Mark Woollen
{{Short description|American director}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mark Woollen
| image =
| image_upright =
| landscape =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = {{hlist|Movie trailer director|editor}}
| years_active = 1993–present
| era =
| employer =
| organization =
| known_for = Founder of Mark Woollen & Associates
| notable_works =
| style =
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| mother =
| father =
| awards =
| website = {{URL|https://mwatrailers.com/}}
}}
Mark Woollen is an American director and editor of movie trailers. He is the founder of Mark Woollen & Associates, an agency that specializes in the creation of movie trailers. Through the agency, Woollen has created trailers for films and television series like Schindler's List, The Social Network, The Tree of Life, Big Little Lies, Ozark, Severance, and numerous others.
Early life and education
Woollen grew up largely in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County.{{cite news | last=Kachka| first=Boris| title =Meet Trailer Editor Mark Woollen. He May Be the Most Visionary Director in Hollywood.| work=Vulture| date =November 5, 2014 | url =https://www.vulture.com/2014/11/meet-mark-woollen-the-arthouse-trailer-editor.html| accessdate =February 17, 2023}} He attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, where he took four years of film and television production classes.{{cite news | last=Anderson| first=John| title =Woollen & Associates: Hitting the mark| work=Variety| date =June 29, 2011 | url =https://variety.com/2011/film/news/woollen-associates-hitting-the-mark-1118039098/| accessdate =February 17, 2023}}{{cite news | last=Thompson| first=Anne| title =From 'Schindler's List' to 'A Hidden Life,' the Unsung Hero of Awards-Season Trailers Is Mark Woollen| work=IndieWire| date =August 13, 2019 | url =https://www.indiewire.com/2019/08/mark-woollen-trailer-maker-hollywood-schindlers-list-the-big-lebowski-a-hidden-life-1202162270/| accessdate =February 17, 2023}}
Career
Woollen started his career as an editor with Craig Murray Productions. He worked on several Disney films, including Beauty and the Beast. He later moved on to Universal, where he began cutting together trailers. At age 22 in 1993, Woollen's trailer cut for Schindler's List was chosen by director Steven Spielberg. After Schindler's List, Woollen became a freelance creator of movie trailers, ultimately forming the agency, Mark Woollen & Associates. He operated the firm out of his home in Los Angeles before moving to an office space in Santa Monica in 2002.
Through his agency, he created trailers for films like Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Garden State,{{cite news | last=William| first=Booth| title =Golden Trailers Awards honor finest in film flakery| work=The Tribune| date =May 29, 2005 | url =https://www.newspapers.com/image/810537886/?terms=%22mark%20woollen%22&match=1| accessdate =February 17, 2023}} and Little Children (2006). In 2006, Woollen directed the feature documentary film, Jam, which follows the lives of aging roller derby players and won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW.
Woollen's 2011 trailer for The Social Network used a cover of Radiohead's "Creep" by Scala & Kolacny Brothers, a Belgian women's choir. He is often credited with starting a trend of cover songs being used as the backdrop for trailers.{{cite magazine | last=Pappademas| first=Alex| title =How the Cover Song Conquered Movie Trailers| magazine=The New Yorker| date =July 31, 2019 | url =https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-the-cover-song-conquered-movie-trailers| accessdate =February 17, 2023}}{{cite news | last=Ducker| first=Eric| title =Movie Trailers Keep Tweaking Well-Known Songs. The Tactic Is Working| work=The New York Times| date =January 6, 2023 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/arts/music/trailer-music-trailerization.html| accessdate =February 17, 2023}} The Social Network trailer won "Best in Show" at the 2011 Golden Trailer Awards, and Woollen received five other awards at the event.{{cite news | last=Debruge| first=Peter| title =Trailers get a golden ticket at kudofest| work=Variety| date =July 5, 2011 | url =https://variety.com/2011/film/news/trailers-get-a-golden-ticket-at-kudofest-1118039434/| accessdate =February 17, 2023}} In the ensuing years, Woollen would continue work on trailers for films, including 12 Years a Slave (2013), Birdman (2014), Gone Girl (2014), Moonlight (2016), Nomadland, and others.{{cite news | last=Barker| first=Christopher| title =Mark Woollen Breaks Down The Art Of The Hollywood Trailer| work=Semi Permanent| date =April 8, 2022 | url =https://semipermanent.com/stories/mark-woollen| accessdate =February 17, 2023}} He also began working on teasers and trailers for television series, Ozark, and Severance.{{cite news | last=Davis| first=Clayton| title =Golden Trailer Awards: 'The Batman' and 'Top Gun: Maverick' Among Nominees, Disney Leads for Studios (EXCLUSIVE)| work=Variety| date =August 2, 2022 | url =https://variety.com/2022/awards/news/golden-trailer-awards-2022-the-batman-top-gun-maverick-1235330834/| accessdate =February 17, 2023}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ List of feature films |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2006
| Director | Documentary |
| 2017
| Big Little Lies{{cite news | last=Crist| first=Allison| title =Golden Trailer Awards: 'A Quiet Place: Part II', 'Black Widow' Among Winners| work=The Hollywood Reporter| date =July 22, 2021 | url =https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/2021-golden-trailer-awards-winners-list-1234978230/| accessdate =February 17, 2023}} | Creative director | TV Series |
| 2018
| Creative director | TV Mini Series |
| 2019
| The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | Creative director | TV Series |
Awards
Woollen has won multiple industry awards, including Best in Show awards for campaigns for Schindler’s List, The Social Network, and A Star Is Born.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://mwatrailers.com/ Official website]
- {{IMDb name|1840957}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woollen, Mark}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)