WINTER Score Mixing Demystified Production Sound: To Remote or Not to Remote Caring for Your Mental Health How Has Your Mixing Evolved? What I ...
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WINTER
2022
Score Mixing Demystified • Production Sound: To Remote or Not to Remote
Caring for Your Mental Health • How Has Your Mixing Evolved?
What I Learned From My Mentor • From Set to Silence: Taking Time to Relax
Television Series – 1 Hour Non-Theatrical Motion Picture or
Limited Series
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I N SI D E T HI S ISSUE WINTER 2022
TO REMOTE OR NOT TO REMOTE | 22
DEPARTMENTS
The President’s Letter | 9
From the Editor | 10
Collaborators | 12
Learn about the authors of
your stories
50 74
Announcements | 15
Been There Done That |90
CAS members check in
The Lighter Side | 94
See what your colleagues are up to
58 80
FEATURES
CAS Summer Events| 19 Score Mixing Demystified | 58
F O R
“EXPERTLY
Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
ASSEMBLED. INCREDIBLY MOVING
- B E S T D O C U M E N T A R Y F E A T U R E
AND THRILLING TO WATCH.”
An inside look at the process of
Career Achievement: Paul Massey | 30 composing, capturing, and mixing a
Multiple CAS, Oscar®, and BAFTA score
winning sound mixer to be honored
What I Learned From My Mentor | 74
Filmmaker Award: Ridley Scott | 34 3
The kindness and guidance
CRITICS CHOICE DOCUMENTARY AWARDS
BEST DIRECTOR • BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY • BEST SCORE
Director-producer to be honored of mentors can make a lasting
FROM AC A D EMY AWA R D ® W I NNI NG FR EE SO LO FI LM M A KER S
EL I Z A BET H C H A I VA SA R H ELY I A ND J I M MY C H I N
WINTER
2022
Of Sound Mind | 39 impression Score Mixing Demystified • Production Sound: To Remote or Not to Remote
Caring for Your Mental Health • How Has Your Mixing Evolved?
The importance of our mental health
What I Learned From My Mentor • From Set to Silence: Taking Time to Relax
From Set to Silence | 80
Cover: A look inside this issue
CAS QUARTERLY BACK COVER MATERIALS DUE: DAY, X/XX NATG1018
cannot be understated
BLEED: 8.625"H x 8"W
TRIM: 8.375"H x 7.775"W
ISSUE DATE: FRIDAY, 12/03 FINAL
Different ways to stay refreshed and
LIVE: 7.875”H x 7.5”W 11/18/21 9:30AM KO
RESCUE_CAS_QUARTERLY_WINTER_BACK_COVER_FINAL
4/C, 300DPI
PDF/X-1a:2001
How Has Your Mixing Evolved? | 50 inspired in the workplace
Reflecting on mixing changes through
the eyes of sound veterans
4 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUA RTERLY
“THE BEST PICTURE OF
THE YEAR, NO DOUBT.”
WINNER Toronto Film Festival • People’s Choice Award
WINNER Dallas Film Festival
WINNERMiddleburg Film Festival
Audience Award Audience Award
WINNER
San Diego Film Festival
WINNER Heartland Film Society
Audience Award Truly Moving Picture Award
WINNER
Montclair Film Festival
WINNERTwin Cities Film Festival
Audience Award Best Feature Film Award
WINNER
Mill Valley Film Festival
WINNERScottsdale Film Festival
Overall Audience Favorite Audience Award
“Gloriously human filmmaking.
The sound design is stunning.”
“A soaring cinematic achievement.”
A KENNETH BRANAGH FILM
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R AT I O N I N A L L C AT E G O R I E S I N C L U D I N G
BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR
BEST SOUND
Simon Chase James Mather Denise Yarde Niv Adiri
SOUND SUPERVISOR SOUND SUPERVISOR PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER RE-RECORDING MIXER
Sign up at FocusInsider.com for exclusive access to early screenings, film premieres and more.
For more on this film, go to FocusFeaturesGuilds2021.com. © 2021 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.
“‘THE FRENCH DISPATCH ’ M UST BE SEEN ON THE LARGEST
I M AGIN ABLE M OVIE SCREEN IN ORDER TO BASK
IN THE LEVEL OF CARE CRA M M ED INTO EVERY CORN ER.”
