FEATURES 2006 CAS Awards Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
15
The CAS announces the nominees for Outstanding Mixing
Ed Greene, CAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The CAS Career Achievement Award Recipient
CAS Filmmaker Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Gil Cates becomes second recipient
Filming in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 CAS Visits Warner Bros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Dub stages a big hit
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DEPARTMENTS From the Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Technically Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 G. John Garrett, talks about the Star Quad cable
Been There Done That . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 CAS members check in
In Remembrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Wayne L. Artman
The Lighter Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
10 Cover photo: Courtesy of the L.A. Times
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FROM THE EDITORS...
Happy New Year and welcome to the 2007 Awards season. The editors would like to congratulate all of the 2006 CAS Awards nominees. Congratulations also go out to Edward Greene, CAS, 2006 CAS Career Achievement Award recipient and to Gilbert Cates, the 2006 CAS Filmmaker Award recipient. The feature story in this issue is an interesting interview with our Career Achievement honoree Ed Greene by Fred Tator. Greene’s career has spanned more than 50 years and he is still the “Go to” guy for many “Live” TV producers. Greene has so many Primetime Emmy Award’s that he can’t keep them all in one place. In addition to Greene’s professional prowess, he is a really great guy. Aletha Rodgers, CAS reports on an interview with production mixer Jim Machowski, CAS who just completed an interesting project shot in India. This is the last edition for Rodgers as co-editor although you can expect more from her in future editions of the CAS Quarterly. Rodgers has started a new career as a full-time mom and we wish her all the best in her new endeavor. In a continuing effort to bring informative activities to our members, the CAS membership was invited to the newest dub stages at Warner Bros. Post Production. Peter Damski, CAS reports on the event. In his recurring column, “Technically Speaking,” G. John Garrett, CAS discusses the use of Star Quad cable. We welcome his continuing contribution. We hope to see you at the Millennium-Biltmore Bowl for the 2006 CAS Awards on February 17, 2007. Sincerely,
OFFICERS
Richard Lightstone, President Melissa S. Hofmann, Vice President Marti D. Humphrey, Secretary Christopher Haire, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Richard Branca John Coffey Peter Damski Ed Greene Sherry Klein Michael Minkler
Ed Moskowitz David Bondelevitch Fred Tator James Coburn IV Greg Watkins
ALTERNATES
Christopher Elam Brydon Baker Joe Foglia R.D. Floyd OFFICE MANAGER
Robin Damski EDITORS:
Aletha Rodgers David Bondelevitch Peter Damski PUBLISHER:
The Ingle Group 11661 San Vicente Blvd., Ste. 709 Los Angeles, CA 90049 QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS:
Aletha Rodgers, CAS David Bondelevitch, CAS, MPSE Peter Damski, CAS
Active Matt Vowles Pud Cusack Joel Petersen David E. Baker Kelly Vandever
Cinema Audio Society 827 Hollywood Way #632 Burbank, CA 91505 Phone: 818.752.8624 Fax: 818.752.8624 Email casjournal@CinemaAudioSociety.org Website www.cinemaaudiosociety.org ADVERTISING:
Dan Dodd 818.556.6300 Email: dandodd@pacbell.net ©2007 by the Cinema Audio Society. All rights reserved. CAS®, Cinema Audio Society®, and Dedicated to the advancement of Sound® are all trademarks of the Cinema Audio Society and may not be used without permission.
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A Look at the Newly Amended
LETTER TO THE EDITORS
CAS BY-LAWS by Richard Lightstone, CAS Just a few months ago the CAS membership overwhelmingly voted to accept the amended CAS By-Laws. Every corporation is required to have a set of by-laws, they are the “game plan” on how the corporation is to be run and operated. By-laws also set forth the rights and powers of the shareholders, in our case—the membership, directors, and officers. Former CAS President Ed Somers undertook the first overhaul in 1994. As well as they were written, there were still some deficiencies and ambiguous language. At some Board meetings we would discuss the meaning of a particular article as though we were the Supreme Court interpreting the U.S. Constitution. So it was apparent that the CAS By-laws needed more tweaking. I began the first attempt in 2004 with fellow committee members, Peter Damski and Edward Moskowitz. We hit a few roadblocks but finally restarted again in May of 2006, adding David Bondelevitch to the committee. We successfully passed the amendments with Board approval in October 2006 and you the membership agreed. The CAS By-laws are available for downloading on the CAS website: http://www.cinemaaudiosociety.org/html/ about.html Here are some of the highlights: • Index to Articles • Re-defined ‘Classes of Membership’ • Re-defined ‘Qualification for Classes of Members’ • Clarified roll of Alternate Members of the Board of Directors • Re-defined ‘Quorum’ • Added term limits for Officers of the Board of Directors • Added Active former CAS Presidents honorary seats on the Board • Re-defined ‘Election Procedures’
Happy holidays and kudos on the journal’s new look this year. It is a good read. I bring it to the studio and people tend to pick it up. The CAS Quarterly (journal) is a good alternative to the usual trades. –Carrie Giunta, CAS
CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY MISSION STATEMENT To educate and inform the general public and the motion picture and television industry that effective sound is achieved by a creative, artistic and technical blending of diverse sound elements. To provide the motion picture and television industry with a progressive society of master craftsmen specialized in the art of creative cinematic sound recording. To advance the specialized field of cinematic sound recording by exchange of ideas, methods, and information. To advance the art of auditory appreciation, and to philanthropically support those causes dedicated to the sense of hearing. To institute and maintain high standards of conduct and craftsmanship among our members. To aid the motion picture and television industry in the selection and training of qualified personnel in the unique field of cinematic sound recording. To achieve for our members deserved recognition as major contributors to the field of motion picture and television entertainment.
