trevordayschool

Malcolm Lee '84 Filmmaker, Director, Producer How and when did you become interested in entertainment? From an early age, I had been interested in the fine and performing arts. My dad's family are all jazz musicians—though I didn't inherit the music gene, I was interested in acting, drawing, playing with action figures, creating scenarios, etc. And I had family members who were into it as well. By the time I got to e Day School (as it was then known) in the 5th grade, I was introduced to video making. Daniel Feigin and I did a music video based on Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney's "e Girl Is Mine"—hopefully that never surfaces—and animation films. I acted in all the fall musicals and spring plays (that is, when I wasn't playing sports). Because the whole school participates in the MiniTerm musical, the arts were a true community celebration. My parents were supportive as well. When I was at Trevor, my cousin Spike was in film school at NYU; he lived in our basement, so seeing the emergence of a great American filmmaker was also huge encouragement. Apart from writing and directing (as if that's not enough?!), are you involved in any other facets of entertainment? Primarily I am a writer and director, but I am making forays into producing— identifying material, writers, etc.—and bringing other voices to the mainstream. What are your main responsibilities and roles as a writer, director, or producer? As a writer, I have to pitch my ideas to the studio or financier or producer. Sometimes I'm acting out the entire movie with visual presentations (video or "look books"), becoming characters to convince them to hire me as a scriptwriter. Or, I could just write the script on speculation (a "spec script") and take the chance that someone will buy it. I've succeeded and failed at both. As a director, it is my responsibility to have a VISION for what the film is, so that my collaborators and I are on the same page. at involves everyone and everything: working with all departments—casting, costume, production design, cinematography, assistant directors, sound design, editors—and creating a project that will be consumed by the masses. We need to know that we are all making the same movie, so communication is key. e producer's job is to bring all the above together—from the concept to the final product—on time and on budget. Producing is a job of desire and hustle. e good producers are creative and great negotiators. What motivates or inspires you? Intelligence, originality, and humor. If you could do anything other than your current profession, what would it be? I have no idea. But at some point before I wrote the e Best Man (my sixth screenplay), I concluded that if Hollywood didn't want this script, I would give up on the film industry and either teach or go to law school. Teaching and law were two professions I thought I could do well. Of those two, 3 4 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 – 1 6

• Cover