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Aliens and Fashion Models: The Art and Curiosity of Miguel Ángel Font Bisier

by: Nicole Quiroz

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ven at a young age, Miguel Angel Font Bisier had an eye for both the unworldly and the aesthetic. As a boy he would sneak off to comic book stores to read underground magazines and fanzines about the rated R films he was forbidden to watch. “The first films I remember that amazed me as a child were ‘Excalibur,’ ‘Alien’ and the short film ‘Trip to the Moon’ by George Méliès,” said Bisier. “I consider these films masterpieces and watch them all the time.”

His clandestine ritual lasted for years. But his love for eclectic films didn’t end with trips to the comic store. A native of Valencia, Spain, Bisier fueled his artistic endeavors while attending Cardenal Herrera University of Valencia, majoring in Audiovisual Communication. Bisier’s first films were not actually for his school work, but for himself. Bisier, 25, has filmed more than 30 cinematic pieces during his tenure at the university, which included music videos, shorts, cartoons, documentaries, commercials, and a mid-length horror movie, “Elmala3ien.” The film has a “Tales from the Crypt”-style format that uses special effects, 3-D images and stop-motion animation. The movie was nominated in January 2012 with a Scifiworld Award.

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isier’s first film after graduation had him experience an industry he never thought he’d be involved with – fashion. It was his collaboration with Spanish Fashion Blogger Paula Ramos (attitudeatrome.com) where Bisier got his feet wet in the world of fashion-inspired films. The film, “Einesis – In Search of Light,” takes viewers into the mind of a painter with a creative block, and how he discovers of his artistic awakening.

“Paula helped me when I first started making videos by securing suits and bags from Spanish designers,” explained Bisier. “It worked so well that we took it to the next level and created an entire collection of clothing exclusively for “Eiénesis” with the help of designer Joaquín Martínez and stylist Tono Sanmartín, who is one of the most recognized stylists in Spain.”

The avant-garde designs, according to Bisier, were beyond his imagination. Bubbles of tulle, cascading flowers and twigs carefully arranged on models with contoured statures, flow across the screen. There was no going back for Bisier – fashion films were part of his calling. “I enjoy making fashion films because I learn so much about the world that I didn´t know a lot about, and executing those concepts into what I know, which is cinema. It´s exciting for me to mix so many influences and art disciplines together. Fashion films help express these ideas,” Bisier said.

The film made its US debut at the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival in July 2011 with audience praise. The success of the film inspired Bisier to create two more films related to “Eienesis” as a part of a trilogy. These films are still in the works as of January 2012.

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aking command not just behind the lens but also in post-production, Bisier’s also lends his creative spark towards composing scores to his films. He works closely with musicians and composers for the soundtracks to his films – a talent he’s been perfecting since his mother entered him in an academic school when he was 3-years-old. Bisier learned the violin and piano, which he practiced for 18 years and 5 years respectively.

Raised by a single mother and his grandparents, Bisier’s humble roots, talent and insatiable thirst for the forbidden horror and action films he once yearned for as a child, helped cultivate his life-long vision of working in cinema. So what’s next for the director, producer, and musician?

“Right now I´m wrapping up a couple of music videos, shooting a new horror story, in post-production of “Æterna – In Search of Love,” which is the second movie to "Eiénesis," and filming a fashion cartoon. I also wrote a full-length movie and a new fashion film, which will be the last installment of the” Eiénesis” saga,” he added.

It sounds like Bisier will be busy for a while.

Miguel Ángel Font Bisier