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Starstruck by G. John Garrett, CAS
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It seems that our lowly cables never get the thought and consideration they deserve until something goes wrong with them, when they get all our attention. Hums, buzzes, cellphone and other radio interference problems can be caused by faulty cable wiring or prevented and eliminated with the right stuff, done right. This time I’m going to briefly talk about Star Quad cable and why it’s better than just shielded pairs. Today the best mic and signal cables use shielded four conductor twisted. This stuff is called Star Quad, and Canare invented it. A few manufacturers
make it now, and Star Quad has become something of a generic term, like Kleenex. Star Quad represents another leap in hum rejection, and the way it works is like something out of Star Trek . For now we’re going to ignore the electrostatic shield altogether, and look at the signal-carrying wires. If you cut a piece of Star Quad and look at the cross section you’ll see there are four wires in basically a square arrangement (fig. 1). There’s a bunch of cotton and plastic stuff keeping them in this alignment. Imagine a square box with one wire at each corner. The top and bottom wires
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Fig. 1
carry one side of the signal and the left and right carry the other. The first two wires are separated by space but carry the same signal. The effective electromagnetic, mathematical and geometric location of that signal is in the center of the box. And as it happens, the same holds for the other two wires that carry the opposite phase. All of this is possible because the cotton and plastic packing keeps the wires the same distance from each other and the same distance from the center. Where are the signals now? Virtually occupying the same point in space as far as outside fields are concerned so the common mode signal is going to sum to zero every time. This may take a moment to sink in. Electromagnetic hum can only occur if there is a difference in induced voltage on two conductors going to different inputs on an amplifier. The difference in induced voltage is dependent on the wavelength of the electromagnetic field and the separation of the conductors. The reason Star Quad works is because we can make the entire signal virtually occupy the same location in space. This works going the other way too. Unshielded speaker wire can carry some serious current, and the higher the current, the stronger the electromagnetic field it radiates. You can get Star Quad speaker cable, and the electromagnetic fields largely cancel out, which makes for less induced noise in other electronics in the room. Nearly every time I pick up one of my cables, I marvel at the principle behind Star Quad, how the mechanical arrangement creates a virtual space that the signal occupies. Most people just like their Star Quad because it works. Maybe now you’ll marvel a little too.•
T
he Cinema Audio Society will host the 43rd Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, February 17, 2007, in the Biltmore Bowl of the Millennium Hotel. A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the CAS Career Achievement Award to Edward Greene, CAS. Another highlight is the presentation of the CAS Filmmaker Award to producer-director Gilbert Cates. Awards for Outstanding Mixing will be presented in five categories. Winners will be announced in the categories for Motion Pictures, Television Movies and Mini-Series, Television Series, Television NonFiction, Variety, Music Series or Specials, and DVD Original Programming. For the third year in a row, CAS will present the Technical Achievement Award honoring technical innovation in the area of sound recording. The evening kicks off with cocktails in the Tiffany Room at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6:45 p.m., followed by the Awards presentation at 8 p.m. To order tickets, contact office manager Robin Damski at (818) 752-8624 or e-mail: CasOffice@CinemaAudioSociety.org. Event address: The Biltmore Hotel, 506 South Grand Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071
outstanding achievement in sound mixing for 2006
motion pictures Babel
(Paramount Vantage)
Rerecording Mixers Jon Taylor CAS Christian Minkler
Production Mixer Jose Antonio Garcia
Blood Diamond (Warner Bros.)
Rerecording Mixers Andy Nelson Anna Behlmer
Production Mixer Ivan Sharrock CAS
Dreamgirls (DreamWorks)
Rerecording Mixers Michael Minkler CAS Bob Beemer CAS
Production Mixer Willie D. Burton CAS
Flags of Our Fathers (Paramount)
Rerecording Mixers John Reitz Gregg Rudloff David E. Campbell
Production Mixer Walter Martin Jr. CAS
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Disney)
Rerecording Mixers Paul Massey CAS Christopher Boyes
Production Mixer Lee Orloff CAS
cas aw 2006
outstanding achievement in sound mixing for 2006
television movies and mini-series
outstanding achievement in sound mixing for 2006
television series
Desperation
Deadwood
(ABC)
“A Two-Headed Beast” (HBO)
Rerecording Mixers
Rerecording Mixers
Andre Perreault Ken Burton CAS Kevin Burns CAS
R. Russell Smith CAS William Freesh
Production Mixer
Production Mixer
Lisa Pinero CAS
Geoffrey Patterson CAS
Flight 93
Heroes “Genesis”
(A&E)
(NBC)
Rerecording Mixers
Rerecording Mixers
Mark Linden Tara A. Paul Liam Lockhart Harry Snodgrass
Gerry Lentz CAS Rich Weingart
Production Mixer Kenn Fuller CAS
Production Mixer William Skinner
Lost “I Do” (ABC)
Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventures
Rerecording Mixers Frank Morrone CAS Scott Weber
“Sharks at Risk”
Production Mixer
(PBS/KQED)
Robert Anderson CAS
Rerecording Mixer Paul James Zahnley CAS
The Sopranos
Production Mixer
“Members Only”
Mike Westgate
(HBO)
Rerecording Mixers
Sleeper Cell
Kevin Burns CAS Todd Orr
Part 7 “Fitna” (Showtime)
Production Mixer
Rerecording Mixers
Mathew Price CAS
Elmo Ponsdomenech Joe Earle CAS
24
Production Mixer
“Day 5: 7:00 A.M. 8:00 A.M.”
Steve Weiss CAS
(Fox)
Walkout
Rerecording Mixers
(HBO)
Michael Olman CAS Kenneth Kobett CAS
Rerecording Mixers Sergio Reyes Tim Borquez CAS Kevin Burns CAS
Production Mixer
ards
William Gocke CAS
Production Mixer
Stephen Halbert CAS
nominees
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outstanding achievement in sound mixing for 2006
outstanding achievement in sound mixing for 2006
television non-fiction, variety, music series or specials Deadliest Catch “Cashing In” (Discovery)
Rerecording Mixer Bob Bronow CAS
DVD original programming
NOVA
(PBS/WGBH)
Susan Hartford
Ken Hahn CAS Jay David Saks
Location Sound Mixers David Hewitt CAS Bill King
Into the Firestorm
Rerecording Mixers
Rerecording Mixers
Production Mixer Tim Richardson
Scott Harber CAS Doug Dunderdale Chris Strollo
(PBS)
Rerecording Mixers
Brother Bear 2
Samuel Lehmer Brad Hillman
Rerecording Mixer Production Mixers
Great Performances: South Pacific in Concert From Carnegie Hall
Air Buddies
(Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
“The Great Robot Race”
Paul McCartney: The Space Within Us (A&E)
Rerecording Mixer
David Kahne
Original Dialogue Recording Doc Kane CAS
Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
Rerecording Mixers
Rerecording Mixer
(Universal)
Mark Rozett CAS Kelly Vandever CAS Robert F. Scherer
Music Mixer
Terry O’Bright CAS Keith Rogers CAS
American Pie 5: The Naked Mile
Production Mixer
Matt Foglia CAS
(Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
(Lion’s Gate)
Mike Draghi CAS
Original Dialogue Recording Eric Lewis
Bring It On: All or Nothing
“Going South”
(Universal)
(Discovery)
Rerecording Mixers
Rerecording Mixer
Mark Rozett CAS Kelly Vandever CAS
Bob Bronow CAS
Production Mixers David Kirschner Glenn Berkovitz CAS
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Myron Nettinga
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Edward J. Greene, CAS The CAS Career Achievement Award Recipient
E
Ed Greene is the first television mixer to be honored with the Cinema Audio Society Career Achievement Award. Greene is a recording engineer, production mixer, and rerecording mixer. He’s done it all! With 19 Emmy Awards, more than 40 Emmy nominations, and a CAS Award for Outstanding Mixing for Television, his list of credits is astounding! They include musical variety specials like Barbra Streisand: The Concert, Great Performances: Dance in America and Frank Sinatra’s The Main Event. He is adept at mixing live television events as diverse as The Academy Awards and Failsafe, Live From Lincoln Center and The Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Olympics. Whether it’s drama, comedy or music, Greene is the mixer of choice for many producers. Fred Tator, CAS caught up with Greene during a brief break in his hectic schedule. They met at Greene’s home studio in the San Fernando Valley. Let’s start at the beginning. When did you decide to get into sound? That’s a good question. I guess it was during my junior year in high school. I went to someone’s room at school and heard a good (mono) sound system for the first time. It sounded just marvelous and it struck me; how do you do that? And from that I developed an interest in sound systems. For college, I elected to study engineering and was accepted to a very fine engineering college, RPI in Troy, New York. When I got there and explained that I was particularly interested in audio, they just looked at me and explained that they were a serious engineering school and (at that time) audio was not considered serious engineering. They had two AM radio stations on campus. One was WHAZ, the second-oldest station in the country after KDKA, and the other was a carrier current station, WRPI. WRPI was in the process of rebuilding their studios, including building their own console. I hung around a lot and learned basic audio console layout and design from some really talented students along with what it takes to build a station from scratch. This was the early ’50s, so we’re talking tube technology. By that time I had heard the beginnings of stereo and found it really exciting. Now WHAZ did a live chamber music concert every Monday night, soooo I proposed doing it stereo with one channel on WHAZ and the other on WRPI. To make it tolerable for the mono listener, I suggested using crossed cardioids
