Mark Polyocan
Mark Polyocan has always been interested in the theater. He pursued a Masters degree in theater at New York University and "dabbled" in acting, directing and playwriting. Today, as president and cofounder of The Tape House, he manages a theater company of his own.
"A group of talented people working in the postproduction environment is like a theater: There’s an enormous cast of characters, we’re constantly performing, and there’s a new audience all the time," he explains. "This is the closest I get to putting on a play. We’re doing a live show every day."
A former junior high school and high school teacher, Polyocan was introduced to postproduction at New York’s KB&D in 1967 where he trained as an editor and served as an assistant director, assistant cameraman and PA. "It was a small shop, and I learned a lot there," he recalls.
In 1969, Polyocan met Arthur Williams who asked Polyocan to join him in opening the creative film editing house, Editing Concepts. Williams was senior editor in the firm, with Polyocan starting as an assistant and achieving full editor status.
By 1979, the major postproduction facilities in New York were EUE Screen Gems, Reeves and Teletronics, and Williams and Polyocan felt the market was ripe for expansion. They launched The Tape House with a Rank MkIIIB telecine and soon had a flourishing business in transferring film rough cuts to tape for the other editors in town. Then colorist John J. Dowdell III began transferring negative. "At the time, convincing editors we could do that was quite a feat," Polyocan reports. "Now we take it for granted."
With Polyocan at the helm, The Tape House began to add offline and online editing and moved to its present location. It spun off Tape House Digital (now Black Logic), Tape House Digital Film, Tape House Toons and, most recently, The Tape House Advanced Imaging Center.
"The whole 20-year ride has been fun," declares Polyocan. But he admits that continual hardware and software upgrades "make working in the industry difficult and challenging. You no longer have the ability to maintain one system long enough to recoup your investment before you’re running onto the next piece of equipment," he says. "We’re faced with the challenge of maintaining all video formats while moving into HD. That’s a lot to ask of any facility. That’s why a lot of facilities limit the scope of their services."
Having seen the postproduction industry evolve from Moviola to Avid, Polyocan plans to continue The Tape House’s evolution too. "As the industry changes, we will re-invent ourselves as we need to," he says. "The ability of boutiques to do more and more diminishes the amount of work for a facility like ours. So we have to keep discovering new areas where we can lead."
mark@tapehouse.com
Director Jack Begert Joins Biscuit For His First Commercial Representation In U.S. & U.K.
Biscuit Filmworks has added filmmaker Jack Begert to its roster in the U.S. and U.K. This marks Begert’s first representation in advertising, building upon his acclaimed work in music video and film. He is best known for his striking aesthetic and surreal use of visual effects, displayed in his feature film debut Little Death, which won the NEXT Innovator Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film stars David Schwimmer, Gaby Hoffman, Dominic Fike, and Talia Ryder, and was produced by Darren Aronofsky.
Miami-born and L.A.-based, the USC Film School graduate began his career in VFX and as an editor. Begert has worked with iconic musical artists including Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Flying Lotus, Childish Gambino, and Olivia Rodrigo, and has independently directed international campaigns for brands such as Apple, Converse, New Era, and Reebok.
Shawn Lacy, founding partner of Biscuit Filmworks, said of Begert, “We are such fans of his work--and of him as a creator, thinker, collaborator, and great guy.”
“My creative approach is often about trying to discover something unexpected in the filmmaking process,” said Begert. “Biscuit is a place where I can bring my own perspective to the work and still feel supported. That philosophy is clear from the talent they represent, and I’m excited to join their roster.”
“Jack’s work blew me away the moment I first saw it,” said Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, managing director at Biscuit Filmworks UK. “He is a modern young director who clearly cares deeply about both craft and the necessity for it in his storytelling. Everything always pushes the narrative forward. We’re looking forward to making great work together.”
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