Loren Miller
 I started life as a film editor and filmmaker, got seduced by computers, continued life as a digital editor and now work in all areas of information design. |
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| How did you personally get into using the Macintosh family of computers? | In 1985 I turned my Atari ST into a Mac Plus with a Spectre emulator and learned HyperTalk. | |
| Status: | Practitioner and evangelist. | |
First Mac:
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I had my father buy my first Mac, an SE/30, along with a Onescanner to accomplish Hypercard digitizing and animation of a reading program he invented in the 60's. (Curiously, he's still a Windows user.) | |
Current Mac:
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9500/200. | |
| When did you get your first modem? | 1985, it was 1200bps. | |
| Who did you call first? | Genie- the General Electric bulletin board service. | |
| Present Occupation: | Digital nonlinear editor of longform projects, producer, writer, media designer. | |
| Claim to Fame: | Edited several prizewinning short films; produced one. Got my name mentioned on the Oscarcast of 1981. | |
| Dream Job: | Like so many on this list-- I'm in it, although self-employment can be edgy. |
| Not So Random Thoughts... | |||
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| Was there ever a time in your life that you had to "Think Different?" What was the situation and what did you do? | |||
| I suspect the ability to think itself will help you to think differently; I applied it first to a short student film called KUDZU in 1976 which needed lots of treatment. We were all blown away when it got nominated for an Oscar. Fortunately I remembered what I did and have been able to repeat the process several times for different clients over the years. For me, the Apple campaign was a natural and long overdue call. | |||
| How has using the Macintosh computer changed your life? | |||
| It has provided the best tools enabling me to continue my career into the next century. | |||
| What is the weirdest thing in your office right now? | |||
| Probably my letter opener collection, becoming valuable since e-mail. But then there's the Turtle Lamp I got from the family -- I think they passed it on from someone else, like those fruitcakes, you know? | |||
| My Passions are: | |||
| Work, health and gym, good food, bright people, conversation, more work, Empire Deluxe, helping people discover the Mac. | |||
| If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive who would that person be and what would you ask them? | |||
| I assiduously avoid dinner with dead people: you always know who pays the bill. I would, however, have eaten with John Huston, and actually did give Frank Capra a donut. | |||
| Do you play a musical instrument and/or are you in a band? | |||
| I should but do not. I channel it into the work whenever possible, although curiously, not into music videos. Different craft, I suppose. | |||
| When I grow up I want to be: | |||
| A homeowner like everybody else. | |||
| The question never asked: | |||
| Who WASN'T Jewish, your mom or dad? |
| Just The Facts, Please... | ||||
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| Biographical Tidbits: | Like I tell everybody, I walked out of the Wilma Opera House in Missoula when I was 11 or 12 after a matinee of BEN-HUR and said "That's for me! I'm going into film!" Plus, I know how to ride a horse. I once knew how to ski. I occasionally teach editing seminars at places like BU, Emerson College, and occasionally write original screenplays. | Education: | Ongoing. | |
| Location at Birth: | Manhattan, NY; it was liveable then. | Current Location: | Boston, MA. | |
| Where you've been in between: |
Chicago, IL, Worcester, MA, Missoula, MT, Los Angeles, CA, Brookline, MA. I've also been to Houston for a film festival, and to Bermuda for a wedding. Not mine. | Astrological Sign: | Virgo. | |
| Available? | Oh, sure. The Vulcan mating cycle is ..what? Every 12 Earth years? | Chat Nick: | None. | |
| Favorite Books: | Currently software manuals. Also liked Alister McClean, Heinlein, Crighton (major role model) and biographies. | Favorite Music or Band: | Randy Newman, Billy Joel, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Scott Joplin, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Rimsky-Korsakov, even some folk music (my mother played on the radio with Pete Seeger..twice!); lots of stuff where the noise is structured and sublime. | |
| Favorite Food: | Free or fat free. | Cat or Dog Person: | Cat, if anything. | |
| Loren's Personal Web Site | |
| Loren's Professional Web Site | |
| Favorite Web Site: | OS Rumors |
| "I can give it to you fast, cheap or good, pick any two." | |
| Thanks, Ilene. God, I love belonging to lists. - Loren | |
Created Friday, March 26, 1999; Edited: 4/12/99