(commonly called XY stereo) where the mikes are both at the same position but at 90 degrees to each other. Listening on two AM radios that were similar gave you stereo, not perfect, but stereo nonetheless. This was in 1952. I started recording stereo using an old Magnecorder by using two staggered track heads, each with separate electronics. As long as you played the tapes back on the same machine, the phasing effects (gap scatter) were tolerable. The school, however, found my grades intolerable and I left, eventually lucking into a summer job in a New York demo studio. Was that Allegro Studio? That was Allegro Studio at 51st and Broadway. If you go to New York today, there is a jazz club called the Iridium that, I believe, extends into where that studio used to be. On Monday nights Les Paul, who started us in multi-track recording, plays at the club. He is at least 90 and I heartily recommend a great evening of music and stories. I started doing piano and voice publisher’s demos, cutting 78 RPM lacquers, building tube circuits and learning the recording studio business. The owner let me come in on weekends. Once I took apart one of their AMPEX 350 recorders to the nuts and bolts and put it all back together, doing both the mechanical and electronic alignments (with only a few parts left over). That’s how I learned how a recorder works. You’re a recording engineer, production mixer as well as a post mixer. Does that give you an advantage? Sure. I’ve always been interested in quality sound. C A S Q U A R T E R LY
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Understanding the requirements of each really helps me in delivering a good product. After two years at Allegro, I faced the draft. Through a series of bizarre circumstances (and luck) I ended up in the military as recording engineer for the U.S. Army Band and Chorus in Washington, D.C., officially a member of the U.S. Army Chorus (don’t ever ask me to sing). It was a great experience and opportunity to record all types of bands, string orchestras and, of course, the Chorus. After the service, I stayed in Washington, D.C., for about 12 years, operating my own recording studios (Edgewood Studios). To survive in a small recording market, we had to do all kinds of work; typically radio spots in the morning, small rock and roll bands in the afternoon, and classical concerts and/or jazz groups at night. We also produced record albums for schools, associations, the government, etc. With all that, I felt about six months out of the recording main stream. When a client, Val Valentin of MGM Records, invited me to come to California to help put together a new recording studio for the label, I decided to make the move. Val was one of the great recording engineers in the business, responsible for many, many fine jazz albums for the Verve label along with some of the best Sinatra recordings for Capitol Records along with other artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Nat Cole, Louis Armstrong, etc, etc. Recording in California was a real eye (and ear) opener. I felt I had to learn all over again. There were really, really great record mixers all over the place, Val, his brother Ralph, Bill Putman, Wally Heider, Bruce Swedien, Lee
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Hirshberg, Ami Hadani and many, many, many more. It was a humbling experience. But, I was determined to survive or at least try my best. After a few years recording many artists at MGM Recording Studio, with more than 40 chart singles and albums to our credit, Val moved to Mexico City to build his own studio. About that time I realized that the studio needed a major investment to stay a viable business. Many of the artists I was recording started doing TV shows and invited me to represent them at their appearances. Again, through a bizarre set of circumstances and luck, I was asked to mix a television show for an artist whose album I mixed. Television was, again, like learning all over again. It was, however, exciting and challenging. I always felt that some of the best recordings an artist can make are in front of an audience, preferably their audience. So, I drifted over into television, the studio was (wisely) sold, becoming Cherokee Studios and I became a freelance television mixer. What I found was that few television engineers knew much about recording music and almost no music engineers knew anything about television production. I became interested in post production when a few shows fell into the wrong hands and sounded badly on the air. I’m afraid this has been a long-winded answer to your original question, but once I better understood the post process, I had a better idea how to make a proper production mix for VT editing and post audio.
How many times in your career, have you said, “What happened to my mix?” My guess is it’s also true for many people in this organization. For me, in television, most of the problems are presently in transmission and/or local broadcast. We now have to mix for possible play in many different formats and mediums. Because of major changes in technology, we are also in the midst of a revolution in transmission and marketing often engineered by people only driven by dollars, not quality. Last year at a Board meeting, I offered to help put together a CAS forum with representatives from broadcasters, cable companies, etc. to discuss mutual problems relating to audio so that we may have a better understanding of each other’s issues. The bad news is that I’ve been too busy. The good news is that the technology is changing so rapidly that any time will be a good time. This dialogue could potentially make some real progress in a mutual understanding some of these issues. Do you adjust the way you mix to the way a show plays on the air? During a live show we are lucky to have a usable net return. If the show is in the East, there may be an opportunity to listen off air, through an affiliate with often a five- or 10-second delay. Even with both of the above, the best source may be a group called the AVS forum. This is a bunch of TV geeks, online, often commenting on both picture and sound during
a live program, from all over the country. I believe anyone can guest on their website and at least read their comments. This, combined with really good and persistent transmission engineering people on site, can provide a reasonable idea of how it’s all going. Based on that information, I may make adjustments that seem prudent in any of the audio parameters of a show. Many years ago a colleague made a line drawing of what happens to audio from source to listener. It’s a miracle, sometimes, that anything gets through at all. There is an old saying that “A good mix is a good mix, is a good mix,” meaning that a proper mix will survive almost anything. Unfortunately, it seems that there are people in our business that take that as a challenge. Again the transmission landscape is changing radically and I believe that we individually and collectively need to communicate any problems to clients, producers and broadcasters. There is a more recent saying, “The better it looks, the better it sounds and the better it sounds, the better it looks,” I believe that. Of stereo, surround, 5.1, mono—which has a chance or airing best? Again it’s up to the individual carrier, affiliate, cable system, etc. My experience is that the Hi Def channels sound better because the carriers often just leave them alone or they have better (often simpler) transmission paths. As you know, I always protect (and listen to) the mono signal. High-profile programs
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that are heard overseas sometimes have audiences larger than in America, listening for the most part in mono. Any of these various audio chains are only as good as their weakest link. What is your monitor level in the truck? Gosh, you’ll have to ask the people that sit with me. My best guess is that it is pretty reasonable, around 75-80 DB SPL. I will set up a program during rehearsal at 80-85 DB SPL, often in stereo or 5.1 but listen at a lower level on air, mostly in mono. People in the back of the booth say they have measured the SPL in the 60s. Remember, I also have to listen to the director/stage manager/audio PL’s to keep track of the program. You’re always willing to try new equipment. Absolutely! I not only try new equipment, but push the envelope. I take risks but I try to take prudent risks.
Obviously, you become familiar with the equipment before putting it online. Usually. [laughs] The challenge is to recognize what is a piece of new, useful equipment and what isn’t. Still the best sounding programs make the shortest audio route. What different kinds of preparations are involved in award shows, dramas, variety shows, etc.? For instance, shows like Failsafe or The Academy Awards. What is the difference in preparation? Well, every show is different. You just have to quantify what the situations are, acoustically, electronically and in terms of the flow of the mix. And see if you can do it in one desk, or does somebody have to help you with it; which happens. You often work out of your home. Tell us what kind of gear you have.