JESSICA KIANG,
“THE EXQUISITELY DESIGNED ‘THE FRENCH DISPATCH’
IS W ES A NDERSON’S EXCEEDINGLY CLEVER LOVE LETTER TO
LITERARY M AGAZIN ES. IT’S A N INVITING CINE M ATIC JE W EL BOX.”
TI M GRIERSON,
FOR YOUR CO NSIDER ATIO N I N ALL CATEGORIES I NCLUDI NG
BEST PICTURE
BEST SOUND
WAYNE LEMMER CHRISTOPHER SCARABOSIO JEAN-PAUL MUGEL
Supervising Sound Editor, Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Mixer
Re-Recording Mixer Re-Recording Mixer
SEARCHLIGHTPICTURES.COM/FYC
THE PRE S ID E N T’ S LE TTE R
Dear Friends,
The holiday season is upon us. Many will be
visiting family for the first time in more than a year, as
social distancing restrictions are loosened in the wake
of falling COVID contraction rates and rising
CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY vaccinations. I wish you all a wonderful return to family
MISSION STATEMENT and friends and cannot wait for the opportunity to see
you all again in person. Please be safe.
To educate and inform the general public
and the motion picture and television
A silver lining emerged from the tumultuousness that was 2020; members of
industry that effective sound is achieved CAS continued to express how virtual-event formats have allowed them to
by a creative, artistic, and technical connect with members from all over the globe, forming friendships and alliances.
blending of diverse sound elements. To Thus on November 20 from 10 am to 2 pm PST, we organized our first-ever
provide the motion picture and television co-produced event with MPSE called “The Sounding Board v1.0.” The event was
industry with a progressive society of announced via social media, media outlets, and through membership
master craftsmen specialized in the art of
e-communication from our office and featured three panels, including our
creative cinematic sound recording. To
legendary Parade of Carts, which this year also featured SFX field recordists. If you
advance the specialized field of cinematic
sound recording by exchange of ideas, missed it, videos of our panels will be on our website shortly in the Events section.
methods, and information. To advance the Additionally, we will once again provide a virtual space for our Annual CAS
art of auditory appreciation, and to Membership Meeting & Holiday Mixer on Dec. 4 at noon PST. The event will
philanthropically support those causes highlight important upcoming dates and events, as well as showcase committee
dedicated to the sense of hearing. To chairs—and we’ll have prizes! Most importantly, it will allow you to roam around
institute and maintain high standards of a virtual reception area and visit with other attendees one-on-one or in small
conduct and craftsmanship among our
groups.
members. To aid the motion picture and
television industry in the selection and Meanwhile, we are hard at work planning an in-person 58th Annual CAS
training of qualified personnel in the Awards to be held Saturday, March 19, 2022, when we will return to the Wilshire
unique field of cinematic sound recording. Grand Ballroom at InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, Los Angeles,
To achieve for our members deserved California, to celebrate in style.
recognition as major contributors to the Our awards submission form is now live on CinemaAudioSociety.org!
field of motion picture and television Submit your entries and get excited to celebrate the year’s outstanding
entertainment.
achievements in sound mixing in-person with your CAS friends and
colleagues.
The past two years have taken Hollywood and our global industry on quite the
WINTER 2022
journey. With the world health concerns forcing our audiences to consume media
CAS NEW MEMBERS from the comfort of their homes, a large demand for work is keeping the majority
Active of our members very busy, but unfortunately, has left many overworked and
Peter Albrechtsen CAS risking their safety.
John Avarese CAS
David Bowtle-McMillan CAS The health and safety of production and post-production crews around the
John Davidson CAS world have been at the forefront of industry news, culminating recently with yet
Ugo Derouard CAS another devastating loss of life on set.
Sam Ejnes CAS The Cinema Audio Society supports the efforts of the International Alliance of
Lawrence Everson CAS
Kevin Faber CAS Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) to attain safe working conditions, healthy
Eric Hirsch CAS hours, and compensation for entertainment workers everywhere. We stand with
Timothia Sellers Hogan CAS you in solidarity .
