the cinema photography of tom konkle's neo-noir … · the cinema photography of marchand...

THE CINEMA PHOTOGRAPHY OF

�MARCHAND & MEFFRE�

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� FREE � DEC. 2013

#047

TOM KONKLE'S NEO-NOIR

�TROUBLE IS MY BUSINESS�

MALTA & GOZO'S �CINEMA FUTURE�

THE CINEMATOGRAPH #047 � EXCERPT � ©©©© CINEMA HERITAGE GROUP

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Dear Cineastes,

I hope you had a good start to the winter season, safe from

storms and torretial downpours. Now seems like a good time

to put up your feet with some cinematic news to browse.

Grab yourself a hot cocoa (optional) and enjoy the show.

The world of cinema(s) is such a diverse, multi-faceted and

fascinating subject that it may be difficult to even scratch the

surface. Through The Cinematograph we endeavour to share

some of its great stories, places and films with you. Be they

striking historic cinemas and theatres (restored or crumbling,

in brick or on paper), rare classic films, amazing photographs,

new film projects, cinemagoing recollections, special events, or everything in between -

and beyond. Let's lift the lid on a few cinematic treasures and discoveries:

In this issue we give you the lowdown on a Neo-Noir in the making, a classically inspired

tale of the-gumshoe-and-the-dame

by director Tom Konkle, that pulls

no punches.

We also showcase some of the

most striking US cinema palaces of

years gone by, expertly captured

by young French photographer

team Yves Marchand and Romain

Meffre. The Nickelodeon Dictionary

returns with a quirky Christmas

themed cinema term that is little-

known outside Italy but that may

well be applicable internationally.

Whether you're planning to head to

the movies to be entertained by a

great story on the big screen, or

whether you'll huddle up on the

sofa with a DVD of your favourite

classic, a mug of eggnog (or spiced

apple most) and a friend, or

whether you're reading this in a

part of the world where northern

climes are distant and a dip in the

ocean more appealing, I wish you a

happy, relaxing and entertaining

holiday season!

I welcome your feedback, and

suggestions concerning the

magazine's content and look, as

well as your submissions for publication/review. Contact {[email protected]}

Marc Zimmermann

Director/actor Konkle on the set of Trouble is My Business

HOLLYWOOD THEATRE New York City 2011 © Marchand+Meffre


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Noir films, the hardboiled black-and-white Hollywood crime dramas, had their heyday

during the early 1940s to late 1950s. The genre had some of its main roots in the pulp

magazines of the time, borrowing plots heavily from a myriad of crime writers. It

produced classics such as director Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (US 1944), the

adaptation of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep (US 1946, starring iconic couple

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall), and The Night of the Hunter (US 1950, starring

Robert Mitchum).

Throughout the following decades Neo-Noir developed the stories and visuals of the classic

genre further, through new, gritty feature films that spread into other genres and

produced some memorable new classics such as Ridley Scott's dystopian Sci-Fi thriller

Blade Runner (US 1982), Alex Proyas' Dark City (AU/US 1998) and Robert Rodriguez' Sin

City (US 2005).

The way of telling Noir tales has never truly gone out of style. It may have become a rarer

breed of story in the age of sequels, low-brow comedies and CG spectacles, but as a genre

Noir every now and then produces a great new film. The Oscar-winning The Artist

(FR/BE/US 2011, not a Noir) proved that pre-talkies storytelling in black-and-white and

compact 1:1.33 format could get modern audiences hooked on traditional storytelling

again, even with a mostly silent feature.

Upcoming Noir productions include such high-visibility projects as LA Noir (written and

directed by Shawshank Redemption's Frank Darabont) and Robert Rodriguez' Sin City 2: A

Dame to Kill For. And it is likely that there will be a good dose of Noir in the long

anticipated and soon to be released movie adaptation of Lawrence Block's novel A Walk

Among the Tomb Stones (starring Liam Neeson).

However, new Chandler-esque P.I. stories, told with a weary gumshoe's voiceover and

smoky, monochrome visuals are hard to find these days. And yet…

A new, promising

production in the

making has come to

our attention. It is not

on the Hollywood

circuit (yet) but it may

be all the better for it.