I now have three of the original digital Mackie desks. I have two in the studio. I always liked them because they sound so good. I also use them a lot on the air. In a sense they’re kind of Tinkertoys. But I love great sounding equipment. And I don’t care if it’s the most expensive or the least expensive. I find them ergonomically very easy to use. I’m sure that there are other great desks that are also relatively inexpensive. I have a small Pro Tools system that I plan to expand. Anyway, that’s pretty much it. This project I’m doing now is 88 tracks wide and I can do 96 track mixes here. What types of projects are you doing at home? A number of projects. I do The Kennedy Center Honors here, which I’ve done for years and years. I’m just finishing The United Negro College Fund Telethon which I’ve done for a number of years. I did a Willie Nelson concert in 5.1 with a whole bunch of different people. What would you say to people who say that TV sound isn’t quality sound? I think one of the objectives of the CAS should be to sensitize producers and people to how important sound is to a project in its proper perspective. There was a study some years ago where they took an audience and put them in a room with a television set and a sound system and they slowly took away the picture. Down to snow. A little bit of grainy picture and they stayed with the show. Then they did the same thing but took the sound away and everybody left and complained. They say that sound without picture is radio and picture without sound is surveillance. I just do color radio. You’ve worked with so many great performers. Who are your favorites? I don’t want to get into that. You know what? I love young performers. New performers. You know, they’re working just like we are and they’re working hard.
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Which young performers come to mind? You know, I did American Idol this year. There are some good singers and performers on that show. I’m doing a show now with Don Mischer. It’s a television adaptation of a radio show called From the Top. These are young classical musicians. They knock your socks off. They’re absolutely wonderful. Just terrific. When will we see that? It’s on PBS starting in the spring. It’s wonderful stuff. And I did The 100th Anniversary of the Juilliard School of Music, a live show for PBS. These young orchestras will just knock your socks off. I spent some time some years ago at the Eastman School. If I had my schooling to do again, you know, I’d probably want to go there. Do you still teach your course there? It’s been some time. They dropped that program. But if I had my schooling to do again, I’d probably want to study music. I’d like to know more about music. Counting your Army and early studio experiences plus The Kennedy Center Honors, A Christmas in Washington and other shows from Washington, D.C., how many times have you been to the White House? Our studio was three blocks from the White House. I spent time there particularly during the Johnson administration. I got a call one day, saying that they were having an audio problem with
Peter, Paul and Mary. So I went down and sorted that out. I spent a lot of time there when I was in Washington. I was down there three or four times a week. The last project I did there at that time was very interesting. President Nixon threw a big bash for Duke Ellington. A fellow named Willis Conover who was the jazz voice of the Voice of America asked me to come and do this project which was the first time the press was allowed in the East Room. Anyway, it was a great project. I’ve been back many times since, during Bush one, and several PBS shows there with the Reagans. Can you watch a show without listening critically? I try to. Not always successfully, but I try to. I appreciate it when it sounds good. It’s also nice to have it in sync. Of your 19 Emmys, do you have one that you’re especially proud of? To be honest, it’s the odd ones. There are a couple that I am proud of. Yes, one of the recent ones, a live drama, The West Wing Live, The Debate Show. Also The 100th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall. I was particularly happy about those because they were in a different area. One was classical music and the other was drama. Also there was the reopening of the Apollo, a three-hour show. That was really nice. That was a nice program. Now, are there any mixes you wish you could get back? [laughs] Of course. Absolutely. If you’d like, I’d be happy to put
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together a small reel of my disasters. Maybe it won’t be so small. Yeah. Sure, of course. And the thing is when you’re doing a live show, the biggest problem is if you make some real blunder in the first 20 minutes of a three-hour show. Can you put it behind you and move on? Yeah, you have to. You absolutely have to. You have plenty of time later on to kick yourself. But you have to and that’s hard. It’s really hard to do. Oh, gosh, I made a big mistake. You’ve given breaks to many guys in this business, myself included. And you’ve been generous sharing your knowledge. It’s because other people have shared their knowledge with me. Who did you look to for insight? I admire anybody that sits down at a desk and decides to take one of these things on. Doug Nelson is another guy, terrific. Great mixer. Gosh, it’s just about everybody I know. I really enjoy and I try and learn from. I mean every time you go into a project, the minute you say, “Oh gosh, I know everything,” I don’t think you know anything. So I try to go into it with a fresh and open mind and with the idea that at some point as you’re going down this road at 90 miles an hour, you may have to make a sharp right turn or a left turn to fix a problem. If you were teaching, what advice would you give your class? First, do a lot of listening. Get yourself grounded in what you think is good and what you don’t think is good. Things like that. Get a mental picture of what something should sound like and then apply the techniques and the electronics to get there. And plan it well. And if you’re dealing with a live situation where time counts, not necessarily a live broadcast, but a concert situation, be fairly confident in what you choose and that what you choose is working well. And if you’re dealing with a crew, find the best people you can find and let them do their job. That doesn’t say you aren’t guiding the project, but find the best people you can find that you can communicate with and let them to their job. And boy, I tell you there’s nothing better. What’s the deal with taking our shoes off at work? [laughs] I listen through my feet. Next. [laughs] Thank you, Greene. Congratulations on your CAS Career Achievement Award. Here’s to many more years of hearing your great mixes. •
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Gilbert Cates to Receive the
CAS Filmmaker Award at the
43rd Annual CAS Awards Three Bears; Hobson’s Choice, Burning Rage, Consenting Adults, Fatal Judgment, Do You Know the Muffin Man, Call Me Anna, Absolute Strangers, In My Daughter’s Name, and Tom Clancy’s Netforce. He directed James Agee’s “A Death in the Family,” for Masterpiece Theatre’s American Collection on PBS. Gil Cates also holds the distinction of producing 13 Oscar Award telecasts. He is a former two-term president of the Directors Guild of America (1983–1987). In 1989, he received the Guild’s Robert B. Aldrich Award for extraordinary service and in 1991, he received the DGA’s Honorary Life Membership. Cates was Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (which he founded) from 1990 to 1998. He has served as a member of the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. •
G
Gilbert Cates to receive the CAS Filmmaker Award at the 43rd Annual CAS Awards on February 17, 2007, at the Biltmore Bowl of the Millennium-Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Gil Cates is the second recipient of the CAS Filmmaker Award, which was bestowed to Quentin Tarantino in 2006. Cates, who is currently the Producing Director of the Geffen Playhouse, is recognized as a leader in television, film and theater with some 30 credits as a producer and director of cinema and television. Mr. Cates produced and directed the 1970 film version of the Broadway hit I Never Sang for My Father, starring Melvyn Douglas, Gene Hackman and Estelle Parsons. The movie earned three Academy Award nominations. He also directed Joanne Woodward and Sylvia Sidney in the 1973 film Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, which received two Oscar nominations. Other film directing credits include: The Promise, One Summer Love, The Last Married Couple in America, Oh! God Book II and Backfire. Mr. Cates further distinguished himself as director and/or producer of a number of television dramatic specials. These include NBC’s 1972 Emmy Award–winning To All My Friends on Shore, starring Bill Cosby; ABC’s 1974 The Affair starring Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner; NBC’s 1975 After the Fall starring Faye Dunaway and Christopher Plummer. Other credits include: Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye, The Kid From Nowhere, County Gold, Faerie Tale Theatre’s Rapunzel and Goldilocks and the C A S Q U A R T E R LY
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D
by Aletha Rodgers, CAS
Described as a land of dichotomies and contrasts, James Machowski, CAS said his 11 weeks in India on the film, First Fear, ranged from feeling like he was on a
