TL;DR
Imagine a film photography ‘Beeple Everydays’ with a Noun as the main character of every cinematic scene.
(“I’m a star, I’m a star, I’m a star. I am a big, bright, shining star.” - NOUN #TBD)
Or - in slightly more detail - a once-a-week photographic journey that follows NOUN #TBD (more about this in a bit) on his surreal, funny and cinematic adventures - aka a Noun-ish art project funded by Nouns.
(let’s put some Noggles on Roger)
TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT? WHY OF COURSE!
A single frame can tell an entire story. It can draw you in. Make you think. Send you tumbling towards what happens next…
It’s what the best films do. I mean look at that Roger Rabbit screengrab. What are Roger and Eddie looking at? What’s about to happen? And why are they handcuffed together?! Not to mention the location, use of lighting or even the colors! There’s a palpable tension and curiosity in that single frame that makes us care.
I want to bring that to a weekly art project focused on a single Noun and his adventures in the - slightly (or often very) heightened and over-the-top - world of ‘Noun en Scène’.
Think of it as an ongoing, fine art, cinematic one-shot storytelling project that takes our pixelated, digital little NOUN #TBD, turns him into a real life ‘muppet’-like creature and then throws him into a surreal version of our reality.
(i.e. something like this, but bigger!)
Every week we see our little Noun tossed into a new scene and forced to deal with a situation - or maybe, try to avoid it all together. Through this process he grows, evolves and - hold up, y’know, sometimes the scenes will just be fun for the sake of it!
(cinematic scenes that make you ask questions and keep looking)
By utilizing a ‘muppet’-like character, real people and heightened, cinematically-lit scenes, the absurdity and beauty of life will become that much more stark, profound and hopefully very funny.
(a surreal-ness and cinematic quality that makes us reevaluate spaces, events and interactions)
Taking cues and paying homage to a variety of influences including Alex Prager, The Far Side, world cinema, David LaChapelle and many more, this project aims to utilize a single, little Noun to create a captivating character we just can’t get enough of. He’s an innocent, naïve little guy getting tossed to the dramatic wolves every week and hopefully developing a devoted and curious following and fandom that gets excited for the next iteration of ‘Noun en Scène’ (and all the Easter eggs that will come along with them).
WHY SHOULD NOUNS FUND THIS?
Storytelling is everything - always has been. And in a world where we are inundated with ‘content,’ a precise, consistent (once-a-week), well planned project like this will be a breath of fresh air to stand out against the noise.
Utilizing photography as a medium and a consistent character as the subject will allow fans to come back every week for the next iteration, excited to see where the journey of NOUN #TBD will lead. And from a production standpoint - when compared to film or animation - going the cinematic photography route will make creating consistent releases both more feasible and less capital intensive.
By shooting on film (yeah the real stuff because it still feels different!) and staging everything down to the last detail, each photographic story that comes out of ‘Noun en Scène’ will be simultaneously a fine art piece, a Sunday (web)comic and continuous character development leading to a broader (and very Noun-curious) audience.
(Zora to mint/sell and create a collection page initially - but ultimately create a bespoke site for the project)
‘Noun en Scène’ will utilize a multipronged distribution strategy so that people can enjoy and consume in whatever way suits their lifestyle: Instagram + Twitter for the normies, a weekly NFT/print auction for the jpeg enthusiasts and (hopefully) gallery shows for the museum goers and gray haired art influencers.
The evolving story of NOUN #TBD will spread the Noun-ish message far and wide in both web2 and web3 worlds by creating empathy and connection with our one little Noun through story.
COOL. SO WHAT’S THE PLAN?
Each of these shoots will be treated like an indie short film production - the difference being that we are only setting up for a single shot. But each will still require casting, makeup, lighting, location scouting/rentals, etc.
And on the casting front, while at first it will make sense to work with local working actors/models and friends, as the project gains traction and grows - or when I’m working on my next tv show or film - I think there is a fun way to bring known name actors into these scenes, which will add a whole other level of playfulness to the project.