Marc Zimmermann [Q]

caught up with

writer/director/actor

Tom Konkle [A]

between shoots,

pitches and festivals to

get the low-down on

his Noir project

Trouble is My

Business. Check out

a first eight-minute glimpse of the movie on {www.troubleismy.biz}

Q: The 1950 title of a Raymond Chandler short story collection Trouble is My Business has

a familiar ring for Noir fans. Was your choice of movie title a conscious allusion and

homage to Chandler, or is it a more generic reference to the classic Noir period? It seems

pretty much impossible to crate a hard-boiled world on 'celluloid' without instantly

Director and star of Trouble is my Business, Tom Konkle


recognisable phrases and key lingo (gumshoe, dame/moll, hoodlum etc.).

A: It was more of a general reference to the Noir period. I had the idea for the story and

wrote the original screenplay with Brittney Powell. Also, my producing, writing, acting

partner of many years David Beeler helped with great feedback on the story and

production as well. I wanted to explore the genre because of my love for the language,

outlook and the visual look of Noir. The title just fit. I have to admit, I haven't read that

particular collection of stories from Chandler yet, but I will. Trouble Is My Business is a

perfect title for our story.

Q: You must have a stack of Noir and pulp references -on your shelf and particularly in

your head- to refer to when working on this film. Tell us about some of your key

influences, be they movies, books, pulp magazines or music.

A: It started with movies and then I went to the books. Some of my big influences have

been Out Of The Past, The Maltese

Falcon, Sunset Blvd, Raiders of The

Lost Ark, Big Combo, and my favorite

author is Ross MacDonald. Thus the

Lew MacDonald character I have in

my film a nod in name. I have a

collection of pulp books too that get

me in the mood to do my own

original work as well. Music of the

period and soundtracks are also a big

influence.

Q: Director Sergio Leone famously

played Ennio Morricone's haunting,

iconic soundtrack for Once Upon a

Time in America (ready before the

film) on set to get his actors in the

right mood. Are there certain musical

cues and inspirations that run

through your head during shooting,

or do you have a Noir playlist you

like to consult?

A: Music of the period and

soundtracks are also a big influence.

Charlie Haden Quartet West, Jerry

Goldsmith, Miles Davis, and many other mood music both go through my head and end up

as 'temp tracks' for the movie, or while I'm writing. Even L.A. Noire, the XBox game,

inspires me with its music and visuals.

Q: Help me out, it seems I'm a little fuzzy on one detail - like your P.I. Drake who wakes

up to his client gone (from his bed) with only a bloody trail left behind. On your website

you talk about the marketability of the film and of casting 'celebrities' in key roles. Does

this mean that -as production progresses- you are looking to cast additional roles with

recognisable names? Or do you intend the current footage as a high-quality pitch for a

complete recast and 'remake'?

A: Further into the movie it's designed to have key roles with marketable, recognizable

name actor turns, while keeping professional actors like myself, Brittney Powell and David

Beeler front and center because this is our break though into starring in our own feature

rather than someone else's production. We all have a lot of credits and I gave myself


permission to 'own the restaurant, not be a waiter' as far as carrying a feature of my own.

I have no plans to remake or reboot this film; this is the final feature we are making in

this configuration.

Q: When Hollywood comes knocking (and, judging by what I've seen so far it'd be

surprising if they didn't) to discuss a remake, which actors would you most like to see in

the two leads, and in some of the smaller roles for that matter?

A: Honestly, I haven't considered that. I think this indie feature release will be the final

word on the story I want to tell. As a director and actor in the film, I resonate with the

story and it's already going to be 'Hollywood' as we are having parts for Lauren Bacall

(who is officially attached to the film), and other name actors who are interested, etc.

built into the script we are filming now. I can't see anyone else in the role of Ms.

Montemar except Brittney Powell. She is an accomplished Hollywood actress and someone

I am very, very close

to and believe in as an

artist, and the talented

people I have acted

with before shine in

this film in parts made

for them as well as the

talented production

team like PJ Gaynard

my DP, who is

amazing behind the

camera with our

production crew.

Trouble Is My Business

is a feature film made

for distribution

through traditional and

new media distribution company platforms. As we get distributors and financiers both in

an out of the Hollywood system involved in our slate of films at Lumen Actus, there are so

many actors and crew people I would love to pay well and perform with or direct or both

in future films!

Q: One of the most striking and instantly recognisable elements of Trouble is -of course-

the fact that it is a not a colour film. But we are talking about much more than simply

shooting in black-and-white. What is involved in creating just the right kind of contrasts,

shadows, lighting and colour grading for your film?