number at the exact time of the beginning of each take?’ I said, ‘No, unfortunately, I can’t!’ I did have a rough TC note at the start of each take. They never got the hang of it and ended up doing only the film processing, and the editors synced it up in paid vacation to downright frustration. “I the Avid. This is the forerunning, preeminent state could see the challenges and troubles the of the art facility in India, and they can’t do sync producers were having such as, timelines sound, yet.” not being met, the passiveness which leads The Indian technicians are good at what they to simply not doing things, some local do Machowski said, so it’s just going to require production issues involving work stopsome new learning curves. “Mostly, the crew and pages and transportation vehicles not ADs had not done sync sound before. They don’t arriving for various reasons, but I could do sync sound in India because they have so barely do anything to help. We worked in The sound cart made by the Indian many different languages; they dub the sound in the south of India. The production was team at Ramoji Film City those languages later for a more mass-market based in Chennai, but our shooting took appeal. For the first few days of shooting, the workers didn’t us to Ramoji Film City near Hyderabad, and later to the beachrealize they had to stop banging and talking, but they got into es of Goa.” the sync sound mentality pretty quickly.” After arriving at Ramoji Film City, Machowski said the proKnowing it was a two-man crew, Machowski said he kept his duction was delayed a week and a half. “I was just sitting there equipment straightforward. “I took the Fostex PD-4, the flash on the clock. I thought, ‘I’m on a paid vacation in the middle of card Fostex FR2, and my CD burner, where I burned CDs every India! This is not right on so many levels!’” During that time day. The DAT was main and the CD was backup. I had my he said he baby-sat the completion of his sound cart, described 1604-VLZ Mackie and for micing I used mainly the as a clever simple design by the Art Department. “I had sent Sennheiser 416, and AKG’s for shorty mics, along with specs and descriptions for a sound cart to be built, but when I Lectrosonics 211’s with Sankens and Trams. I used my Sound arrived it wasn’t quite ready. It came down to the wheels and Devices 442—I love that little mixer—when we were at Goa they just had four-inch casters, which would be fine for the because I was off the cart, schlepping to the beaches and up and stages as long as we weren’t running over cables!” down the jungle-like terrain.” Machowski said he also spent those 10 days running a sync His boom operator was Noah Liebelt from Los Angeles and sound test with DAT tape, burned CD, and Super 35mm film, Machowski said, “Noah got to double for the main actor in which was sent to Telecine at Ramoji Film City. “Ramoji has a some scenes. What an opportunity! He grew up with horses, so Kodak Certified film lab and Dolby Certified mixing stages, the he did the big opening scene where he’s galloping down the beautiful Symphony Stages, but no one could figure out how to beach on a horse. Here we are in the middle of India... It seemed do Telecine. They thought they had the capabilities but within 12 like something that could only happen here.” hours I got a note asking, ‘Can you please give me the time-code Machowski said he met with Paul Nicholas who wrote, directed and produced the psychological thriller, First Fear, in Los Angeles a few months before leaving for India. He said, “I don’t want to do any ADR or looping.” I told him, “I’ll just stick with good basics and we’ll get you the gravy you need too, because I am very methodical and straightforward about it, and Noah and I are a very efficient duo.” I let him know that he wouldn’t have to worry, and indeed he didn’t. I think he may have 100 percent
Filming in India: A Study in Contrasts
“Outdoors were sometimes keeper movie sound on his hands tough because occasionally they did because I gave him all the elements to big beautiful masters with limited marry together later to build the coverage or there was some backscenes, making it as easy as possible ground noise. When we shot the for post. scenes outdoors in Goa, for exam“Some strategies included putting ple, we used a lot of lavs for prisound effects, ambiences, off-screens, mary. Getting whatever gravy-track and things of this nature live on track we could was really important so it two; of course the dialog, sometimes could blend together in post easily. split-track lavs, or boom on Channel Ever-present onlookers. “I didn’t know what to expect,” 1 and lav mix on Channel 2, for a Machowski said, “but this was rather straightjust-in-case track; or catch some wild lines, forward from a sound perspective. Machowski on the spot, in the same ambience for gravy, said the workdays were “a breeze with 12-hour if I felt there might be any question; along days. Normally the crews around India do with copious notes. As the dialog was often eight-hour workdays, so they made special not extremely extensive or long, if he needarrangements to do 12.” ed to, Paul could nip and tuck some wilds “First Fear was a big CG movie with quite a bit later; at least the ambient sound and perof green screen and a lot of animation. It was a formance would be consistent. I just tried joint production with 4K Animation of to keep in mind that on an international London/Berlin, who is setting out to do a slew indie film, it might not be easy to get direcof features. 4K made a deal with Nipuna, a tor and actors together later for ADR, so I Boom operator Noah Liebelt, makeup high-tech/call center company in Chennai, to came at it from this approach.” Autum Butler, coordinator Jonaki Biswas, set up animation facilities there and produce India is a noisy place, which is another production mixer James Machowski, CAS. the animation and graphics for First Fear, with reason they haven’t gravitated toward sync plans to do animation for their future projects. Bottom line, as I sound, Machowski said. “For the most part, we weren’t affected figured it, once they get the young animators up to speed, the by this because the first two months we filmed at Ramoji Film cost savings will be MANY-fold.” City. We were on this Island Oasis of Ramoji.” Complete with On the use of power and AC plugs, Machowski said he had bell and light system, and a full catering facility with “a great some good communication prior to leaving Los Angeles with a spread of food three times a day where I got familiar with all the tip of the hat to Mr. Paul Marshall, CAS. “I found out India has Indian spices.” Machowski added, “It is the largest film studio 220 on two different types of plugs, depending on north or in the world, with mile after mile of beautiful terrain and buildsouth India. The one we used in the south is actually a South ings. It’s quiet there and the sets were beautiful. Rajeevan and African equivalent. My friends at Electronic City were great Purushotuman, the production designer and art director, were about hooking me up with those and a 1,000 watt transformer, great. They designed the biggest and most beautiful sets I’d ever so I was able to use my regular stinger which plugged perfectly seen—often their workers made them from coconut husks and into the big transformer. I just put the adaptor onto the end of fiberglass! The production also took advantage of some of the my AC plug, and a simple cube-tap on the cart end, where I great Indian architecture, such as the palaces at Ramoji.” plugged in other power supplies and such that were dual-voltWork on the cart sounded like an endless project as age. All the 12-volt pieces on my cart, the Lectrosonics, PD-4, Machowski said he spent the first month dashing around town FR-2, and so on, were powered by my Astron 12-volt power to bicycle shops getting wheels. “Then it was a debacle to get supply, which is conveniently switchable between 115 and 230 the Ramoji Film City welder to come back and weld some volts. I ended up using the transformed 110 to power only my frames to put these wheels on. After a month and a half, I finalMackie board and cart light.” ly got them to weld it, and as I took it out on the first roll, it Even with all the problems he encountered, Machowski said crashed down like a dead car on the side of the road. It’s all so he would go back to India. “I have planted a few seeds to get haphazard there. The workers are in bare feet or flip-flops. I work there in 2007. There are a lot of sharp young Indian filmlooked at the welding machine as they were putting on the new makers who worked on First Fear, many of them starting out as wheels and one of the leads was hanging off, so they just draped junior ADs. The junior ADs are what we would call PAs, only it over the bolt, and there was smoke coming off the loose conthey had some clipboard duties! They are the new generation nection! It’s amazing to see, because the electricians just stick who are right onboard with the new sync sound evolution. I raw wires into electrical receptacles. That’s what they do there, believe India is a great untapped market, so I’m willing to give whether it’s lights or whatever power tools they have. Finally, a it a go again.” Machowski added, “Besides, where else but Goa few weeks before we wrapped, I had a good rolling cart. It was can you rent a private Coco hut right on the beach for seven metal tube rail with wooden shelves and drawers, and it got me bucks a day!”• where I needed to go. C A S Q U A R T E R LY
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the
CAS by Peter Damski, CAS
visits Warner Bros.