Jim Lakin CAS
Lawrence Manchester CAS
Westley Moore CAS Sincerely,
Michael Piotrowski CAS
Gabriel Serrano CAS
Associate
Michael Bailey Peter Prestrud
Benjamin Barton Aaron Saddler Karol Urban CAS MPSE
Neil Bliss Kenneth Wilkinson
Jesse Ehredt
Academic
Noah Dalluge
Yuheng Liu
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 9
F R O M T HE E D ITOR
Looking back at last year’s Winter issue,
the industry has progressed along at a
rapid pace. While we were seeing some projects
start up last year, content creators are in overdrive now.
With this resurgence, we’re addressing some new
challenges while some older challenges are Officers
reintroducing themselves. In this issue, production Karol Urban CAS MPSE - President
mixer Aaron “Cujo” Cooley CAS shares his experiences transitioning to AoIP Steve Venezia CAS - Vice President
and fiber and how that has, in turn, helped with maintaining COVID Lee Orloff CAS - Treasurer
Frank Morrone CAS - Secretary
distancing protocols in his article, “To Remote or Not to Remote: Using
Dante to Overcome Modern Production Recording.” As work picks up more Directors
and more, we may find that we’re stretching ourselves too thin—which can Amanda Beggs CAS
result in health and relationship challenges, among other things. In her Onnalee Blank CAS
David Bondelevitch CAS MPSE
article, “From Set to Silence: Taking Time to Relax,” CAS Associate member Bob Bronow CAS
Whitney Worthen speaks with mixers who force themselves to take time for Willie D. Burton CAS
… themselves. If we negate the importance of doing so—or feel it’s not Tom Fleischman CAS
possible due to various reasons—we may struggle at a deeper level. Adam Marti Humphrey CAS
Sherry Klein CAS
Howell CAS discusses this in his article, “Of Sound Mind: Taking Care of Peter Kurland CAS
Your Mental Health.” Whether you feel mental stress or not, I ask that you Mike Minkler CAS
give Adam’s article a read. Tara Paul CAS
Also, in this issue, CAS Associate member Sam Casas knocks on the doors Phillip W. Palmer CAS
Stephen Tibbo CAS
of some top re-recording mixers to ask them, “How Has Your Mixing Mark Ulano CAS
Evolved?” Read how experience and technology has changed—or not Jeffrey Wexler CAS
changed—these mixers’ approaches. On the music side, if you’re curious how
a score progresses through a project, Patrick Spain CAS gets the scoop from Operations Manager
scoring mixer Greg Hayes and discusses the same from a composer’s Carol Thomas
perspective with Sherri Chung in his article, “Score Mixing Demystified.”
Editor in Chief
We often celebrate the value of mentorship here at the CAS. With that in Matt Foglia CAS
mind, Dan McCoy CAS shares some stories about one of his mentors, Jim
Tanenbaum CAS. Plus, be sure to read about the happenings of your fellow
Publisher
members in the “Been There Done That” and “The Lighter Side” sections.
IngleDodd Media
As you may have seen from emails and press coverage, the CAS is very 11661 San Vicente Blvd., Ste. 709
excited to announce this year’s CAS Career Achievement Award recipient, Los Angeles, CA 90049
re-recording mixer Paul Massey CAS! Along with Paul being honored,
Questions or Comments:
director and producer Sir Ridley Scott will be this year’s CAS Filmmaker
Cinema Audio Society
Award recipient! We look forward to celebrating the work of these two 827 Hollywood Way #632
industry stalwarts with you at the 58th CAS Awards ceremony in March Burbank, CA 91505
2022. Phone: 818.752.8624
Thanks goes to all of our contributors for volunteering their time. Also, Fax: 818.752.8624
know that our sponsors are professionals like you who understand the Email
business, the technology, and the needs of our industry; we encourage your CASQuarterly@CinemaAudioSociety.org
commitment to them. Thanks for taking the time to check out this issue. If Website
an article makes you think of a friend or colleague, send a link to the online www.CinemaAudioSociety.org
version of the Quarterly, available on the CAS website. Finally, feel free to
Advertising:
reach out to us at CASQuarterly@CinemaAudioSociety.org. IngleDodd Media
310.207.4410
Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season. CAS@ingledodd.com
www.IngleDoddMedia.com
©2021 by the Cinema Audio Society. All rights
reserved. CAS®, Cinema Audio Society®, and
Matt Foglia CAS Dedicated to the advancement of Sound® are all
trademarks of the Cinema Audio Society and
may not be used without permission.
