Today we’d like to introduce you to Knives Monroe.
Hi Knives, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Knives Monroe. I’ve been a filmmaker for 17 years. I started recording backyard wrestling videos when I was a teenager before YouTube. In 2012 I wrote, produced, edited, shot, and directed my first feature film entitled “Her Doppelgänger”. My team at the time and I promoted the hell out of it and sold out a 400-seat theatre on our opening night. I moved to Austin 48 hours later. I was homeless by choice at the time. Spent 6 weeks on 6th street. There’s a documentary I made about that journey on my YouTube channel. Now I’m here.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Most of my struggles have been mental. Hindsight is 20-20. I’m happy I chose to be homeless when I was 24 years old. I think everyone should start at zero if you can. I was raised by a single mother who worked all the time, so I rarely saw her. She taught me the value of hard work and perseverance. I owe everything to her.
I started my family with my wife in 2013. We have two kids. A boy and a girl. The “hardest” thing has been not giving up on my dream in front of my kids. Fortunately, I’ve been paying my bills with Art Money since 2017 and it’s been worth all the bullshit that led up to it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in “behind the scenes” documentary short films.
Here is an autobiographical example: https://youtu.be/Ce0Y-R9yvN8
I don’t like to look back, that’s how you hurt your neck. So, I always say that my proudest work is in front of me.
Be that as it may I documentary a wonderful behind-the-scenes ditty for the local Austin tech company, Blended Sense. Here’s a link: https://youtu.be/Pn9P1re87R8
I’m proud of this feature because I had a lot to prove to Blended Sense and I feel like I hit a home run for the team.
I’m known mostly for my podcast, I think. It’s called Knives Monroe vs. The Podcast. People know me because I make content about my life and my struggles. I’m in front of the camera as much as I am behind the camera.
What sets me apart is my extroverted nature, I think. Most creatives, in my experience, are highly introverted talented folks, and that is great for them. I’m definitely much louder than most people.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I have a position on this I haven’t heard or read of before.
See as filmmakers we are total whores for quality. Quality of video, specifically. I think we glamourize bleeding-edge digital video. Like shooting in 12K for example. On the other end, we value the artifacts of filming on 35mm or celluloid. This is where a lot of conversations take place amongst video enthusiasts and filmmakers alike.
I have a dissenting opinion on this and I’ll cite TikTok as an example. Most TikTok content is captured crudely on people’s mobile devices. It’s a vertical video. It’s anything but cinematic, but it is the next iteration of cinema at large in my humble opinion. I believe the next decade of professional videography and filmmaking will be made on iPhones. I think the age of big and expensive cameras has hit a critical mass and Gen X’ers aren’t as romantic about big cameras the way generations of the past were.
Authenticity wins. No pretense, no grasping for something ‘deeper’, just raw and honest humanity will be a trend of the future.
Or who knows? Maybe this trend will only last 15 minutes.
Contact Info:
- Email: knives@indiedarlings.net
- Website: indiedarlings.net
- Instagram: @knivesmonroe
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyEWH3TEd3FU8YV10FxQ5AQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/knivesmonroe