O
On November 8, 2006, members of the Cinema Audio Society were invited to tour the newest dub stages at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. The 52,000-square-foot mission-style post production building includes two feature rerecording stages, an ADR stage, 12 sound editorial/design suites and 12 DVD audio mastering suites, all featuring Pro Tools HD. The new rerecording stages, Dub 9 and Dub 10 were opened on January 6, 2006, and CAS President Richard Lightstone and Kim Waugh, CAS, Warner Bros. Senior Vice President of Post Production Services, had been trying to schedule this visit for about six months as part of the activities which the CAS provides to its membership.
The attendance was relatively small, about 25 people, but those that showed up were treated to a first-class tour of the new facilities. Attendees were greeted in the lobby by Kim Waugh, CAS and Bob Beresh, Warner Bros. Post Production Client Services. They directed us to a beautiful spread of refreshments in the “La Cantina” room upstairs which included snacks and beverages. Once it was determined that the full complement of attendees had arrived, we were escorted back downstairs to begin the tour. The first stop of the tour was the machine room which supports both Dub Stage 9 and 10 and is located between the stages. The machine room was filled with several racks of Pro Tools HD and several computer workstations which give operators access to routing and maintenance in support of the stages. This room was well designed and really clean. There was no apparent analogue equipment and no visible patch bays as all of the audio is routed via fiber optic cable or Ethernet ties to the servers which are used to interface the audio between the machine room and the dub stages. The machine room is also networked to the many edit bays which are set up in support of, and in proximity to, the dub stages. Plans are in place to have a fiber network that will allow linking any of the dub stages on the lot. This will make it possible to share projects between any of the stages. Both stages 9 and 10 are mirror images of one another. Our next stop was to visit Dub Stage 10. The first thing I noticed when walking in to the 50 feet wide by 64.5 feet long by 28 feet high dub stage is the lack of the “counter” behind the mixing position which usually separates the client from the mixers. This makes for an open feeling to the room which also allows the client to feel more like they are included in the process. The second thing I noticed was the “Dry” acoustics of the stage. I could clearly hear and understand a quiet conversation that was taking place 25 feet away. The stages were designed by architects HLW International and acousticians Charles Salter and David Schwind, in cooperation with Bob Budd, Norm Barnett and Kevin Collier at Warner Bros. One of the things I found interesting was that the monitors were selected in such a way as to minimize the amount of equalization needed to flatten the frequency response on the stage. The top end is transmitted through JBL horn tweeters, the mid’s through drivers built by Community and the subs through a system built by McCauley. The surrounds are two-way JBL speakers. The console is an AMS/Neve DFC Gemini with three mixing positions. On either side of the Gemini console are three workstations, sound editor’s work on the left side and sound designers’ work on the right side. The mixing panel is capable of up to 1,000 channel paths at 24 bit 96k resolution. After we were introduced to the room, we were treated to a screening of Reel 6 of Clint Eastwood’s feature film Flags of Our Fathers, which was mixed on this stage by John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Dave Campbell who were all in attendance (BTW, they volunteered their time for this). What a treat it was. The clarity of all of the elements was outstanding. I could clearly hear the dialogue and music and each rifle-shell casing drop while large explosions were in going off throughout the sequence. The image on the 35 foot by 15.5 foot screen was clean and crisp,
projected by a Christy 2k digital projector. Under the screen are eight 30-inch video monitors which display a fantastic set of proprietary VU meters which were designed by Jim Deas and the Warner Bros. Post Production Services Engineering Department. Included in the meter is a flashing red circle indicating peak levels. With some clients, the red indicator is replaced by the clients’ logo, a very cute touch. A brief discussion about the room ensued
and then the tour continued with a visit to the client support facilities attached to the stage. There are two doors at the rear of the stage which lead to the client-support area. There is a full-sized kitchen, six sound-isolated edit bays and a client office which has its own bathroom and shower. There is also a beautiful covered patio with a fountain and fireplace for use by the client. The furnishings are first class with Eames chairs and a comfy sofa as well as a desk and computer for Internet access. Each office also has a large plasma display for viewing DVDs and satellite TV. The big advantage of this support space is that the client can carry out many tasks which include conversations on the phone or meetings which would be a distraction on the stage. The client can help get a reel started and then retreat to the support area while the mixers do their thing. Once the reel is completed, the client is just a few steps away to join them and screen the reel. This was the last stop on our tour. The tour lasted about two hours and was informative and entertaining. Thanks go out to Kim Waugh, CAS and the staff at Warner Bros. Post Production Services for making this event available to the CAS members and for taking such good care of us while in attendance. Without the support of sponsors, like Warner Bros., the CAS would not be able to continue its presence, progress and growth throughout the entertainment industry. • C A S Q U A R T E R LY
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So a priest, a rabbi, an imam and the Dalai Lama walk into a bar ... and we are shooting it in Jerusalem, the Vatican, London, Amsterdam and all the religious hot spots in the U.S. Scott Harber CAS mixes this project that revolves around Bill Maher where we have Larry Charles directing and the rest of the Borat technical crew playing along. Great indignant fun. Also working second unit on Desperate Housewives, The Nine, and Close to Home. Throw in a Kanye West–based pilot for HBO and a few weeks of Hitachi ads for HKM to boot. I’m a lucky and blessed man.
Carrie Giunta CAS is currently at Twickenham Studios as foley editor on a horror film called Deaths of Ian, by Italian director Dario Piana. In August 2006, she completed an MA course in post production sound design at Bournemouth University. Her final MA project focused on sound design of films set in deserts.
Geoffrey Patterson CAS here. I have finished Deadwood, and I am now working on the new HBO series John From Cincinnati.
Erik Magnus CAS has recently completed production sound mixing jobs on Comedians of Comedy: Live at the Troubadour, a comedy special and Dream Boy, a feature film. Robert Anderson CAS is enjoying the Polynesian praise on the set of Lost Season 3, in Hawaii. Philip Perkins CAS has been postmixing four episodes of the National Geographic HD channel series Undercover History.
Paul Marshall CAS is working on a top secret, to be announced later project in between a slew of commercials for Verizon, KFC, Burger King, and Colgate with Brooke Shields.
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Steven Grothe CAS is finishing up his second season on the hit TV show Bones with the new addition of Todd Russell on boom and his life partner Greg Gardner as ulility. The season went great but we’re looking forward to a relaxing break.
