CHS alums leverage strong creative connection

This story originally appeared in the October 6 edition of the Citizen.

High school students typically expect to keep in touch with friends after graduation. What they may not realize is that intersecting interests can mean that even slight acquaintances have the potential to become important networking connections.

Mike Noone and Marquis Miller, both former CHS students, had one mutual friend and were in a class together during their two overlapping years at the school, yet neither recalls whether they ever talked. Now they have a strong friendship based on collaborative work, which draws on their respective passions — Noone’s for photography and Miller’s for rapping. “We’ve been growing as a team for five years,” Noone said.

Mike Noone films a music video with Marquis Miller in Boston. (Photo courtesy of Mike Noone)

Miller spent just two years living in Canton and then transferred to Boston Green Academy for his senior year, graduating in 2015. He had hoped to continue his education at Howard University in Washington, D.C., but it was too expensive, so he decided instead to focus on his dream of making it as a rap artist. Noone, who graduated from CHS in 2016, crossed the country to enroll at California State University, Northridge, where he studied video production.

Both had found their passions early. At CHS, Noone developed his pre-existing interest in camera work by taking courses in TV and video production almost every year with Ed McDonough, who, he said, allowed his students creative range in their assignments. “He was very engaging, and he made me feel I could do it,” Noone said of McDonough.

Noone also gained experience in sports and drone photography at CHS.

Miller said he was “always around music” while growing up, with both his of his parents showing an interest in it. His father, Marquis Miller Sr., was a rap artist, and Miller remembers asking his dad to write a piece for him when he was six years old. Most of the details are now lost, but it included the line, “I do what I want,” which foreshadowed Miller’s own commitment to the art. From then on, he wrote all of his own pieces.

In high school, Miller pursued other interests, including fashion and basketball, but his passion for music was consistent. In 2016, he recorded his first album. A year later, needing assistance making videos, he recalled that Noone had done camera and video work at CHS and reached out to him.

“He had no idea I was a fan of his music,” Noone recalled. They met up in Boston to shoot some stills. Miller liked the results, and the pair have been working together ever since, shooting a total of about a dozen music videos. Noone continues doing the cinematography and camera work, but he said that Miller has increasingly worked on direction and story writing and has started editing film as well.

Their teamwork is paying off. Last year, Noone submitted their video for Miller’s song “Mine” (shot at the Regent Theatre in Arlington at McDonough’s suggestion) to several film festivals and it was accepted at three of them: Boston’s Scout Film Festival, LA Liftoff Festival, and Austin Liftoff Festival. Awards, including cash prizes, will be announced later this month, but Noone said the fact that it was accepted at all is a “huge point of pride” for both of them.

“Mine” is a family friendly video. Some of Miller’s work, however, will not appeal to all audiences, as implied by the name he uses professionally, Marquis Filthy. Yet Miller said the name is also an acronym for Fresh, Inspired, Love, Truth, Honest, Youth. He explained that the double meaning represents a dichotomy, suggesting the importance of not judging.

Noone has shot a total of about 20 music videos, but his work is not restricted to that subject. He has experience with a range of subjects, including business promotions, product photography, events, portraits and live sports. He has a special fondness for wildlife photography, noting that while animals can be “difficult subjects,” they are “always the most rewarding.”

Noone has since moved back to Canton, but still hopes to travel the world with his camera. Time spent studying in Ghana during college inspired his fascination for global photography. In the short term, he is preparing for a trip to Los Angeles, where Miller now lives. The pair plans to work on several projects over 10 days together.

Their collaboration works well, Miller said, because he and Noone have good communication and are respectful of any differences. “We both just care about what we’re creating,” he noted.

Miller and Noone are also connected to two other Canton High alums: Josh Irish, Class of 2015, who did some filming for Miller, and Pat LaBelle, Class of 2018, who featured both Miller and Noone on his UMass Amherst-based podcast “No Names No Numbers.”

Both Miller and Noone expressed gratitude to CHS for its teachers and resources. Miller emphasized the good connections he made while living in Canton and the strong support he received from English teacher Kathleen Kelly. In addition to McDonough’s guidance, Noone cited the outstanding equipment he had access to and the training he received from his externship with videographer Kevin Friend of BCN Productions. “Canton High put me in a positive place for work,” he said.

To view a gallery of Noone’s work, go to www.mikenoonevisuals.com. Miller, who was recently profiled by GBH for its “Bands You Should Know” series, posts his music online at facebook.com/marquisfilthy and soundcloud.com/marquisfilthy.

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Posted by Candace Paris on Oct 13 2022. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.