POWERFULLY PREPARED
The alumni in this issue demonstrate that our graduates are exceedingly well-prepared for college, careers, and beyond. Passionate and hardworking, these alumni are making meaningful contributions, and we are proud to be part of their journey. By Steve Patchett
MIKE KOSLOV ’13
Lights, Camera, Action! During his days at MBS, Mike Koslov ’13 was well known as a creative student who would make impressive and amusing videos for Morning Meeting. Today, he is busy working on a feature film, Month To Month, which he co-wrote and co-directed with a close college friend from Syracuse University. He is also finishing post-production on another film, Friends From Home, which was shot during a 30-day road trip across America. Koslov said that he has been obsessed with filmmaking since second grade when his grandmother gave him an old video camera. He started shooting short films with friends in town, making everything from James Bond spoofs to music parodies. He truly honed his craft, however, during his time at Morristown Beard School. “MBS was one of the most supportive places in helping me nurture my creativity and career goals,” said Koslov. “Part of that distinction belongs solely to Mr. (Chris) Finn, who not only taught me the technical aspects of how to make a movie, but also made sure I had all the tools to do so. The support at MBS was unreal. On top of that, I had access to great equipment and was able to show my projects on a regular basis to hundreds of people in an amazing theater. When I graduated from MBS, I felt so ahead of the curve in college, not only with filmmaking but my general education.” Koslov earned a BFA in Filmmaking from Syracuse University, where he graduated summa cum laude and studied abroad at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. After college, Koslov traveled to Lebanon, where he shot a documentary revolving around Syrian refugee school children competing in an international robotics contest. He served as cinematographer for the project, which is in postproduction and is expected to be released later this year. For his most recent project, Month To Month, Koslov teamed up with college friend Derrick Owens to write and direct a comedy about an aimless young man wandering around Los Angeles in search of his stolen car. “This project was born out of the pandemic,” said Koslov. “We were both struggling with deeper questions about what we thought would bring us happiness (we had a lot of time on our hands), and this story 56 Crimson Spring 2022
emerged from that shared quest to find meaning.” Koslov is currently editing the film, which he shot in December, and hopes to have a first cut later this spring. “We are making this movie on a micro-budget, but we are confident in our abilities and team. We’re still on schedule to get the film done by summer, and hopefully it will have a strong festival run!” Koslov is also busy finishing post-production on Friends From Home, a no-budget narrative film about a 30-day road trip that features his writing, directing, and acting skills. “I have done about seven cross country trips, and every time I would see locations that I would dream about shooting at, but getting a full crew to a remote location in Montana or Oregon is not fiscally feasible,” he said. “So, my friend and I decided to shoot the movie all by ourselves—Robert Rodriguez style!” He hopes to apply the film to various festivals later this year. Being creative with how you tell a story is Koslov’s favorite part of filmmaking. “Telling stories through film is such a powerful medium to express thoughts and ideas. Hopefully, a movie will give you insight into a character’s world and make you think a little,” he said. Koslov added that he appreciates the teamwork and community aspect of filmmaking and is grateful to everyone who believed in him along the way. “Morristown Beard showed me that I could make movies. I am still on that journey today,” he said. “My entire school experience revealed to me the power of community and support, which is vital if you ever want to make a film.”
