The hip are bored and they want you to know it. Part absurdest documentary and part cinematic realism, Shoplifting from American Apparel moves between the life of the actual writer who has written the popular novel on which the film is based to the mishaps of a ragtag film crew who offer each other challenges to make certain scenes.—Anonymous
The Beginning
Over the past few years, literary works by Tao Lin have gained increasing popularity, drawing thousands of fans to the unique worlds created in Richard Yates, Eeeee Eee Eeee, and Shoplifting from American Apparel. When Lins novella was released on Melville House, director Pirooz Kalayeh entered negotiations with the author and publisher to bring the project to the silver screen. Initially planning on a lavish budget with producer Mark Parsia (Co-producer, THE HUMAN WAR), the economic downturn catalyzed a new approach to the film that would utilize both documentary and narrative techniques to highlight writers within the virtual world (Noah Cicero, Brad Warner, Bebe Zeva, Jordan Castro, and Tao Lin) and incorporate new media and animation techniques to reflect the novellas nuances alongside the current economic challenges of creating independent cinema.
The Film
Part absurdest documentary and part cinematic realism, Shoplifting from American Apparel moves between the life of the actual writer who has written the popular novel on which the film is based to the trials and tribulations of a ragtag film crew who offer each other challenges to make certain scenes despite having little to no budget and other unforeseen creative roadblocks.
Cinematic Narrative: Tao Lin is your typical New York City literary whiz kid, smart, streetwise, and struggling financially. He splits his free time between working occasionally in a vegan restaurant, meeting random girls, and instant messaging friends on the Internet. In order to make ends meet, he begins shoplifting and selling items on the Internet. He is soon caught and arrested while stealing from American Apparel. While in jail, he witnesses a near fight between a drunken business executive and a drug dealer. He then goes home to write about his experience on the Internet.
Documentary: Pirooz Kalayeh is a director from Hollywood who decides that the best way to adapt the popular novella into a film is to show the final product and document the process of making it simultaneously. Taking ideas that are agreed on unanimously by the crew, the film is deconstructed and reassembled several times, as the audience is shown multiple ways of how to deal with a feature film under financial, weather, technical, and other unforeseen creative constraints.
