We are always ready to welcome new talent who would like to share their passion and their culture while meeting the demanding criteria that we have set for ourselves.

A free Webmag without any sponsorship, Plume Noire is self-financed and thus cannot, at this moment, offer remuneration to its writers. However, your contributions will not be in vain as we offer you the chance to expose your work to a wide readership and belong to the team of a well-known site.

We accept direct submissions but prefer to work with writers wishing to become regular collaborators to the site.

In particular we are searching for:

Film Critics

Whether based in the US or abroad, our critics are cinephiles who have a passion for words. Equipped with cinematic culture without being pretentious pedants, they must be able to offer thorough reviews or analyses of films and distance themselves from the cliché reviews such as "I like it/I don't like — it's good/it's bad" which abound on the Web.

Charter of quality

Due to the number of reviews we receive we have made a conscious decision to post reviews that go more into film analysis than plot summary (we'd prefer that plot summary remain under 2 paragraphs although obviously plot can be referred to throughout the review).

:: Length of text: approximately 650 words

:: We have banished the use of "expressions" such as: "roller coaster ride" (movies are not entertainment park rides-even though some studios seem to think otherwise), "it has Oscar gold written all over it", "awesome", and other superlatives that can be found on movie posters: unlike other "critics", we are not writing for the sole purpose of getting our names featured on posters.

:: We don't have a rating system on the site, so no stars or thumbs or tomatoes. Rather we prefer that the analysis of the film speak for itself.

:: Masterpieces are rare. They only happen once or twice a year if we are lucky. Please avoid gratuitously using that term.

:: Most films, unlike movies, need to be put in context to be really appreciated. Do some research on filmmakers whose work or cultural background is unfamiliar to you.

:: We are neither slaves of release dates nor box office sluts and prefer to focus on quality than on quantity. It's not about reviewing every single big budget films or art house film; rather it's about drawing interesting commentaries regardless of their budget.

:: Don't rush into writing a review as soon as you leave the theater. Think about it to distance yourself from your first feelings and then build an interesting approach to the film.

:: Don't read other reviews before seeing the film and writing yours. Not only might it bias your opinion, but most TV news and newspapers "critics" don't have the cinema culture needed to really be trusted. However, if you are looking for examples of the kind of reviews we are looking for you can check Far From Heaven, Shoujyo, I Stand Alone. Other recommended readings include Film Comment, The New Yorker, The New York Times and Cahiers du Cinéma (in French). While some entertainment mags can be sarcastic, we avoid the whole movie star deal in the review.

  :: Have fun! We appreciate sarcasm and wit and so do our readers. Anyone can look in the paper to find out what's playing. They'll come to the site to find something more in depth.

Music Critics

American or UK-based to cover the rock & electronic scenes.

Travel Writers

Curious adventurers with original, off the beaten path articles.

An Art Critic

Someone who regularly frequents museums and openings and is open-minded.

Translators

French/English, English/French

Writers Guidelines

We will read and consider all submissions. That said, please be patient with us. We receive a lot of messages and we also have day jobs.

Recommended word length for our different areas are:
  :: Film reviews: 650-1300
  :: Music reviews: 375-450
  :: Feature articles: 850-1700
  :: Other: 480-1300

Text formatting:
  :: All titles (films, albums, books) should be in bold/italic
  :: All titles of songs should be in "quotes"
  :: All articles Should not use words in CAPITAL LETTERS
  :: All articles should sent as text only. or .Doc attachments
  :: All submissions should be sent to this e-mail.