development on a variety of subjects, from a
Nichol’s award winning screenplay, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, contemporary true-life
stories to pieces of American history.
She developed and produced the controversial CBS television series of specials, Visitors
from the Unknown and Doorways to the Unknown with Victor/Grais Productions, hosted
by James Earl Jones and Academy Award-winner Martin Landau.
As a voice artist and actress in the United States and Europe, Minervini has appeared in
numerous television programs and films; she also can be heard on both radio and
television commercials or promos, including the public television specials Anne Frank
Remembered and The Good, The Bad and The Beautiful.