Fifty Shades of Grey. Gone Girl. Birdman. The Theory of Everything. Boyhood. CitizenFour. The Social Network. Black Swan. The Tree of Life.
ALL of these wildly diverse Hollywood hits share a wonderful common connection.
Have you watched a movie trailer that really drew you in? And, when it was over, you knew you just HAD to see the film? If so, then the trailer was probably cut by editor extraordinaire, Mark Woollen.
I’m thrilled to be working right now with the best artists in the business during my internship at Mark Woollen & Associates (www.markwoollen.com). Movie trailers really are their own art form and I’ve been a huge fan of Mark’s work for some time, so I recently sent off an email with my resume on the off chance that they might offer internships for aspiring editors. When they responded and offered me this awesome opportunity, to say that I was thrilled would be the understatement of the year.
Mark, the ninja master of trailers, might not be a household name outside of industry circles, but his work reaches literally BILLIONS of eyeballs around the world. He’s been called “the Most Visionary Director in Hollywood” and a “trailer guru.” Just this week, Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard’s multi-talented daughter and star of the new Jurassic World film) says she dreams of directing a film for Mark “to create a two minute masterpiece out of one day.” Have a look at what everyone in-the-know is talking about:
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Mark and his crew of superb editors and assistants create trailers that win multiple industry awards every year. Last year’s Golden Trailer award winners included Bad Words (best comedy trailer) and Dallas Buyers Club (best indie), with additional nominations for The Unknown Known (best doc), Rush (best drama), Simon Killer (best indie), Don Jon (most original), and Don Jon (the Don LaFontaine award for best voice-over).
As an intern at Mark Woollen & Associates, I’ve had the opportunity to develop my own post-production skills by working on “practice trailers,” which are then viewed and critiqued by the editors. The first one I completed was for The Place Beyond the Pines (2013). After receiving their notes, I’m making revisions and learning so much along the way.
I’ve also been able to sit in with editors as they cut new trailers for upcoming films, while they explain everything they’re doing, step by step. One of my additional tasks is cataloging music, which is terrific because I’ve listened to and learned about tons of music I might never have otherwise come across.
Mark, the editors, and the rest of the staff are making this internship an amazing experience for me. For starters, everyone is very friendly which, of course, helps to keep the work fun. They’re also providing me with real exposure to editing at the highest level of the art form, generously sharing their industry experiences and insights and offering practical advice about the editing craft, not to mention a chance to talk shop over lunch about our favorite topic — films.
One last fun note about my internship at MWA: I was invited to participate in this year’s Oscar pool and the Oscar office party. Winning ballots won prize bags, each themed based on a Best Picture nominee. Check out the picture of me holding a prize from my gift bag below and guess which film it honored!
