About Masa

Education/Training

Masa (they/them) has a B.A. in Music from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Cornell University. They are a classically trained singer and a Meisner-trained actor, having completed the two-year Meisner program at the Actor's Workshop of Ithaca. They also have improv training from the UCB Training Center in New York. 


Theatre/Teaching

After graduating from the Actor's Workshop, Masa stayed on as an instructor, teaching the Meisner Technique and directing students in scenes and one-acts, including some written by Masa. They also assistant-directed and music-directed several shows staged at the Risley Theatre in Ithaca. 


Film

After many years in front of the camera, Masa decided to try their hand at filmmaking. To date they have written and directed twelve short films and videos, gaining post-production skills such as editing, sound design, VFX, and color correction along the way. They have made use of their music and linguistics training in their films, composing scores for several of them and inventing a fictional language for one of them. 


Marked Pictures

Masa and their artistic collaborator, Abby J. Smith, co-founded Marked Pictures in 2013 to produce original projects. Visit the Marked Pictures website to view teasers, finished films, and more!

Original Music Or

Bottlemusick  (2023-2027)

Original music for glass bottles, composed and performed by Masa Gibson .  Everything heard on these tracks other than vocals was performed on glass bottles.  Video projects featuring these tracks can be found on the Marked Pictures page.

DaViD-19 (2026)

Original tracks recorded for the soundtrack of the short film DaViD-19. Composed by Masa Gibson. Vocals on "Way to Rhapsody" and "Suspended" performed by Ria Burns-Wilder. "Dance of the Virus" performed by Stuart Breczinski on oboe and Dan Caruso on percussion.

Driven Wild  (2020)

Selected tracks from the soundtrack of the short film, Driven Wild , directed by Daniel Masciari. The film depicts an encounter between two friends who have not seen each other since high school.

Here You Are You Here (2020)

Selected tracks from the soundtrack of the surreal short film Here You Are You Here.  A man obsessively tracks a spirit who haunts him and leads him from one uninhabited locale to another on a Sisyphean scavenger hunt.  The third track, Stairway to Nowhere, is a recurring theme associated with a seemingly unending, golden spiral staircase that the protagonist continually climbs.

FACE  (2017)

Maska is a short piece for saxophone quartet and drum, used for a dance sequence at the beginning of the short film FACE. Performed by the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet and Scott Tofte(percussion). Jacquelyn's Mask is an andante reprise of the theme for piano, used for the film's end credits.

To Be Forgotten (2019)

Rememory is a short piano passage used for the opening and end credits for the short film To Be Forgotten.

Standing Stones (2017)

Selected tracks from the soundtrack of the sci-fi short film, Standing Stones. A Traveler from another world (cello) encounters a Man of this world (piano). Solo cello: Evvie Halpert; violins: Augusto Diemecke and Alejandra Diemecke; viola: Jacquelyn Timberlake. Souvenir received "Best Dramatic Orchestral Theme" at the 2017 Garden State Film Festival Movie Music Competition.
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Contact Masa (filmmaker)

Contact Masa

Contact Masa

Contact Masa

Contact Masa