A Noble Career

After graduating from Tabor, Alex Noble ’76 went on to build his career internationally, working in the United States, Mexico, and Argentina. While working on his profile, the Strategic Marketing and Communications (SMAC) department enlisted the help of Spanish Teacher Laura Espinel to review and translate his supporting materials. After learning that Noble’s work as a director, producer, and photographer, is focused on the Hispanic market, we decided to take a different approach to tell his story. Espinel, who has a background in video production herself, would conduct the interview in Spanish.

The original text of that interview can be found in the print edition of Tabor Today Volume 48.2; an English translation* appears below.

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As soon as SMAC invited me to interview Mexican-American alum Alex Noble ’76, my first task was to familiarize myself with his work. There was a flurry of e-mails and telephone calls until at last we settled on a date and topic for the interview. The first question Alex asked was whether or not it was snowing in Marion, telling me that during his student days he loved to see the campus blanketed in white; it made for spectacular photographs for The Log.

After telling him about our mild winter, I asked if he considered himself a movie director, photographer, or producer, given that his work has so many connections to the audiovisual.
I was born and raised in the world of publicity. My father was John Edward Noble, founder of Noble & Asociados, first in México and later in California as Noble & Asociados, USA, to represent the Hispanic market.

I have been involved in advertising and its production since I was young. When I was in the sixth grade my father brought me into the meeting room and asked, “Which commercial do you prefer?” It was one of those ads for Choco Milk, a chocolate-flavored powdered energy drink. I left home to study at Tabor Academy for three years, and on returning to México, I interviewed a director who was a friend of my father’s. On my third day there he said, “You know, I am making a documentary film about a military school.” That same day I was aboard a helicopter, taking notes about what he was filming. It was then, hovering aloft when I was sixteen years old, that this marvelous adventure began.

I did not realize how much I had absorbed until, at age 18, I began work with Pepe Arellano, who was both a great mentor and friend. My initial work with Pepe was a crash course. He sent me to open a production company and made me his line producer. It was ’77, ’78, and our production team was made up of two people: my assistant Armando and I, with whom I developed a great friendship. In those days, one did everything —wardrobe, props, hiring a production crew—there were no separate departments as there are today.

So, collaboration has always been an essential part of your work. Has this collaborative experience enhanced your own work?
It was Pepe who planted the seed that I should be a director. I worked with him for four years and during that time directed my first projects. At that point I realized that to grow, I had to work with other directors. I took a position with J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency where I was producer for a year. I had the wonderful experience of making commercials for the Ford Motor Company. That campaign took us from México to L.A. to New York, and we were responsible for filming and post-production. At that time, I was only 22 years old, but that experience was an opportunity to see things from another angle, to understand other directors’ points of view, to broaden my experience, and to see how things worked in the United States. From there I went to work with another director who had worked with my father for 20 years. I went from Pepe Arellano to the Agency, and then with Roberto Behar, an excellent director. I worked with Behar for three more years, and I started directing as well.

Later, I went to California to work for my father’s agency for the Hispanic market where I was the director of the production department. When I left after three years and set up my own production house, we were already a staff of 35; the agency grew very quickly, it was like a kind of Boom!

My career really took shape when I began work with my production house, that’s how collaboration became so important to me. I realized the more you collaborate with others and the more [you] trust the people you work with, the better the result because there is constant feedback about what you are doing, and that is an important part of the process.

Once I had the formal position of director, I had the option of choosing the entire crew: photographers, art directors, costume designers. Usually, the producer hires the crew for you, and then everyone sits down, the director presents the project and listens to everyone’s points of view. It is important to get the best talent in each area, without egos, because egos sometimes rock the boat; if there is real harmony, things flow smoothly, and people are happy. Later, they feel good while they work on set, on location, or anywhere they should be. If there is harmony and real communication, with zero egos, everything flows naturally and then the fun happens.

I could not agree more. Alex, you have worked in the United States and Mexico. Have you worked in any other country?
Yes, I went to Argentina to work on some productions there. I met Michele Lichenstein, and we became good friends. There was an opportunity to work in Buenos Aires, and I spent two or three weeks there as a producer for the agency. It was quite a rewarding experience.

