Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Is Filmmaker Is Vincent Moon Is Mathieu Saura

Do you know Vincent Moon? I'd bet you know of R.E.M. and maybe some of the 80+ smaller, emerging bands (Grizzly Bear, The Shins, Beirut, Arcade Fire, Jens Lenkman, Vampire Weekend, The National, Bon Iver, Jason Mraz, Jose Gonzales, The Kooks, etc.) that have let Vincent Moon have their way with them. Mathieu Saura, aka Vincent Moon, is a Parisian filmmaker that is making a pretty big name in the music, blog, and film scene and has yet to hit his 30th birthday.

I'm no filmmaker though I consider myself a huge fan of great storytelling, cinematography and acting. So, I asked a close friend in the film industry (who has worked with Vincent Moon) about his style and whether it's really THAT groundbreaking or magnificent. The answer was partially what I expected. Moon is definitely no slouch in film making but he's not blazing new trail either. He found a niche, a handful of thirsty clients and now he's cruising with the bigger boys. He simply films "improvised" performances by emerging bands in one take and applies smoothly sly camera moves, capturing bands in unique locations. The aspect that boggled me was that no matter the location or where the camera traveled, the sound remained impeccable, from the cramped elevator full of 9 band members to an empty parking lot. Maybe Moon is a fantastic or standard filmmaker, but much of the accolades should be headed toward his sound engineer.

There's been a bit of hub-bub (yes, I just used "hub-bub") going on the past week about Moon's latest video featuring Bon Iver. But, I'd rather draw focus on a few of his more admirable pieces of work: The Arcade Fire, The National and Beirut. There are well over 80 videos posted on Moon's La Blogotheque, most of which are worth watching, if only you had the time. That's why I'm here - to show you the BIG highlights among the dozens of shows and hundreds of songs. Nothing more needs to be said other than for you to hit the play buttons on all three videos and watch the unique film setting, camera work, and sterling sound quality that is captured by Vincent Moon and his team. The bands aren't half bad at what they do either.
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (in an elevator)


The National - Start A War

Beirut (featuring Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear) - Cliquot

1 comment:

Martianblur said...

Hiw work is a pure inspiration, It looks as if the world is made of artists singing spontaneously in the streets, magnificient way to film, and all those artists (on lablogotheque) are so much talented, I wish everyone listened to their music .