Tracking Shot: Juniata Alumnus Wins Emmy Mike Trim ’76 went from bike messenger to Emmy award winning cinematographer, but it didn’t happen overnight. It took hard work, talent, and a lifetime commitment to learning. It also took, aptly enough, intense focus, as he worked his way up from gaffer (a film electrician) to director. Trim, whose screen credits include such things as videos for Madonna, Janet Jackson, commercials for Nike and Coca-Cola, and NBC’s Parks and Recreation, won an Emmy for his work as the director of photography in the Showtime hit series Weeds.
Q: How did you go from Juniata to an Emmy award-winning cinematographer and accomplished television director?
A: When I attended Juniata, we only had a few film classes. The best courses were taught by Bruce
Davis ’65, then an English professor (now recently retired executive director for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.) I studied English primarily, where I learned what makes a real story. I also did a lot of independent study classes. After Juniata, I took one class at NYU in underground cinema. After that I decided to go out and start making movies.
I was living in Manhattan and answered an advertisement for a job in the Village Voice that said, “Do you want to be in the movie business?” The job turned out to be as a bike messenger for a company that did delivery work for movie companies. Every place I made a delivery I would drop off a résumé. That landed me a job at Jaguar Productions. I was learning a great deal about lighting and took the test to be a union film electrician. I eventually became a full-fledge gaffer and worked on incredible films like Mississippi Burning, which won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1989.
My wife and I then moved to Los Angeles and I started shooting music videos. My first was a music video for Madonna, directed by David Fincher, who just directed The Social Network. So much of this business is networking and being at the right place at the right time. I then did cinematography for several music videos and MTV’s Rock the Vote. I won a MTV Music Video Award and the greatest part of winning was that I did not have to do any more music videos. That is a tough business.
After that experience I got a call to do a pilot that did not get picked up, but it got me out there networking. I was hired to do a show called Head Cases that lasted only 2 episodes and it was canceled. The same producer asked me to do Weeds. In 6 seasons of Weeds, I’ve been nominated twice for an Emmy. I shot the pilot for 30 Rock, and directed three episodes of Parks and Recreation. I had some difficult moments throughout my career, but you’ve got to work through those hard times to reap the benefits.
Q: What was it like to win an Emmy? A: Total panic. There are 4,000 people and some pretty big stars in the audience. I had to make a speech, and let me tell you, there is a reason why I am behind the camera. I was nervous and I didn’t want to forget anyone. Immediately after it was all over I thought about my parents, what it took to get me here, and my family.
Q: Where do you keep it? A: Right now it’s sitting on the island in my kitchen. People like to come to the house and get a kick out of holding it up it the air.
Q: What do you remember about your days at Juniata? A: I couldn’t believe that all I had to do was sit around, read, watch movies and all they expected from me was to write papers. The learning was so much fun for me. Outside of writing the papers, it is exactly what I love doing today. I was a hippie kid from Newark with long hair and my pants were made from patches that my girl friend had sewn together. It was a crazy time. Juniata is a beautiful place.
Juniata
—James Watt, director of alumni relations
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