Visual Acoustics is a documentary that celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman,
the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away this year, captured the work of nearly every major modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and Frank Gehry.

Visual Acoustics explores the monumental career of the late architectural photographer, Julius Shulman, who passed away on July 15th, 2009. Populating his photos with human models and striking landscapes, Shulman combined the organic with the synthetic, melding nature with revolutionary urban design. The resulting images helped shape the careers of some of the greatest architects of the 20th Century.

Taking aesthetic cues from Shulman’s own sensual and nuanced photography, the film’s narrative (by Dustin Hoffman) is built from a blend of Shulman’s own images and in-depth interviews with architect Frank Gehry, designer Tom Ford, artist Ed Ruscha, actress Kelly Lynch, writer Mitch Glazer, publisher Benedikt Taschen, Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Dante Spinotti and a host of others. By offering unprecedented and exclusive access to his amazing photographic archive and day-to-day life, Shulman's dedicated involvement in the filming process was an incalculable benefit to the film.

Still active until his death at 98 years-old, Shulman took photography assignments and lecture invitations from around the world. While at home, holding court in his 1949 Raphael Soriano-designed home and studio, Shulman and his incomparable archive continued to bring to life a Los Angeles style that he helped to create; a style that has influenced the designers of today’s sleek global aesthetic.

In addition to remaining a respected and insightful voice within the architecture community, Shulman continued to be an outspoken and extremely vocal advocate of imbuing the urban 21st century with a sense of humanity and a balance with the natural world.

Release: 2009
Running Time: 84 minutes
Directed by Eric Bricker

Official Website: www.juliusshulmanfilm.com