A: Yes, I really want the film to be black and white. As a business consideration we are

doing a dual colour and black and white release. The director's cut will be black and white

for cinephiles and Noir purists like myself and the other release is a beautifully colour

timed version with a unique look to it which I think will be a different experience for a

viewer and many I have shown both versions to actually preferred the colour version. The

colour version is a less risky 'sell' to distributors initially too. So, there is art and

commerce in a nutshell, even our production package has a section explaining the planned

dual release as a selling point. Michael J. Smith, the other principal in our production

company, is a long time friend and collaborator, and he is overseeing the colour grade and

visual effects as this is an area of expertise for him and he knows the looks that I go for in

my films. David Beeler, an actor, writer and producer, and the other principal in Lumen

Actus is my close friend and collaborator of over a decade and his belief in me as an actor,

Director and star of Trouble is my Business, Tom Konkle


a writer and director is instrumental to our success.

Q: One can tell by watching the first segment of your film that the striking monochrome

hues are a key element of telling this particular kind of story. Could you picture a

contemporary film Noir being made in colour and still having a comparable impact?

A: I do think with the increased sensitivity of cameras, advanced post techniques and a

well plotted lighting plan you can get the moody, stylized Noir look out of colour as well.

From Blade Runner to L.A. Confidential, a Noir story and cinematography in colour can be

effective. The striking monochrome hues will always be more dream-like for me and they

are definitely a huge element of the story I want to tell. Black and white and even the

gray are all metaphors within the story, but the practicality of reaching a wide audience

dictates color be an option too.

Q: Are there any classic -or modern- Noir works that you feel are undeservedly

underappreciated?

A: I think Brick was a modern Noir classic and it certainly launch the career of its director

and has found a following and great reviews, but it still hasn't been seen by enough

people. Dark City is a great Noir with Rufus Sewell in the lead. I really like the themes and

Rufus Swell's performance in the film. The Missing Person with Michael Shannon is a Noir-

ish film that deserves

a look. Most of the

modern 'Noir' I

appreciate is pretty

much mainstream

from Blade Runner to

Sin City. I like it

enough and I don't

think it's under-

appreciated.

Q: Do you think Noir

and big money go

together these days?

Or, asking differently,

do you think a true

Noir production can

instead benefit from

being free from the Hollywood machine?

A: I think Noir was born out of an appeal to a niche audience that enjoys delving into the

dark side of humans and the workings of the world. It will never have the mass appeal of

the feel good happy ending story, but it doesn't need to because the leanness to the way

Noir is made out of financial restrictions in the early days and if you make them

economically now you will make money. When I see a Noir coming out where [$]100

million is spent on production and advertising like Gangster Squad then, regardless of the

quality of the film, you are in a quandary as an artistic venture because you have to make

so much money and appeal to a broader base to recoup your expenses and a true Noir is

often not for everyone.

Q: How fine are the lines between cliché, copy and homage when you have to decide on

key ingredients such as voice-over, slang, story elements, costumes, colour grading etc.?

How do you make this film your very own while rooting it firmly in the genre's origins?

A: I was keenly aware of the clichés and tropes of the Noir genre when I decided to tackle

a story in the genre. I really love the Noir genre so much I had to take myself back to

Just another day at the office for P.I. Roland Drake


what it was about the films, the books and the music, that was the original appeal for me.

What gave me the rush as an artist to say "I have something to say in this area"? It

finally came when I decided to let working backwards from the end of the story dictate the

conventions we use, to remove myself from the modern 'wink' at the material that so

much modern Noir has, where the characters seem to realize they are in a Noir piece,

commenting on their own voice-overs, the clichés pile on without even the original

impetus for them existing in the original stories and generally letting the style and self

reference overpower the storytelling. For Trouble Is My Business, the premise was simple:

Can I try to make something that would sit on the shelf between The Big Combo and Out

Of the Past and not embarrass itself? It need only be a film that I would enjoy watching

myself and feel it satisfied me with some insight into the sadness of love, betrayal, justice,

and crime told in style and tone appropriate to the story. As a director on this film, I do a

lot of old school staging of scenes within a frame instead of cutting every few seconds or

hand holding the camera and flinging it around. I calculate the placement and movement

of the light and shadow in the frame, the lens I choose, camera movement and

performance to hopefully feel a directors hand at work while not overpowering the

storytelling.

