
Client Highlight: Monique Walton of “Sing Sing”

MPS Studios’ Glenn Maxwell spoke with producer and longtime MPS client Monique Walton about her latest movie, Oscar-Nominated “Sing Sing”.
One of the most talked about films from this year has been “Sing Sing”, a story about a wrongly incarcerated man finding purpose by acting alongside his fellow inmates. This stunning story about humanity and the power of art has gotten a lot of people talking! The film was recently nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Original Song “Like a Bird”).
Monique Walton, the producer for the film, has been a long time client of MPS. Starting with her time as a student in the UT Graduate Program, we have been proud to help provide Monique with the equipment needed to tell impactful stories about the human condition. We were able to catch up with her and discuss her journeys in film, Texas, and more!
What started your passion for filmmaking? What first ignited that fire?
I think my interest in film actually started in undergrad. I was introduced to filmmaking through a documentary film course and at the time I was curious about film, I had never really considered it as a potential professional path. But I really fell in love with documentary! Taking the class with those professors, it was really a trial by fire. I was teaching myself how to edit, how to shoot, how to interview and… I just kind of fell in love with the way that film brings people together in conversation. When my final project about the black student experience at Yale University came out, I realized it was a way to really connect with people that you would normally not otherwise connect with. That was my first introduction to film and that’s what got me really inspired to pursue it.
What got you into producing?
Well, I didn’t end up getting into producing until I got to graduate school at UT. But their program has a directing focus, so I was there as a director. But I really wanted to learn about all aspects of production on the crew side and creative side. Eventually I was able to produce someone’s film, and from there I just was really excited about the idea of creative producing that you could be a part of the creative side and the technical side. You’re overseeing everything, the cast, the crew, what the culture is onset, and figuring out how to bring the film off the page and into the world. I was just really in love with that collaboration. Everyone always needs a producer but they’re never enough producers, I was being asked to produce a lot of student films at the time and was able to really figure out if I loved it or not. I was also able to find collaborators that I’m still working with today, like Amy Silverstein, who I graduated with and then made a feature film together.
What made you choose UT for your Masters? Why Texas?
At the time I knew I really wanted to take some time away from New York. I wasn’t really compelled to go to LA, and when I learned about the program at UT it just felt like it was a really intimate program. It was really small, but you had a lot of opportunity as a filmmaker. You had to make a lot of films over the course of the program and get you to also be very collaborative. It was the right pace and Austin is such an artist friendly town, it felt like there could be a way to live and survive as an artist here.
How has your experience been working with MPS?
I always knew about MPS because they’re one of the major equipment houses in Texas. My first experience was through AFS and their grant program, which has been so incredibly helpful throughout my filmmaking career. The AFS grant and specifically the in-kind support that MPS provides for that grant really helps especially for example, with documentaries. You have to shoot a little bit before you raise more funding, and you’re always raising funding throughout the life of the project. So you have to figure out ways to continue working and filming, or there’s timely things that you need to capture. Having that support from MPS to be able to jump in and get a great camera package to be able to film and make something that looks really polished without very much resources is really crucial. Especially when you’re making a documentary and you’re constantly applying for grants and raising funding.
What would be one major lesson that you’ve learned while working in the film industry?
I think you really have to trust your instincts and you really have to find people that connect with on a human and worldview level because everyone’s in film for different reasons. It’s important that when you’re making a film together that you’re all making the same film.
We would like to thank Monique for taking the time to answer our questions! Be sure to tune into the Oscars on Sunday, March 2nd live on either ABC or Hulu and root for Sing Sing!