July 04, 2011

1491s make humorous videos

Video production group making a name on YouTube

By JoKay DowellWith a few exceptions, aspiring to renowned fame in the movie business has been mostly an elusive dream for American Indians. But, social networks like YouTube could change that for a group of relative unknown filmmakers called the 1491s.Some background:Red Corn shared some ideas with Harjo and they began to work on projects together like Harjo’s acclaimed feature film, “Barking Water.” Harjo then served as cinematographer on Red Corn’s PBS-funded short film, “Bad Indians,” found on YouTube by searching “PBS Bad Indians.”

Afterward, the two served on a panel discussion at a Minneapolis conference with Dallas Goldtooth, Dakota-Dine (Navajo), and his partner-brother, Migizi Pensoneau, Annishinabe and Ponca. The brothers had been making comedy videos since 2008. After their videos became popular they started getting requests to do live performances, mostly at local colleges and tribal conferences, calling themselves Deez Muttz Comedy.
And:While in Minn., Red Corn and Harjo traveled north with Goldtooth and Pensoneau to Bemidji and the four collaborated on a spoof of the popular mainstream “Twilight” film series in which vampires and werewolves cross treaty boundaries to woo and fight over a young female human named Bella. The result is the wildly funny project, “New Moon Auditions,” now found on YouTube.com.

Red Corn said it took the guys months to agree on a name for the loosely formed production company. Goldtooth said his Deez Muttz Comedy name lasted only a few months till the brothers met Harjo and Red Corn in Minneapolis and The 1491s was born.

“To be honest, the first time The 1491s got together was on the actual set of our first video, ‘New Moon Auditions,’” Goldtooth said.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see Red Corn Testifies at Senate Hearing and Ryan Red Corn on Smiling Indians.

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