Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, this hat walks into mine. Brandon Spearbecker as Fedora, filming at The House of Rock.

Whenever someone mentions film noir to me, a series of images rush through my mind. Gangsters engulfed in a cloud of cigarette smoke; black silhouettes on a cobblestone street; fine suits, fedoras, and pearls; you know, the elements that give noir a distinctive visual style. The name “film noir” even translates from French as “black film” – a perfect nutshell, you could say, for its visual and stylistic nature.

Although the golden age of the genre receded back to the 40s and 50s, Eau Claire native Blake Hamilton, a longtime fanatic of noir, decided to bring back "black" film (say that five times fast) to the Chippewa Valley. Shot locally and following the path of an aspiring hit man on the brink of madness, the recently finished caper – suitably titled Fedora – promises to be as unique as it is dark.

“Everyone has dreams,” Hamilton said, speaking of the film’s main character. “(Fedora) explores a bad person’s dreams … you know, the bad guy, the anti-hero. He’s just trying to accomplish his goal of working for the mafia.”

Conception of Fedora has been a long time in the making. Hamilton, who juggled roles as director, writer, producer, cameraman, and extra for the film, satiated the need to “get away” after high school by moving to the East Coast. While there, he immersed himself in all things film, shooting music videos and working as a production assistant on several movies. When he returned to Wisconsin in the winter of 2009, he met up with some old friends, and soon, like the spray of bullets fired from a Tommy gun, the idea for Fedora was born. 

“My friend Brandon would dress up in a classy film noir type outfit,” Hamilton says in a press release for the film. “The outfit brought out a different type of person inside him. … I got to thinking one day what would happen if you were to push such a transition to the limit.”

    Shutting himself away in a Justin Vernon-like fashion, Hamilton developed this character further and completed a script for the film after two months.

“Writing a character I couldn’t relate to at all,” he said, “was one of the hardest (steps).”

Hamilton soon assembled a cast and crew. His brother Todd’s employer, A-1 Priority Insurance, provided Hamilton with the necessary equipment in exchange for his help with advertising in the future. (And who says families can’t do business?)

In the bulk of planning for Fedora, Hamilton also started up Little Death production company with friend Brandon Spearbecker, which he plans to use not only for Fedora, but future projects as well.
    The final version of the film will be presented in black and white, which, besides paying tribute to classic film noir style, “points out the darkness inside of the character,” Hamilton said. Other perks include neat editing and an original composition, approximately 30 tracks written by local musician Eric Giardina to accompany the film. Local bands will also provide background music for scenes shot inside the House of Rock, Hamilton said.

With post-production soon coming to a close, Hamilton hopes to screen the film locally in January and submit the film to several big festivals in early 2011, including Park City, Sundance, and SXSW. Little Death will also be holding a promotional event at the House of Rock on October 22, with live bands and clips from the film.

“No matter where the film goes, all of us involved have grown as individuals,” Hamilton said. “We have all made a big step in improving our lives and careers.”