Corsi: The World's First Super Model
Documentary in post production
Antonio Corsi was said to have the most famous face in the world. He inspired legendary works of art that are still loved by millions.
Corsi elevated modeling to a serious profession, but his story is presently missing from the art history books. Even though his likeness is found in cathedrals, government buildings, museums and public spaces globally, very few experts are aware of the connection between these great works of art.
Why was he forgotten?
Documentary filmmakers Jake Gorst and Tracey Rennie Gorst have spent the past decade tirelessly researching and piecing together this remarkable man's life and career. The majority of their new documentary, Corsi: The World's First Super Model, has been filmed, and post-production has begun. The film is slated for release in 2023.
The Model's Artist
Short film — Released: 2015
The Model's Artist explores the creative partnership of artist Zhenya Gershman and model Mark Snyder.
2015 Telly Award: Editing
new england modernism: Revolutionary architecture in the 20th century
Between the 1930s and 1970s, American Modernism established an exciting and provocative footing in New England. By the 1940s the work of American master Frank Lloyd Wright and European newcomers such as Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius influenced generations of young architects and inspired a surprisingly large catalog of important buildings throughout the region. Architects Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, Eliot Noyes and many others led the charge. Dive deeply into this rich pool of talent whose buildings still hold international influence, despite the constant threat of redevelopment. These works tell the story of New England Modernism, a story rich with beauty, imagination, creativity and industriousness.
legacy film series
leisurama
Released: 2005
In 1963, All State Properties, capitalizing on publicity from an international debate between Nixon and Khrushchev, built a development of second homes in Montauk, New York. The homes were designed by architect Andrew Geller at industrial designer Raymond Loewy's office and were sold through Macy's Department Store. They came fully furnished, down to the toothbrush. A kitschy cold war architecture story.
farmboy
Released: 2006
An Emmy award winning film about a Depression-era research farm in upstate New York where techniques and equipment were developed and commonly used throughout the world today – and about the boy who grew up on that farm.
2007 NY Emmy Award: Musical Composition
the rise and fall of books
Released: 2008
Buzz Spector spends a lot of time thinking about the fate of print culture. He is an internationally renowned "book artist” whose installations, sculptures, photographs, and drawings have been exhibited in many museums and galleries in the U.S. and overseas. Follow Spector during one month in the winter of 2007 as he teaches a class of Cornell University art students how to use books as art-making material and, more importantly, to think about the values that reading and collecting books contribute to society.
other films by jake and tracey gorst
Frey: Part 1 — The Architectural Envoy
Design Onscreen (2018)
Albert Frey, the unpretentious Swiss-born mid-20th century architect, aided in the introduction of Corbusian-influenced modernism to the United States and through an innate curiosity of the American landscape, developed an extraordinary design style, blending industrial techniques and a love of nature.
2018 Telly Awards: Biography Production, Editing
The Nature of Modernism: E. Stewart Williams, Architect
Design Onscreen (2014)
E. Stewart Williams (1909-2005) was a prolific modernist architect based in Palm Springs, California. The Nature of Modernism: E. Stewart Williams, Architect traces Mr. Williams’ family history and professional career, from the early days designing a home for Frank Sinatra, to the later years, producing civic structures, including the Crafton Hills College, Palm Springs Art Museum and Santa Fe Federal Savings, now the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion.
2014 Telly Awards: Cinematography, Use of Music
Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island
Design Onscreen (2012)
“When much of Long Island was still farmland, before it was cool, before the hordes of summer beachgoers clogged the roads, before building lots sold for seven figures, writers, artists, musicians and architects discovered its beauty and solitude and began to build summer cottages and year-round homes. Design Onscreen recently released Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island, an 86-minute documentary film by Jake Gorst about the times, places and people that converged to create lively, free, experimental designs for mostly modest houses that sit lightly on their sites. It’s also a lament against their wanton destruction and a plea to preserve what’s left.”
—Modernism Magazine, Fall 2012
2012 Telly Awards: Historical Perspective, Editing
William Krisel, Architect
Design Onscreen (2010)
Over the course of his sixty-year career, architect William Krisel brought modernism to the masses, designing more than 40,000 individual housing units across the United States. Krisel’s influential work has become synonymous with mid-20th century Southern Californian design. The documentary explores his life and work, including his roots in 1930s China, his ground-breaking designs for modern living, and interviews with scholars, his contemporaries and family. “I’m a firm believer that good modern design can make your life happier, more productive and more enjoyable,” said Krisel.
2010 Telly Awards: Editing, Use of Music, History Biography
Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler
Design Onscreen (2009)
During the 1950s and 60s, Donald Wexler pioneered commercial and residential construction using steel and prefabrication. He applied his groundbreaking techniques and unique style to projects for clients such as Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, the Alexander Construction Company and Walt Disney World Resort. Wexler’s designs for public buildings in the Coachella Valley of California, including the dramatic Palm Springs Airport, served as both soaring and practical models for other municipalities to emulate. Today Donald Wexler’s work is garnering new appreciation worldwide and providing inspiration for a new generation of architects.
2009 Telly Award: Editing
Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs
Design Onscreen (2005)
Southern California’s Coachella Valley, including the communities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, boasts hundreds of extraordinary midcentury modern homes, public buildings and commercial structures. Modern designers such as William F. Cody, Albert Frey, William Krisel, John Lautner, Richard Neutra, R.M. Schindler, Donald Wexler, and E. Stewart Williams left their collective mark on this desert paradise. Desert Utopia: Mid-Century Architecture in Palm Springs traces the history of modern architecture in Palm Springs from the first bold forays into modernist design to the preservation challenges facing the region today. Director Jake Gorst’s film features rare archival images and footage as well as interviews with historians, homeowners and the architects who helped create this mecca of modernism.