With your experience in several markets, would you tell us about the similarities and differences among them? Tell us something about the pace of work, market awareness, or multi-tasking.
In the United States I learned the most about organization and the incredibly talented individuals who worked there. At that time, I was working for Procter & Gamble [P&G], my principal client; when things changed after I established my own production company, I made several commercials for other companies. But from the beginning, when I first started to work in the United States, I was really impressed by how organized P&G was. We all attended production meetings, and each of us had a list of things for which we were responsible. In many ways the production meeting was more important than the film shoot itself. Once things were approved in the production meeting you began filming and could be assured of support from the agency. This is something I took back with me to México because in ’94 and ’95, production in México was not as organized as it is today. In the United States, everything was organized so that later your work as director appeared in certain segment. You direct the actors very well, and everything is going well, and we are going to sell the product this way—and I would say to myself yes, this is going well, but the truth is, I want to try other things, and I do not want to be limited to just one concept. I was just 33 at the time, and I wanted to explore other options.

I then decided to return to Mexico and the change was evident. Suddenly, I was filming Ford truck commercials on location; my client was not as involved in the day-to-day production and was more open to suggestions. Procter & Gamble was much more rigid, and if the script read “Close Up,” then a close-up was expected. My work in México was much more spontaneous, much more open to improvisation.

No matter where I was working—in the United States or in México, the crew was highly creative. Creativity knows no geographic bounds; it is part of the human experience. My work on both sides of the border was fulfilling.

In the United States, I had the opportunity to do some radio production as well, and that is interesting because, in a certain way, you are directing within a given time limit, following a script, and working with talented actors.

What work have you most enjoyed?
That is a tricky question to answer, but if I have to analyze it, I have to say that I have enjoyed every aspect of film production and still do today. I think the breaking point for me was the time I spent filming with Alejandra Guzmán because the project was mine from initial concept to conclusion. Actually, it is the production head and the artist who make the final decisions. Yes, the production team is there, but you present the concept and come to an agreement with the artist and then film the proposed story and concept.

Another turning point came when I realized that in addition to production, I could write. That was a door that opened just as my work with Hispanic Communications Network in Washington, D.C. was winding down. Work in the United States was intense; there was much to do each day. I arrived around 8:00 AM and wrote radio and television commercials. I would finish around 5:00 or 6:00 PM, have dinner at 7:00 and then prepare for the next day. It was a demanding schedule, but that was when I really began to write. I thought, “now I can write and produce my own work,” a big step in my career. To be able to script and later film original concepts, including art and photography is really something. You have an idea, and you have the potential to improvise, to add, to improve in the moment because the script and the concept are yours.

There have been many unforgettable moments. When I began to direct and produce commercials on a grand scale, I remember well the time we filled a bullring with three hundred extras and a bull to make commercials for Alka-seltzer.

Another was making videoclips with Alejandra Guzmán. It was like changing a channel, moving from making commercials to filming video clips. I also had the opportunity to make several documentaries about the rivers of México. They were really something. A team of eight to ten filmed the pilot, but for the others we were a team of four. We started at the headwaters of a river and traversed its length to the sea, never knowing what we would experience along the way. We spent four weeks filming and thinking about the narration included in the documentary. It was such an adventure, like a photographic safari, that we put together, edited, and from our ideas produced a documentary.

This adventure took us to places that we would not have journeyed to any other way because they were not tourist spots; they were off the beaten path. Making the documentary led us to a better understanding of our country. The river had so much to tell us. This was 25 years ago, and already there were concerns about water pollution. Just the other day someone was saying that we should film the same rivers once again and compare current conditions with those of 25 years ago. But it is not as easy to travel throughout Mexico today as it was before.

What has been the biggest challenge in your work?
I think the time I spent in Washington was the most challenging because I was under contract to establish a department for a company that made commercials for public service announcements. At that time, it was an idea, a proposal; there were no products, just services. When I arrived, I was told “Look, we need your help writing these announcements.” I think this a challenge for me because I thought I was going to work on projects for television or commercials, but instead I focused my work production for radio, and I had to write a lot.

That is where I really learned to write. Later I began to write movie scripts, something I really enjoyed. You have an idea and begin to write, and suddenly you realize that the characters in the story have taken over and they are guiding your writing. If script writing is something that interests you, do not put it off. Start sooner rather than later; get the creative juices flowing. 

