thedrifter
02-07-08, 08:44 AM
Revere grad making waves in film industry
2/7/2008 - West Side Leader
By Kathleen Folkerth
COPLEY — Millions of people have seen the work of Erin Brown, a 2002 Revere High School graduate who edited films used in a commercial for the U.S. Marines that aired during the Super Bowl broadcast Feb. 3.
Copley native Brown, 23, was an editor for the commercial, which captured the Silent Drill Platoon in more than a dozen locations around the country. Today, Brown is working for a film production company in Los Angeles and working toward her goal of one day being a film director. The commercial also has been shown during “American Idol,” she said.
Brown, who attended Spring Garden Waldorf School in Copley, said she always enjoyed being in plays and productions while a child, but she didn’t choose a career in the film industry until more recently. She graduated from Malone College in Canton last year with a degree in liberal arts.
“I was a senior when I really started taking it seriously,” she said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. “I started making films and I thought, ‘This is great.’ I always liked art and science and math, so it was a nice blend of those. You have to be logic-minded, but you also have to be creative.”
She spent her final semester of school at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, where she got to work as director on a class project of a film called “The Duet.” She entered the film into the Dam Short Film Festival and will be traveling to Boulder City, Nev., for the event Feb. 8, along with her mother, Lauren Brown.
Brown spent the month of May back in Ohio before heading back to California, where she rented an apartment. While looking for work, she began working as an extra on TV shows and movies, such as “Scrubs,” “CSI: New York” and “Heroes.” She said that work wasn’t always as exciting as one might think.
“It’s fun to get on a set, but it depends on how long you’re there and how much they use you,” she said. “‘Scrubs’ was great. The set is actually a hospital, so whenever they weren’t using us, I just went around and talked to people about what they do. But other times they’ll leave you in a room for hours at a time.”
In the fall, she heard about the opportunity to film the Marines, thanks to a former professor who recommended her for the job. She started out as an assistant editor and joined the crew on a whirlwind tour of landmarks for the filming, such as the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.
While on site, Brown conducted interviews with Marines and their families. There ended up being so much footage and such a positive response from the public at filming events that a Web site was created where viewers can see the team’s efforts.
“I know I edited at least 100 interviews ranging between one and three minutes each,” she said.
An extended version of the commercial as well as additional footage can be seen at www.ourmarines.com.
After her work on the Marines project, Brown got a job with Mutiny Pictures, a Los Angeles company that does commercial work. With the Writers Guild of America strike affecting so much of the TV and film industry, Brown said she was lucky to get into a part of the field that hasn’t been affected.
“The money right now is in digital content,” she said. “There isn’t a shortage of commercial things being filmed. People are paying more to build their Web sites. With [digital video recorders like] TiVo, 30-second spots are losing their value.”
Ultimately, she would love to work as a director of feature films. She said she enjoys films like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” that “make our imagination leap.”
“I really like films that are comedic but only in a subtle way,” Brown said. “But I want to try lots of different genres.”
Brown said her parents, Tom and Lauren, have been supportive of her career. She said when she originally was offered to take part in the Marines project, she was going to turn it down because she didn’t have the required laptop computer. Her mom ended up buying her one.
“So I bought her a laptop for Christmas,” she said. “I made enough that I could buy it for her.”
Ellie
2/7/2008 - West Side Leader
By Kathleen Folkerth
COPLEY — Millions of people have seen the work of Erin Brown, a 2002 Revere High School graduate who edited films used in a commercial for the U.S. Marines that aired during the Super Bowl broadcast Feb. 3.
Copley native Brown, 23, was an editor for the commercial, which captured the Silent Drill Platoon in more than a dozen locations around the country. Today, Brown is working for a film production company in Los Angeles and working toward her goal of one day being a film director. The commercial also has been shown during “American Idol,” she said.
Brown, who attended Spring Garden Waldorf School in Copley, said she always enjoyed being in plays and productions while a child, but she didn’t choose a career in the film industry until more recently. She graduated from Malone College in Canton last year with a degree in liberal arts.
“I was a senior when I really started taking it seriously,” she said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. “I started making films and I thought, ‘This is great.’ I always liked art and science and math, so it was a nice blend of those. You have to be logic-minded, but you also have to be creative.”
She spent her final semester of school at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, where she got to work as director on a class project of a film called “The Duet.” She entered the film into the Dam Short Film Festival and will be traveling to Boulder City, Nev., for the event Feb. 8, along with her mother, Lauren Brown.
Brown spent the month of May back in Ohio before heading back to California, where she rented an apartment. While looking for work, she began working as an extra on TV shows and movies, such as “Scrubs,” “CSI: New York” and “Heroes.” She said that work wasn’t always as exciting as one might think.
“It’s fun to get on a set, but it depends on how long you’re there and how much they use you,” she said. “‘Scrubs’ was great. The set is actually a hospital, so whenever they weren’t using us, I just went around and talked to people about what they do. But other times they’ll leave you in a room for hours at a time.”
In the fall, she heard about the opportunity to film the Marines, thanks to a former professor who recommended her for the job. She started out as an assistant editor and joined the crew on a whirlwind tour of landmarks for the filming, such as the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.
While on site, Brown conducted interviews with Marines and their families. There ended up being so much footage and such a positive response from the public at filming events that a Web site was created where viewers can see the team’s efforts.
“I know I edited at least 100 interviews ranging between one and three minutes each,” she said.
An extended version of the commercial as well as additional footage can be seen at www.ourmarines.com.
After her work on the Marines project, Brown got a job with Mutiny Pictures, a Los Angeles company that does commercial work. With the Writers Guild of America strike affecting so much of the TV and film industry, Brown said she was lucky to get into a part of the field that hasn’t been affected.
“The money right now is in digital content,” she said. “There isn’t a shortage of commercial things being filmed. People are paying more to build their Web sites. With [digital video recorders like] TiVo, 30-second spots are losing their value.”
Ultimately, she would love to work as a director of feature films. She said she enjoys films like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” that “make our imagination leap.”
“I really like films that are comedic but only in a subtle way,” Brown said. “But I want to try lots of different genres.”
Brown said her parents, Tom and Lauren, have been supportive of her career. She said when she originally was offered to take part in the Marines project, she was going to turn it down because she didn’t have the required laptop computer. Her mom ended up buying her one.
“So I bought her a laptop for Christmas,” she said. “I made enough that I could buy it for her.”
Ellie