Thomas Brandau CAS with James Eric (boom), Jeremy Brill, and Mike Fredriksz on The Nine for Warner Bros./ABC Television. It’s been 20plus weeks downtown with 13 principals; most definitely in the Done That column.
Jeff Wexler CAS writes: I’m still shooting Rush Hour 3 with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan; The film started in September 2006 in Paris, France, and will probably finish up in Los Angeles in March 2007 (then maybe back to Paris?). I’m working, as always, with Don Coufal (we’ve worked together now for 30 years!) and Robert Maxfield as our 2nd Boom/Utility person. Great crew. Frank Morrone CAS and Scott Weber are mixing Lost and loving the ICON console Disney installed last June.
John Rodda CAS adds: I’m shooting in Prague for the next three months on a Twentieth Century Fox picture called Babylon AD starring Vin Diesel. We’ll be the first to film on Europe’s largest sound stage—just finished at Barrandov Studios. Gavin Fernandes CAS has been busy through the fall finishing the UK–Canadian feature Puffball with notorious British director Nick Roeg. Early 2007 is looking great with several features including IMAX Dinosaurs and Les Trois Petits Cochons. Phillip W. Palmer CAS is mixing the series Jericho for CBS/Paramount Network Television. Mike Piotrowski is boom operator and Jeff Zimmerman is utility.
The southeast enjoyed a great 2006 and is carrying over that success into the new year. South Carolina saw the completion of six projects the last two quarters of ’06 including five features: Death Sentence, Asylum, Who’s Your Caddy, Patriotville, and The Strangers, as well as one pilot, Army Wives. Jonathan Gaynor CAS, Carl Rudisell CAS and myself, Jeffree Bloomer CAS, covered the mixing duties for these projects. The first quarter of 2007 will see George Clooney begin his Leatherheads, welcoming Ed Tise to the sunny Carolinas. Also very happy to report Army Wives was picked up, and Jonathan Gaynor will be taking the reigns in Charleston for their first season. Wilmington continues to plug away with One Tree Hill picking up the back nine of Season 3, as Mike Rayle continues his success since taking over for Jeffree Bloomer a couple episodes into Season 3. Three other features opened their doors in Wilmington, Bolden, A Walk in the Woods, and Cabin Fever II. I am booked on CF II, and on hold for another beginning in February, while Carl Rudisell and, welcoming back Larry Long from a long stint in New Mexico, look to fill the sound mixing needs on the other features. Again, I thank all the sound crews that help us mixers do our jobs, and God bless all my CAS friends with a healthy and prosperous 2007!
Steve Weiss CAS mixed Sleeper Cell for Showtime and the road-race feature Redline and after some day play will sit behind the Yamaha O1V96 on Fox road-race series Drive with Ronald Wright on boom and Dennis Carlin handling utility chores. ’06 was good; hoping ’07 will be a good year for all!!!
G. John Garrett CAS writes: I had a good year and a fun fall doing additional unit mixing on the [now dead] TV series Waterfront, and was the sound factotum on Disney’s Game Plan, filling in as mixer, playback,
boom and utility for several days! I’m currently developing a live-music series for television. Hello and happy 2007 from Mark Weingarten CAS. 2006 was a busy year for us, finished Santa Clause III in January. Did a pilot for and then the first five shows of Big Day for ABC. Then onto the Untitled Allan Ball movie, and since then we have been working in New Orleans on David Fincher’s Benjamin Button. All shows were done with the same crew; Larry Commans as Boom Operator, Mark Fay as Utility. For the New Orleans portion of BB our Utility person is Aaron Zeller. When we return to L.A. on BB in March, Mr. Fay, who is currently in India booming the Wes Anderson film, will rejoin us. Hope 2007 will be a great year for all.
Leon Johnson CAS together with boom Stan Mak and assistant Don Baker, wrapped What If God Were the Sun? for Fox just before Christmas. Earlier in the year I mixed the features, The Stone Ange, for Buffalo Gat Pictures, with Kari Skogland directing and The Lookout for Spyglass Entertainment with Scott Frank directing. Stan, Don and I are currently on The Horsemen, a feature for Mandate Pictures, with Jonas Akerlund directing. 2006 saw some big changes, after over 30 of recording on a Nagra, the last nine on the Nagra D, I changed to the Aaton Cantar with great success and enthusiasm. John Pritchett CAS and team, Dave Roberts and Kelly Doran, just finished Dan in Real Life for Disney. Shot in picturesque Rhode Island, it’s the story of a parenting help columnist who’s raising three teenage daughters … badly. Starring Steve Carell (The 40 Year Old Virgin) and Juliette Binoche (Chocolat) and a cast of thousands, 21 really, this is the second outing for director Peter Hedges (Pieces of April) and promises to be a very “human” comedy due out next summer. John and team are starting Walk Hard, The Dewey Cox Story for Jake Kasdan and Columbia in February in Los Angeles. Mark Ulano CAS adds: We are still 28
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working on Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse/Deathproof project till the end of January. We then go right into prep for Marvel’s Ironman, which will shoot here in the L.A. area until middle summer. My crew is Tom Hartig, the Garth Hudson of boom operators, and Rocky Quiroz, gentle soul with nerves of steel. We are currently working on a massive, eight-weeklong-car-chase sequence. Just on the New Zealand recce’s (tech scout) for Prince Caspian. We shoot here for five weeks and then shift to the CZ Republic for the remainder. I am using two different crews for the different countries, a bit nerve wracking but maybe a sign of the times. I hope CAS members have a great and prosperous new year. –Tony Johnson CAS I am now filming a Filipino feature Foster. It’s about orphans, getting so attached to foster parents and complications with the government child-welfare office. It has a 10-day shooting schedule and if plans push through, will be joining international festivals. My boom op is Ric de Jesus and recordist is Jojo Jacinto. I’ll also be doing final mix in DOLBY DIGITAL ES. –Emmanuel Clemente CAS
Brett Grant-Grierson CAS, and boom operators Kevin McClellan and Gary Boatner are mixing it up on NBC’s third season of Medium. Whit Norris CAS writes: Last year was very busy with Kat Craig on boom for Fanboys and also a pilot for NBC In Plain Sight in New Mexico. Jose Sanchez and Doug Hill joined him for One Missed Call in Atlanta. Then finished the year with Tyler Perry’s sitcom Meet the Browns. Doug Cameron is teamed up with him for Smother and Wendy Raymond is utility this January and February in L.A.
