Interview with Mark Dixon- Director of Locations

I interviewed the Connecticut Film Commission's Director of Locations, Mark Dixon. He was a pleasure to talk with. While I questioned him, he also took it upon himself to ask me questions about to get a better understanding on what I plan to do in the future. During the interview, Mark Dixon gave me very good advice about the film industry that I found very insightful.

• Question 1- Can you briefly describe your job to me?

Mark: "I work in the locations area of the film commission. I'm the person that interfaces between location scouts and location managers, I work with people to look for places to film,such as state government agencies, colleges, and high schools."

• Question 2- How did you get started in the business?

Mark: "By accident (lol)... I volunteered to work in a film office while I was in college and this led to getting a job at the Connecticut Film Commission. I'm happy that I ended up here."

• Question 3- How do you tell someone over you (your boss) that you can't accomplish an assigned task?

Mark: "Well, my boss is great! He's very approachable. I don't have a problem accomplishing a task. Basically, you have to know what they want and need in order to complete all of his tasks."

• Question 4- Do you have any advice for a media student starting out?

Mark: "Working in a film commission is very time consuming, but very fun and it's never boring. For a media student that wants to work in a film office, the job is about state government and about being a film liaison for the government. I am payed by the government to work for the industry."

*After the interview, I then asked Mark a follow-up question:

• Question 5- What are the advantages and disadvantages of working in the film industry?

Mark: "An advantage of my job is that there is a lot of steady work and every project is different and keeps you interested. A disadvantage of my job is that no matter what you do, some people make other decisions besides in locations that determine how and when to make a film."

This concludes my interview with Mr. Mark Dixon.