10 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUARTERLYOUTSTANDING
ACHIEVEMENT IN
SOUND MIXING
MOTION PICTURE - ANIMATED
Re-Recording Mixers
Gary A. Rizzo CAS
Juan Peralta
universalpicturesawards.com © 2020 UNIVERSAL STUDIOSCOLLABORATORS
Aaron “Cujo” Patrick Spain
Cooley CAS CAS began his
Born 1968 in career in the
Ithaca, NY, scoring world
CAS and raised in at Signet Sound
Associate a live-music in 2001 work-
member household, Cujo ing on varied
Sam Casas was exposed to films like Cars
After amazing music and Eternal
graduating and world-class Sunshine of
from UCSD’s musicians at a the Spotless
Revelle College young age and followed numerous paths to Mind. In 2006, he was hired at the vener-
as a music adulthood, which included a deep love for able Ocean Way Recording (now renamed
technology all types of performance. Moving to College United Recording), this time working
major in 1999, Sam began his career in Station, TX, in 1982, Cujo attended A&M on everything from Dr. Dre productions
audio post-production in the tape vault at Consolidated High School and graduated to John Mayer records to the score for
POP Sound in Santa Monica. In 2003, he in 1986. Moving back to Ithaca after high Avatar. In 2011, Patrick was hired as a
helped open Lime Studios, a boutique audio school, Cujo met his wife Pamela and they mix tech at the industry-leading Todd-
facility specializing in sound design and mix moved to Atlanta, GA, in the winter of 1987. AO Lantana Stages in Santa Monica. His
for TV commercials, where he still works There, Cujo worked skilled trades and sales, very first day there was an FX playback
today. Sam has found a successful niche while continuing to work in FOH mixing of a single reel of Avengers for director
mixing commercials for huge brands such for nearly 20 years. Entering the film world Joss Whedon on the same stage where
as Nike, Facebook, Old Spice, and Apple, in 2010, Cujo quickly landed in the sound Saving Private Ryan was mixed! It was
counting several Super Bowl commercials department and began advancing his career in this incredible environment where
as career highlights. In 2017, Sam joined there. Good fortune, good work ethics, and Patrick learned the ropes of film and tele-
the union and began actively pursuing good relationships with local leaders helped vision audio post from some of the best
more narrative work as a supervising advance his career, and Cujo now enjoys life re-recording mixers, editors, and sound
sound editor and re-recording mixer on and work as a full-time production sound supervisors in the world. He worked on
various independent features, shorts, and mixer. shows as different as the run-and-gun
documentaries. Working on a major studio Credits include numerous films and feature Lone Survivor to HBO’s Girls
feature or limited series is Sam’s next career television, and most notably, the former to the music-centric hit Nashville. After
goal. Sam’s 5.1 home studio has enabled Head of Audio Department at Tyler Perry the closing of Todd-AO, Patrick worked a
him to stay busy during the pandemic while Studios. Cujo’s specialties include large- quick stint at Technicolor Sound Services,
allowing him to spend more time with his format shows with high cast counts, and then made the jump to freelanc-
wife Elise and 4-year-old son Sebastian. music and performance-based shows, and ing as a re-recording mixer full time. In
staying on top of the leading audio and RF that time, Patrick has mixed for clients
technology to make sound for film as good as such as Netflix, Disney, WB, ABC, and
it can be. Family includes wife Pamela, and DreamWorks.
Dan McCoy sons Christopher, Marcus, and Keith Cooley.