The first step of the project will be the modeling and manufacturing of our Noun ‘muppet.’ I’ve received quotes and am currently in discussion with a number of puppet/model makers in Canada and the states.
And once our little Noun is ready to go, we are off to the races and setting up our weekly scenes.
BUT WHY ME?
My name is Chris Martin - not of Coldplay, sorry - and I’ve been making independent, global film and television productions for a decade plus now - primarily in Korea.
Most recently I co-created/co-wrote/directed/showran/EP’ed a show called ‘Dramaworld’ currently streaming on Amazon that stars well known actors including Liv Hewson (‘Yellowjackets’, ‘Santa Clarita Diet’), Brett Gray (‘I’m a Virgo’, ‘On My Block’), Daniel Dae Kim (‘Lost’, ‘Hawaii 5-0’), Ha Jiwon (‘Secret Garden’) and K-pop star Henry Lau.
With everything I create, I try to lean into a playful magical realist tone that’s grounded in heart, which is the kind of storytelling that I think is not only a perfect fit for Nouns, but also an incredible way to bring people into this journey of NOUN #TBD.
(Nouns event at Korea Blockchain Week)
On top of that, I love everything about Nouns - the ethos, the support for creative and unique projects and did I mention the freakin’ Noggles?! - and have been trying to figure out how I could do something creative that furthered that mission for quite awhile now.
Then suddenly, while wandering around a street festival the other day, I saw this:
And bingo!
The idea for ‘Noun en Scène’ landed fully formed in my brain! And I knew I had to try and make it a reality!
THE ASK AKA THE BUDGET FOR PHASE 1
I want to propose a stepped out budget, so that I can first not only prove the concept, but also hopefully go above and beyond everyone’s expectations for what the project can be. Seeing is believing and I think an initial batch of 12 launched and minted images will prove the potential and show what this can be.
Phase 1:
- $15,000 USDC for creation of our ‘Noun Muppet’ - a one time spend
- $48,000 USDC for the ‘Weekly Scene’ for 12 weeks ($4000 USDC/week) - this will be used to pay crew, props, rentals, etc. - all production related costs
- $12,000 USDC for myself for producing, directing, writing and photographing the scenes on a weekly basis for 12 weeks ($1000 USDC/week) - this will allow me to spend a considerable amount of my time focused on the project
- 1 Rabbit head + Red Noggles NOUN made available for me - this is NOUN #TBD and who I will build ‘Noun en Scène’ around and will receive only if Phase 2 is approved - because a big reason I want to do this is to become an active member of the Nouns community and being NOUN #TBD’s holder would allow me to do that
Why a Rabbit head + Red Noggles Noun? Because it will look great turned IRL, the red Noggles are iconic and that face has the most potential for funny!
TOTAL BUDGET FOR PHASE 1: $75,000 USDC
After a proven Phase 1, I will submit an additional proposal to extend funding for the rest of the year (40 additional weeks).
Phase 2 (current plan):
- $160,000 USDC for the ‘Weekly Scene’ for 40 weeks ($4000 USDC/week) - this will be used to pay crew, props, rentals, etc. - all production related costs
- $80,000 USDC for myself for producing, directing, writing and photographing the scenes on a weekly basis for 40 weeks ($2000 USDC/week - a slight increase after Phase 1 proof so that I can dedicate even more time)
- 1 Rabbit head + Red Noggles NOUN
TOTAL BUDGET FOR PHASE 2: $240,000 USDC + 1 NOUN
PROJECT WALLET:
noun-en-scene.eth
0x6Ccb83c907dBf0B4bc28f9BF83173b0ab943350B
FUTURE STEPS
My aim for ‘Noun en Scène’ is to create an ongoing art project that eventually becomes self-sufficient and no longer requires funding from the DAO.
And like Nouns themselves, I’d like to send every 10th NFT photograph and physical to the Nouns treasury as a repayment for the bet on me and the possibility of what ‘Noun en Scène’ can become.
Thank you for taking the time to read and look forward to making the world a little more Noun-ish!
Chris