After he graduated from Beverly Hills High School, Marston's interest in photography led him to internships with Life magazine and ABC News. But, as he says in a 2004 Indiewire interview, he always felt that a photograph didn't convey the full story; he thought that film might provide the background, context and nuances of a situation far better than even the most evocative still image. But it was only after becoming dissatisfied with working towards a graduate degree in political science that he finally made the decision to become a filmmaker.