Q: And on that

subject, did your

decision to shoot in

'post-Noir' widescreen

rather than in

Academy format

[1:1.33] feel like a

concession to modern

audiences or more like

a liberating aspect,

nudging classic Noir

onto today's screens?

A: If Welles, Huston or

Tourneur had

widescreen, they

would have used it. Just as the greats of Noir would have probably used the RED camera

or whatever the best quality camera and equipment was available to them. They certainly

didn't want scratched, fuzzy footage or mono sound, it is just often what they had on their

budgets, so I am simply embracing the tools I can use on my budget just as they would

have used them then. I love the liberating aspect ratio of widescreen for more painterly

compositions and seeing more as the eye sees the world.

Q: Once complete, do you feel your movie would be particularly suited to a specific type of

movie theatre or venue? In other words, do you feel Trouble would feel most at home in a

classic 35mm cinema palace built in the Thirties or Forties, with creaky, plush tip-up

seats? Or would the crisp digital visuals and lounger-type seats of a multiplex screen be

better suited to rediscover the thrills of Noir through your film?

A: I think I agree it would be fun to make a 35mm print from the 4K digital feature we are

making and watch it in a cinema palace with plush tip-up seats! Frankly, I hope that the

film I am making is a great diversion whether you see it in a cinema, modern or classic or

at home where home theaters are approaching the quality of commercial cinema anyway.

Lumen Actus makes well produced films that look great very affordably and I think the

future of cinema is heading in a direction where we can make films for a long time that


reach the desired audiences directly through technology. Technology, if we have done our

job and made a decent film worth seeing, and emerging distribution paths, will help

audiences find our film and it can make enough money so we can make more films. I have

a bunch of good ideas for more Noir films if this one does well.

Q: An eight-minute glimpse of your film is available online {www.troubleismy.biz}. It feels

part preview and part showreel for the film. Elsewhere you mention a completed

seventeen-minute opening chapter. Is that available to our readers too, or is this strictly

on the hush-hush?

A: Yes, you can see a rough cut of the 17 minutes we have together now […]; it's here

{http://youtu.be/3ziMVGSs1yg}. We need a ground swell of support for additional funding

and to show there is an interest in our film specifically to investors and distributors, so we

would love any positive support and feedback your readers can give publicly.

Q: For a moment, let's talk about the dirty but necessary business of securing funding for

a project like this. Not quite as ugly and nerve-wracking as having to dispose of a couple

of bodies under cover of darkness, but pretty close, I presume?

A: If I put any of the slimy dirt we had to sift though to get to the good people and

companies that are helping make this [in here], well you'd say it was too over the top

even for Noir... so yes, funding a film project is a lot of trouble.

Q: And on the matter of money, you are looking for investors to get the movie finished

and onto the big screen. Apart from corporate sponsors I am sure you will welcome

cinema enthusiasts' contributions too. Do you have a crowd-funding campaign running or

in the pipeline?

A: The budget for this film is just high enough that I think because we don't have a big

established company backing us for crowd-funding or a pre-existing online base of people

large enough to raise six figures through a KickStarter or any other online crowd sourcing

platform unfortunately. That's just us, we haven't done the years of steady videos on

YouTube or had a big show on traditional network that would bring out the backers at the

level we'd need to make a film with celebrity names attached like the one we have, if I'm

wrong let me know but even Lauren Bacall's return to Noir in our film doesn't feel like a

six-figure crowd-funding win for us. […] At the moment we are […] asking for co-

production with existing companies, distribution that can turn into finance and straight

investment in the film as our first business plan. We are reachable if anyone wants to

finance a Noir film already underway with Lauren Bacall attached. We want to shoot

Trouble is My Business now […]. Thank you! For further production details head to

{www.lumenactus.com}


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FOX THEATRE in Inglewood (CA), USA 2008

photo © Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre

Cinema opened 1949, archi. Charles S. Lee, closed

See also Photographers Portrait above.

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The End of the Reel - 35mm vs. Digital

Reviving a Cinema in the West Bank

Cinema Architecture Terms Illustrated

Historic Cinemas Around the World & much more

[email protected]

the cinema photography of tom konkle's neo-noir … · the cinema photography of marchand...

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