Banksy's foray into filmmaking began haphazardly and unexpectedly, but it turned out to be a widely acclaimed success.
He had thought an eccentric man with a video camera would create a trailblazing documentary on the burgeoning street art scene but discovered instead that the subject of the documentary should instead be this man, Mr.
Brainwash.
The Origin of Mr.
Brainwash Exit Through the Gift Shop, a documentary film directed and narrated by Banksy with a distorted voice to preserve his anonymity, is about a French immigrant, Thierry Guetta, who moves to Los Angeles and develops an obsession with carrying a camera and filming everything he sees and storing his tapes with no intention of ever editing or watching them.
The movie reveals that Thierry lost his mother at the age of 11, which gave him an enormous sense of loss as a youth.
It also reveals that capturing each moment of his life on film gives Thierry a sense of preserving the fleeting moments in life, and thus underlies his compulsive need to carry a camera and record everything.
Thierry's journey into the world of street art begins when he discovers on a trip to France that his cousin is a famous street artist who goes by the name of Space Invader.
Space Invader decorates French streets with mosaics of characters from the classic video game "Space Invaders," hence his name.
Thierry then discovers the thrill of recording his cousin and his friends at work due to the danger of getting caught by authorities.
Upon visiting Los Angeles, Space Invader introduces Thierry to the street art scene in the area, which allows him to eventually meet Banksy on a chance encounter and to establish a friendship with him.
Banksy even allows Thierry to film him on the condition that he only film his hands and the artwork, leaving him anonymous.
With his eccentricity and determination to film, Thierry convinces the street artists of Los Angeles and Banksy that he is a serious film director worthy of their trust in recording them as they place their art.
They believe he will make the first documentary capturing the development of street art as it moves into the mainstream, and that it will preserve a form of art that is ephemeral.
Upon Banksy's order, Thierry edits the film and submits the final version to Banksy.
It is then that Banksy discovers Thierry is not a filmmaker and relates his belief that he may just be crazy.
Rather than be blunt and tell Thierry his film is awful, he tells him to drop the camera and to take up street art instead.
What Banksy does not realize is that Thierry will take his advice to an extreme and recast himself as a serious artist within a very brief period of time, under the pseudonym of Mr.
Brainwash.
Mr.
Brainwash develops his own iconic, stenciled image featuring himself and a camera and places it all over Los Angeles.
He also mortgages his business to dedicate time and money to establish his own studio, using a team of artists working feverishly to design artwork that merges pop art and street art, with the ultimate aim of creating a world-famous exhibition.
This financial gamble brings enormous stress to his wife, who has to care for their two children while her husband pursues his new artistic dream.
Using techniques and skills he had learned while filming and assisting street artists, and using his intuitive grasp of marketing to promote his show, he convinces the art world that he is the latest sensation to hit the street art scene, and has a spectacularly successful exhibition, Life Is Beautiful, as a result.
His Los Angeles exhibition makes him $1 million and convinces Madonna that he should be hired to design the cover for her 2009 album, Celebration.
His exhibition becomes a sociological phenomenon that makes the more experienced street artists wonder how a relatively simple person could convince a supposedly sophisticated crowd that he has extraordinary artistic talent and insight, when he is perceived by them to be a clumsy, if obsessed, novice.
Realizing that the phenomenon of Mr.
Brainwash is more interesting than himself, Banksy states he decided to use the footage assembled by Thierry to make a documentary about his evolution to Mr.
Brainwash, which became the basis for his debut film.
Gaining Banksy's Trust Pivotal to the movie is how Thierry is able to gain the trust of Los Angeles street artists, and through them, the most reclusive street artist in the world, Banksy.
When Space Invader visits Los Angeles he introduces Thierry to Shepard Fairey, a street artist renowned for decorating cities with facial images of the legendary wrestler, Andre the Giant.
Thierry begins to accompany Shepard to videotape him, and through Shepard learns the best spots in Los Angeles for street art, as well as avoiding the attention of law enforcement.
Thierry eagerly assists in moving the supplies for Shepard and becomes his lookout, thus being not just a witness but also an accomplice to his work.
It is this willingness to assist Shepard, an established name in street art, that builds Thierry's reputation as trustworthy.
He also sees firsthand how Shepard designs and plans his artwork, and is able to incorporate this knowledge later on.
When Banksy visits the United States, he finds out that his assistant has been not been allowed into the country by customs.
He thus calls trusted contacts in the Los Angeles area to find if someone can serve as his assistant, and Thierry's name is suggested.
When Banksy meets Thierry he discovers that Thierry is eager to please and to assist him in any way he can, and shows him the best spots for placing his street art in Los Angeles.
Just before a major exhibition in the city, Banksy, accompanied by Thierry, decides to place a life-size figure of a Guantanamo detainee at the Disneyland theme park.
The figure, made using a blow-up doll, with the characteristic orange jumpsuit, black bag over its head, and manacled wrists, attracts the attention of security personnel, and they suspect Thierry is involved due to filming the incident.
Thierry is interrogated for four hours, and refuses to reveal the identity of, or acknowledge, any association with the perpetrator.
He is finally released, and after this incident his trustworthiness and friendship are solidified in the eyes of Banksy.
Banksy vs.
Mr.
Brainwash Art Philosophy While both Banksy and Mr.
Brainwash have lives that intersect with their passion for street art, they are polar opposites in their marketing strategy and artistic philosophy.
Banksy's art is strongly non-commercial in its message, and his refusal to collaborate with major corporations whose business practices he finds to be ethically deplorable has added enormous credibility to him both artistically and politically.
Banksy's politics are inextricably tied to his art, and without his keen sensitivity to the ideas of justice, love, and peace his art would lack its core vitality.
Mr.
Brainwash, on the other hand, lives up to his name and successfully brainwashes the artistic literati into believing he is credible because he gives the aura of credibility.
He believes the purpose of art is to brainwash.
Endorsements from Banksy and Shepard Fairey, sent to an exclusive email list and paraded all over the city on advertisements, build up curiosity and help bolster his image to art sophisticates, though they both eventually regret his extraordinary ability to use their encouragement and praise to manipulate the art world.
Conclusion Though the character of Banksy differs greatly from that of Mr.
Brainwash as depicted in the documentary, they are both united by a passion that drives them to break from social conventions.
This passion for expressing themselves through art allows them to meet and establish a very tight bond.
Though Banksy does not think too highly of Mr.
Brainwash's art, he admires his drive and ability to accomplish in such a short time what it has taken other artists many years of practice and refinement.
Mr.
Brainwash also serves as a lesson for Banksy and other established names on the psychology behind artistic fads.