YouTube Noir #1

There is always a point in a video maker's life where he or she wants to do a film noir video. This usually ranges from parody to homage to straight copying, but one thing can't be denied, it's out there in spades. And rather than criticize it for its plentiful existence and clichedness, I've decided to do the opposite and look these many videos as a movement like it's originators or as a point in a young film/video makers life. I myself have done a few films in the film noir mold, so looking at these videos gives me a chance to see how film noir is interpreted by others, whether it is the classic staples or some new ones. 

Rather than going through it all scattershot, I've decided that the best way is to view these works in order according to what shows up when I search for Film Noir. These two videos are among the first.

Film Noir by PlaxinProductions

Two things strike me about this movie: one, it's simple title, which is what it aspires to be and two: What it is. What it is is a Sin City homage. From the opening titles to the cinematography to the music. Initially, I have no problem with this as it is a well made video and definitely emulates what it is paying homage to. In fact, the scene where the main character and attacks his teacher and beats him was one of the scenes I found very striking, but because it tries to be like Sin City so much I feel as though it would be a long shot to title it simply as Film Noir. Being a fan of the graphic novels by Frank Miller, I understand where his work was coming from as well as the movie in terms of drawing from Film Noir, but going as far as paying homage to an homage to film noir and then titling it as such seems too much like a stretch and ultimately displays a lack of understanding of the genre and movement itself. This is a good example of taking something that looks like the original and thinking it's the real McCoy. If there is anything that connects it to what it is trying to be it is the voiceover's resemblance to Fred MacMurray's voiceover in Double Indemnity, but as soon as that's over the credits start and we are back in the world of Sin City again.

Film Noir by ynikomarov

Where as my first discovery of YouTube Noir, mislead me in terms of content, my second one completely caught me off guard. From the beginning, the lighting and cinematography and jazzy musical score evokes the classic or cliched look of what Film Noir is to us. The Handheld camera movements and shots of musicians and use of negative space establish this piece as a minimalist work. But as setting starts to reveal itself a little more, we start to see sparkling and shiny surfaces that evoke less Film Noir and more the visual style of Josef von Sternberg. Already, there is a different take on what I'm watching. Then we're introduced to two characters who have a little conversation in another language. Rather than go look for another video to watch, I've become too involved with the visual style and mood to look away. A few more minutes into their conversation I can see that it is a simple one (they talk about jazz music), and because of its simplicity it becomes somewhat refreshing. Rather than seeing another piece about revenge or infidelity, I get a nice little scene between two people just having a good time. No beatings or shootings or affairs, just two people enjoying themselves. That in itself reminds me that half of Film Noir isn't just mood or rough stuff, it's these little moments in between where characters show a side that is often forgotten.

-Carlos F. Enriquez

New Work from this Year

Work by the Tetrad completed in 2009/2010.

Black Horizon: Our first completed work pre-formation. It is the story of a breakup gone horribly wrong involving a femme fatale, a hitman, a man in black, and henchmen. B/W 16mm.

Invasion Radio: Our first real collaborative project after forming our collective. It is about a ham radio alien conspiracy theorist and his assistants and a mysterious disc that is sent to them. Color 16mm.

Retrato de Gente(Portrait of People): My first work on Super 8. A solo piece, it is a documentary about the lack of interaction between people in the city. The footage is juxtaposed with the sound of a family singing together. B/W Super 8mm.

B for Body/C for Canal: Another solo piece, it is a docufiction about children and their stories about a fictional dead body underneath a bridge in a canal. Color Video.

"Goner!": My second film on Super 8 in collaboration with Barbara Little. It is about a girl and her dissatisfaction with society and her reactions to it. B/W Super 8mm.

The Cops: Shot back to back with Invasion Radio, this is considered a light piece with the intention of multiple versions. This mine. Color 16mm and super 8mm.

-Carlos F. Enriquez

Between Personal & Autobiographical Films

I know it's strange to start off a post without a concrete idea of where you got a quote, but I once read somewhere that, it it might of been for either comics or film, it is always a bad idea for your first project to be autobiographical or personal. I found that idea kind of strange, as most people who make films or comics always do that first. Why? Because you do something you know about. Yet, at the same time, it seems too easy to do that. And it's even easier to do something that is directly about yourself. But does it make it bad? I think yes and no. But that's where the line is drawn.

In a personal film, you do a film about something that affects you or has something to do with you. It's usually an experience, point of view, an opinion, an idea, etc. The film can be about an entirely different group of people from you, the protagonist can be someone else, but what you put in is entirely yours. Rainer Werner Fassbinder is a good example as is Francois Truffaut. Both directors made films that dealt with ideas or experiences that were very close to them. For Fassbinder, it was about postwar Germany, his postwar Germany. For Truffaut, it was about his childhood experiences and relationships with women. Woody Allen and Federico Fellini fall into this category as well in that case. What separates these films from autobiographical films is their the directors detachment from the material. And thus, their acceptability is put slightly away from that fine line I mentioned.

Autobiographical films, on the other hand, are problematic because of how close they are to their subject. Granted, directors who these sort of films have the ability to bear themselves to the public, but the other task at hand is how important what they're showing about the audience is. In a fictional film, this would be acceptable as their experiences become accessible to the public in the form of a character that doesn't exist. When it is the director telling us about themselves, then the question is why? Why are we watching this? What do you have to say that is new or different, let alone important? In comics this could be interesting, but on film, I feel it is the amateur's initial idea. Perhaps this is why it is no longer a common occurrence. 

The day of the autobiographical film is over, but remnants of it still show up in spades on the internet in the form of vlogs. But that is a different matter all together. Now, the only situation left to deal with is the safety net that is being created by the personal film. It is becoming the first thing beginning filmmakers are turning to. And as it grows, the amount of personal information put in these films will grow. If this allowed to happen, then I fear that the personal film will become part of the pantheon of amateur work.

-Carlos F. Enriquez