Professor Michael Castaldo, better known as Mike, is an adjunct professor in the Communications department, who is loved by all of his students. Teaching Intro to Digital Media Production, running the equipment room in the Berman Center, and helping the Manhattanville Video Project out, he’s a face you may be familiar with.
Hailing from Hastings-On-Hudson NY in lower Westchester, Mike attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, studying film and video with a concentration in editing and post production, but teaching was never his end game. “Before Manhattanville I navigated through the freelance video and film industry. I worked on things like short films, commercials, documentaries, music videos, promotional videos, etc. When I was in college I was dead set on making films. It wasn’t until I was here (Manhattanville) running the short workshops that I realized I enjoyed teaching and talking about the video making process.”
But why Manhattanville? “Since 2003 I had been working as an editor for a company that made educational documentaries. I was the go to editor but only when a project was in the works. Between projects I had to look for other freelance gigs. Sometimes work was abundant, other times not so much and I wanted something a little steadier. I started at Manhattanville in the summer of 2008 as the Video Studio Technician for the Communications department. I taught workshops on cameras, lights, sound and editing software to reinforce what the students learned in their classes. I only started teaching classes in the Spring ’16 semester when an adjunct left, opening up a spot which I was asked if I was interested in filling.”
Coming to Manhattanville isn’t easy, though, especially for someone who has never taught before. Mentors in your department, much like student mentors, become very important. “One of my biggest mentors and influences at Mville I actually knew before I even started. Tony Ely, an adjunct, was my high school TV production teacher and professional colleague before I started here. I learned quite a bit from him in the Video profession as well as teaching.”
Mike knew from a young age he wanted to work in film. “I really can’t remember my wanted career path at 10. By normal child law I’d say police officer and fireman are in there somewhere, but when I became aware that movies weren’t real and that videotaping things was a career choice, it was something I became very interested in. I remember at 12ish using my parents old VHS camera to shoot a cheesy action movie with a couple of neighbors. Too bad it’s gone. Could have been a cult classic.”
I’ve personally enjoyed Professor Castaldo’s course, which I took in the Fall of 2016. In his class, you get hands on with cameras, Adobe Premiere and editing, the newly added green screen (Awesome,right?), as well as lighting and sound equipment. Mike goes into great detail throughout the course to give the feeling of working on an actual movie set, and finishes the semester with a final project to film, edit, and produce your own six to ten minute film, with partners. Not only was the class fun, but it taught me more than I ever expected to know about putting together a film.
But what are some things you didn’t know about Professor Castaldo? Here are three fun facts you can use to spark up a conversation with him!
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“I ran into Bill Murray at the Palisades mall once. He was in Girl Props. If you don’t know the store, google it, it will make the story better. He scoured the walls back and forth for 20 minutes saying “What am I doing, why am I here?” He wound up buying fishnet stockings and a pair of earrings. “
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“I could talk for hours about time travel.”
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“I love puns and I play Magic the Gathering.”