Steven A. Morrow C.A.S. is heading back to Portland, Oreg., for his second feature in that city, called Untraceable; the first being The Feast of Love. He keeps the same crew for both, Gail Carroll-Coe, boom. Rich Bullock, utility sound. And from Sony Studios: Kevin O’Connell and Greg Russell CAS are preparing to pre-dub Spider Man 3 in the Cary Grant Theatre for director Sam Raimi. Gary Bourgeois CAS and Greg Orloff CAS are finalizing Ghost Rider in the William Holden for screenwriter and director, Mark Steven Johnson. In the Burt
Lancaster Theatre, Tateum Kohut CAS and Beau Borders are temping Eric Valette’s One Missed Call. On Dub Stage 6, Rusty Smith CAS and Bill Freesh are mixing HBO’s Rome Season 2 as well as The Simpsons. Nello Torri CAS and Gary Alexander are working on Bones, Las Vegas and Big Day on Dub Stage 12. On Dub Stage 17, Wayne Heitman and John Boyd are mixing Medium. Jon Wakeham and Alan Decker CAS are mixing Close to Home on Dub Stage 11. Also on Dub Stage 11, Mark Linden and Alan Decker are mixing Justice. Eric Batut CAS adds: I will be mixing Passenger, directed by Rodrigo Garcia, produced by Mandate Pictures Inc. Boom operator will be Kelly Zombor and sound assistant will be Candice Todesco. Cheers. Happy New Year! Just finished Parasomnia, directed by William Malone with boom operators Aaron Grice and Rob Lowe for Rising Storm Productions. –Peter V. Meiselmann CAS
Terry O’Bright CAS and Keith Rogers CAS have formed Smart Move Sound and are mixing various film and TV projects at Widget Post’s new B Stage on “The Lot.”
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Bob Israel CAS along with Boom Operators Mat Dennis and Tom Caton, want to wish all of our Sound Department brothers and sisters a Very Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year!!
Gary D. Rogers CAS and Dan Hiland CAS are finishing off the second half of the sixth season of Smallville and the first season of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. During the Christmas hiatus they worked on a pilot called Side Order of Life and also a temp dub on P-2, a film for Summit Entertainment.
Paul James Zahnley CAS has a strong start to 2007 rerecording the National Geographic series How Things Work for Winton/Dupont Films and later in January mixing PBS’ American Experience’s “Summer of Love.” Paul also mixed the American Experience show “Jonestown: The Life and Death of the Peoples Temple” that also had a short theatrical run in the fall of 2006.
Steve Morantz CAS worked on two pilots: In Treatment for HBO and Giants of Radio. I also worked on numerous commercials. With me were Boom Operators Aaron Wallace, David Stark, and Mitch Cohn.
7-Series.
Simply the best audio out there.
[thinking inside the box]
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The Universal Studios Sound Department has been busy working on the following feature and television projects: In features, Chris Jenkins and Frank Montano finished mixing the Warner Bros. graphic novel epic 300 with director Zack Snyder on the Alfred Hitchcock Theater stage. They’ve since moved on to DreamWorks’ Norbit and upon completion will jump right into the Warner Bros. project August Rush for director Kirsten Sheridan. Stage 3 with Andy Koyama and Chris Carpenter are working on producer John Singleton’s Illegal Tender. Stage 6 is getting set to start work on Universal’s Evan Almighty starring Steve Carell.
On the Universal TV stages, Roberta Doyen and Robert Edmondson CAS are currently mixing Criminal Intent and Ghost Whisperer in Studio 1. Bill Nicholson and Tom Meloeny CAS are mixing Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order in Studio 2. In Studio 5, Gerry Lentz CAS and Richard Weingarten are mixing House, Crossing Jordan and the breakout hit series Heroes. Michael Olman CAS and Kenneth Kobett CAS have their plate full mixing Desperate Housewives, 24, and Battlestar Galactica in BluWave’s Studio B. With all of this, they still found time to mix Animal Planet’s Twisted Creatures. Our sitcom mixers in Studio A, John Cook and Peter Nusbaum, continue to mix various half single, multicam, and pilot projects including Scrubs and The Office.
Mack Melson CAS, mixing the NBC TV series Friday Night Lights in Austin, Tex. We have nine more episodes to shoot in 2007. While rerecording Doctor*ology, a hilarious documentary series about all of the different and mysterious medical disciplines out there, starring Leslie Nielsen, Roger Guerin CAS is making use of his brand-new toy, a left-handed MIDI nylon string guitar. Having spent too many years using a keyboard for Sound Effects, imagine a power-cord explosion, arpeggio rain and other inspired sounds. Nice watch too.
Carl Rudisill CAS had a busy fall mixing two projects: Hyde Park Entertainment’s Asylum and Who’s Your Caddy? with executive producer Queen Latifah in South Carolina along with Drew Ponder (Boom), Marshall McGee (Boom), and Jenny Elsinger (2nd Boom). In addition to handling the production sound for those films, Carl’s company, North Star Post and Sound, had been busy with ADR for the fourth season of One Tree Hill, as well as, the complete post production 5.1 audio for The List, White Men Can’t Dance and The Last Stand. Additionally, the company has provided ADR and voice-over needs for the following film and television series: Focus Features’ The Hitcher, Home of the Giants, Stargate SG-1, Cartoon Network, and Universal Network TV. North Star’s supervising sound editor and mixer is Alex Markowski. Best of luck to everyone this year!
Patrick Hanson CAS is mixing Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip with Srdjan Popovic on boom and Yervant Hagopian boom/ utility.
David M. Kelson CAS writes: I finished a comedy with Owen Wilson at Paramount. Also finished The Reaping with Hilary Swank at Warner Bros. Currently filming The Invasion with Nicole Kidman.
Dave Fluhr CAS and Myron Nettinga are finishing up Disney/Pixar’s Meet the Robinsons for their March 30 release. After finishing up The Guardian this summer, they went on to mix The Lookout (February) for director Scott Frank. • C A S Q U A R T E R LY
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Wayne L. Artman
Wayne L. Artman, born November 24, 1936, died November 9, 2006, following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was a rerecording mixer for hundreds of TV shows at Columbia (Gower Street) and Burbank Studios, and mixed 125 feature films at Warner Bros. A Celebration of Life memorial service was held at St. Michael’s by the Sea in Carlsbad, Calif., on November 18. His co-workers will remember Wayne for his many enjoyable years of exceptionally talented, faithful and dependable work.
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THE LIGHTER SIDE
Production meets post on Clerks II left to right: Mac Smith (supervising assistant editor), Tom Myers (sound designer), Gary Rizzo (rerecording mixer), Whit Norris, CAS (production mixer), Doug Cameron (boom operator), Michael Silvers (supervising sound editor), and Erich Stratmann (music editor).
On Location
Mark Ulano, CAS and crew on the set of Grindhouse/Deathprooof. Photo: John Pritchett
s... can very dangerou Location shooting ses alone! I mean, the disea
DCODEÂŽ TS-C New! 1/3 smaller & less than 2 lbs!
(incl. batteries)
The Denecke TS-C is a compact full featured smart slate, capable of reading, generating and displaying SMPTE/EBU time code. Its compact size makes the TS-C ideal for documentary work, insert shots, EFP style shooting or anywhere a big slate is too cumbersome.
John P
ritchett, CAS and team caught running for the parking lot.
New features: - Extended (12 step) display intensity & electro-luminescent face-plate. - Jams to all standard frame rates, including 23.976 for HD. - Auto-sets to incoming frame rates. Re-jams without powering down. - Plus 1 frame correction to display the real time when in read mode. - Aaton serial communication via 5-pin Lemo plug (ASCII source). - 16 bit Flash microprocessor with greater accuracy, allowing future firmware upgrades.
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WINTER 2007
C A S Q U A R T E R LY
CAS members Aletha Rodgers and Paul Marshall held their annual New Year’s Day Black Eyed Pea Party where about 70 people came by for a bowl of good luck. Gathered for a photo are mixers Steven Corbier, CAS, Jim Ridgley, future CAS, Aletha Rodgers, Paul Marshall, daughter Kaylee Marshall, Scott Stoltz, CAS and Steve Morantz, CAS.