Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544300
38 M PS E . O R G and that was my motivation to leave home. I told my mom and dad I was dropping out of college and driving to California. I had no money, no prospects, and no training or skills in filmmaking or anything. I was a deeply confused teenager. SSS: So, you dropped out and moved on. MM: Completely dropped out without even an opportunity to change my mind and re-enroll. I asked for a leave of absence and my grades were so bad, I was denied. The door slammed behind me VERY loudly. It was embarrassing. And I'm sure if you looked up my transcript at Holy Cross, it would be like, D, D, D-, F. It's awful. An F because I got caught plagiarizing my roommate's thesis paper. That didn't help. SSS: You know, I got a degree in film at UCLA and never used it. Not once. MM: I understand. Sorry. I try not to tell students at film schools where I lecture that I dropped out of college, have no degree and I couldn't see how one might have ever benefited me. Doesn't go over well with the faculty. SSS: Thank you. MM: Oh, I see, specializing. SSS: The only thing you can do with a degree in film is teach. MM: Or be a critic, probably, I don't know. SSS: I just know that my degree meant nothing in my career. So, it was very interesting. Is there anything else you want to add to the growing pains, the adjustment, the experiences? Were there any mistakes that you made along the line? MM: Well, you know there's lots of different kinds of mistakes. All of us make mistakes every day, but they're not fire-able offenses. I suppose those are the ones you're digging for. Like, what were the dismissible offenses? I can't think of anything offhand. I pride myself in always being a good empath, knowing how to read what the director needs and feeling possessed to provide it at all costs. To some degree, I'm successful because I'm such a toadie … and (this shouldn't be written in the CineMontage journal.) I put in way more work than I ever get paid for. Even when I was paid for 48.6 hours, I was often working Saturday and Sunday, especially to be out recording new sounds to build my library. I often cut late into the night because I wanted my reel to shine the next day at the mix. That all has roots in a deep, Italian cultural Geppetto/Michelangelo syndrome; wanting to be the best I can be and make something beautiful, no matter what it takes. The world needs more beautiful things. The only way I can do that is to practice, practice, practice and learn, learn, learn and study and read and practice some Mark considers an edit c. 2024