Vincent Moon on YouTube
by Adrienne Blaine
Graphic Designer
Sufjan Stevens singing from the rooftops of Cincinnati, Arcade Fire performing in a cramped elevator, and Man Man using the streets of Paris as their stage. The man behind all these and many other fantastic adventures is twenty-seven year old Parisian filmmaker, Vincent Moon, also known as, Mathieu Saura, the creator of “The Takeaway Show.”
La Blogotheque’s Concerts A Emporter, or Take Away Shows, on YouTube challenge the traditional boundaries of the music video industry with experimental locations, lo-tech filming methods, and independent music bands from all over the world. Moon has worked in collaboration with La Blogotheque, a French music blog, to create over eighty spontaneous music videos, usually set in the streets of Paris. Moon said, "They get instruments in their hand and I've got a camera so they play guitar and I play camera, in a way.."
Moon’s videos intimately examine muscians and the unique energy their music creates, giving the viewer a deeper insight into the emotion of each work. "I'm not really into perfect things in their final form so when we were filming I tried to be very honest with who I am and just try to catch the rhythm of the song and be there on the same level with them.”
To respect the spontaneity of the moment Moon uses, “One camera. It can be edited, but one camera is it. The main point is one camera and to respect this singular thing is very important. Two cameras would kill the viewers’ experience.” No tripod is used. Moon often sways to the music or lets the camera shake as he walks or runs through the street. This organic movement allows the viewers to feel what it is like to walk with their favorite musicians. By watching one of Moon’s videos viewers are invited to become apart of the background, watching performances in the street with the same connection and dislocation as any other anonymous passerby.
Moon has proven that just because his movies are meant for a smaller screen does not mean they should have less impact. “The interaction should be more important on small screen than on the big screen. When you are at the cinema…You don’t have your world in it [as a member of the audience],” said Moon.
The Take Away Shows are not Moon’s only projects worth checking out.. Fans of the band Beirut should consider Moon’s videos for their new album The Flying Club Cup a must-see (flyingclubcup.com). Moon has recently turned his website (vincentmoon.com) into a launching pad for a new video project called Temporary Areas. It is an interactive map of the world with videos corresponding to each site they were filmed at ranging from Jerusalem, Israel, to Death Valley, California. “I am trying to escape the type of filming that I would do only in the US or Europe. I just want to travel a bit, enjoy it. I am bored sometimes,” said Moon. Another project chronicles musical festivals each narrated by a musician talking about their approach to music and life (www.atpfestival.com). Moon is also working on his first non-music oriented documentary about people from around the world who are changing their communities. Moon hopes to feature, “New architects, new thinkers, new activists. In their every day life.”
(Sources: CNN News, Live Music Blog, YouTube)