Everyone loves a plot that is involved and filled with complex characters. This is a formula that is found in the noir film genre. It is an interesting genre to tackle and very hard to do effectively. Yet, there are some filmmakers who possess the proper talents and techniques to handle such a challenge. "Citizen Noir" is a short film written and directed by Michael Ferrara, a filmmaker who demonstrates such talents. The film is set to release in the spring. Continue on for more information about the film as well as an interview with Ferrara.
From the Facebook Page:
Mark investigates a crime in his neighborhood but the deeper he goes, the darker things seem to get.
Jess Carson: Thank you for taking the time out for this interview. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Michael Ferrara: I am a senior at UCA, and I study Digital Filmmaking and Art. I sort of stumbled into filmmaking early my freshmen year at UCA and fell in love instantly.
JC: Noir is a tricky genre to deal with. How does "Citizen Noir" give a unique spin on an interesting genre such as this?
MF: Noir is tricky, and it doesn't help that we're making a short. Film noir is usually very complicated in plot and the characters are usually very complex. The hardest thing would be to try capture that depth in about 15 minutes. What we plan on doing is taking noir for face value and making it recognizable to most audiences while not completely alienating classic noir fans.
JC: How did you come up with the concept?
MF: The concept was originally a daydream I had in my scriptwriting class about a detective, who is incredibly incompetent, trying to find a missing cat. I pitched the idea about a year ago and it was rejected. This ended up being great for the film because it gave me more time to develop the story and hammer out plot holes. I pitched the story again in another class this year and it was given the green light.
JC: What are you looking forward to the most during production?
MF: The thing I'm looking forward to most in production is the end of production. Don't get me wrong I love making movies, but this is my largest project to date and I'm pretty nervous. Luckily I have an amazing crew and a promising cast to work with on this production. One of the things I truly love about production is when everyone gets on the same page, and everything I was visualizing comes out perfectly. I think we can make that happen.
JC: Can you tell us a bit about the crew you're working with?
MF: I've been working with the same people for the past few years. We all are pretty comfortable around each other. Half the battle working on a set is the chemistry you have with one another. My Producer is Sarah Irvin. I honestly owe a lot to her. She' s been the anchor of this project keeping this whole thing grounded. My Director of Photography is Kyle Thorton. Kyle and I haven't worked together a whole lot, but as soon as we first started working together we immediately saw eye-to-eye. He's sharp and has a pretty good eye for noir.
JC: How is casting going?
MF: We just wrapped up casting. Initially casting was a nightmare. We held a group casting call with several other short films. We have a major cast of seven characters and that day we only filled three spots. Over time though we were able to fill the remaining roles. Currently, though, we are looking at our options for extras for a few scenes.
JC: Anything else you'd like for us to know?
MF: If anyone is interested in keeping up with us, follow our Facebook Page.
Be sure to "like" the film on Facebook.
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