You have told me that your time at Tabor Academy influenced your audiovisual career. Could you tell us more about that?
Tabor Academy taught me that place can cast a spell on you. To this day, it is a place that stays with me.

My first year at Tabor was difficult because I entered as a sophomore; junior year was better and senior year was super. Tabor’s athletic program had so much to offer, and I learned so much from Lucien Lavoie, my art teacher who was also a hockey and lacrosse coach.

Often, I would see a handful of students who were staff from The Log roaming campus with their cameras, taking black and white photos that really caught my attention. Their winter photos of the snow were really something. In Mr. Lavoie’s classes I learned to paint—mostly oceanscapes—and I sculpted, as well. I was not as talented as my friend Ray Smith ’77 who became a world-renowned artist (Ray Smith Studio). The arts were always part of my studies; I was a member of the band while enrolled at American High School. I did not know then that I would follow a career in the arts; I just knew they piqued my interest.

On leaving Tabor, I did not go directly to Babson University but opted for a gap year that became 45 years of work in the arts. Movie production caught my interest, and I felt I had found a line of work that was not work but a pastime full of excitement and rich with possibilities. Everyone involved in movie production wanted to try something new, try a novel approach, to be successful. Here in México, I was involved with the theatre. It was just marvelous to be surrounded by people who were talented artists each offering what they knew best. I believe that no matter what you set out to do it is important to do it because it brings you joy. To work at what you love is not work but a pleasure.

Do you have a message for the students of Tabor Academy, especially for those involved in film and the arts in general, because film incorporates many disciplines?
I have two recommendations: a vintage camera and a book.

Once, when I was 16, a director who was working with my father took me with him to scout locations in México. We were travelling in his Dinalpin (a Mexican-made sports car in production 1965-1974). He told me, “Listen, if you are going to get started in the world of film, grab a camera.” In those days cameras required film and one needed to manipulate the settings. That was how I learned to work with a camera, to make the necessary adjustments to take a good picture. I suggest that any student interested in film or photography buy a vintage camera. Digital cameras are cool, but there is something special about touching the film, threading it onto the spools, and getting to know it. How best to express an idea? What focal length to use? Which lens? Wide angle? Telephoto? Zoom? Fisheye? Lenses have a language all their own; a vintage camera is the way to learn composition.

I also recommend Syd Field’s “Screenwriter’s Handbook;” it is sixty-five pages long and easy to read. The book was recommended by a friend who is a jack-of-all-trades; she is an actor, a producer, one of those people who can do everything. Once I read it, I realized screenwriting was not too complicated. One only must follow the outline proposed in the book and begin writing.

In which of the arts are you working these days?
One cycle has ended, and another is just beginning. At the end of the year, I was listening to a radio interview with a spokesperson from the Circo Atayde Hermanos (Atayde Brothers Circus). The Circo Atayde is a Mexican phenomenon established in 1888 which has travelled throughout South America has won several prizes at the International Circus Festival in Monte-Carlo.

During the program, it was mentioned that plans to make a documentary about the Circo Atayde were on hold because the production company had not contacted the circus. The host then said, “If there is a producer out there who is interested in a project with Circo Atayde, Mr. Atayde will be at the Hidalgo Theatre this Thursday to open a new show.” I jotted down the information, went to the theatre, and introduced myself. I will soon meet with Mr. Atayde to present some ideas and discuss the details of making the documentary. All of this by chance, and now I have an opportunity to make a docufilm! Once the script is ready it will be offered to Netflix and other production companies.

I am also working on a script for a film based on the novel by Mexican author Ernestina Sodi Miranda. “Los Cerezos Negros,” a story of human trafficking, is based on true story of two cousins from Mexico who travelled to Japan in 1992 and were forced to work for the Yacuza. It should take me four to five months to complete these projects.

In my leisure time, I am a drummer … I am getting together with other musicians to finish our LP; that should take about four to five months, as well.

Alex Noble has a plan for 2023. We will be waiting for the release of his new films and his audio recording.

 

*Special thanks to Zora Turnbull Lynch, Language Teacher, for this translation