CAS is a Pamela, Marcus, and Keith all work in the
supersonic sto- film industry and Christopher is currently CAS
ryteller. His 20+ on deployment with COVID response in Associate
years of pas- the United States Army. Pastimes include
sionate work in
member
beekeeping, woodworking, small farming,
cinema sound, good cigars, Belgian Malinois, and spending Whitney
doc producing, time with family. Worthen
and creative A graduate of
arts in science Grace College,
and fiction have Whitney studied
amplified his passion for producing and Adam Howell communications
staying on the forefront of original storytell- CAS with a focus
ing. A proud IATSE & CAS member, Dan is Upon earning in film, but unsure of her place in the film
renowned in both crew and creative produc- a recording world, headed back home to rural Indiana
tion circles as a versatile and vital part of the engineer degree where she jump-started her journalism
production and post-production processes. from Full Sail, career. She began professionally writing
Dan has worked in settings around Adam relocated in 2016 as a sports journalist for the Pilot
the globe on fast-paced documentaries to L.A. in News, covering high schools across North
and provocative indie films for the past 2002. After an Central Indiana. After two years, Whitney
two decades. He has mixed sound on internship at moved to L.A. to pursue a career as a boom
200+ projects and three of his films have Hans Zimmer’s operator in the film industry. Though new
recently enjoyed world premieres at studio and working in the music industry, to the industry, she has jumped in feet first
Sundance. Some of his work can be heard Adam ventured into post-production audio learning the ropes from a number of great
on An Inconvenient Truth, GMO OMG, before finding his passion in the field as a mentors and getting to know the sound
Paddleton, Like a Boss, Horse Girl, production sound mixer. He has mixed and community better. She’s best known for
Dinner in America, Castaways, American supervised over 100 unscripted shows and wearing a Pepsi hat while out-and-about
Idol, America’s Got Talent, and Jim feels fortunate to have worked on so many and for her deep love of Harry Potter.
Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge. diverse projects with creative and talented
individuals. When not pressing record, Adam
enjoys playing the guitar, Beatles trivia,
documentaries, hiking, and spending time
with his wife and son.
12 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUARTERLY“A+ sound design.”
R O G E R E B E R T . C O M
“The sound design team better earn some more
award nominations for their work.”
S I R I U S X M
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
BEST SOUND
ETHAN VAN DER RYN | ERIK AADAHL, MPSE
S U PE RV I S I N G S O U N D E DI T OR S
MICHAEL BAROSKY
PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER
BRANDON PROCTOR
RE-RECORDING MIXER“‘ DUNE IS A SYMPHONY ’
F O R T H E E A R S A S W E L L A S A F E A S T F O R T H E E Y E S.”
BEST SOUND
Production Sound Mixer Supervising Sound Editors Re-Recording Mixers
M AC RUTH M A RK M A N G I N I D O U G H EMPH I LL
TH EO G RE E N RO N BA RTLE T T
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
W W W. W B AWA R D S . C OMANNOUNCEMENTS
THE 58TH ANNUAL CAS AWARDS
WILL RETURN LIVE AND IN-PERSON!
The Cinema Audio Society has set the date and timeline for the 58th Annual CAS Awards. The CAS Awards
recognize Outstanding Sound Mixing in Film and Television, Outstanding Products for Production and Post-
Production, as well as the recipient of the CAS Student Recognition Award. The live event will return on March 19,
2022, to the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown in the Wilshire Grand Ballroom.
“The Cinema Audio Society is excited to announce the calendar for the 58th CAS Awards and
Student Recognition Award,” said CAS President Karol Urban.“2021 promises to be a year of
renewal for our community and industry as a whole. We can’t wait to come together once again
to celebrate excellence in sound for picture and the incredible gift of fellowship in our craft.”
The CAS asks those who will be submitting projects for consideration to please review the
revised Rules and Regulations for Entry and Voting, Outstanding Product Entry and Voting, and
the Rules for Promotion. These can all be found on the CAS website under the “Awards
Section” at www.CinemaAudioSociety.org
We are accepting award submissions now!
58TH CAS AWARDS TIMELINE: STUDENT
• Entry Submission Form available online Tuesday, November 9, 2021, RECOGNITION AWARD
on the CAS website at www.CinemaAudioSociety.org TIMELINE:
• Entry Submissions due online by 5 p.m. PST, Tuesday, December 21, 2021 • Application Forms available online
• Nomination Ballot Voting begins online Thursday, January 6, 2022 on the CAS website at
• Nomination Ballot Voting ends online 5 p.m. PST, Tuesday, www.CinemaAudioSociety.org
January 18, 2022 Thursday, June 3, 2021
• Final Nominees in each category announced Tuesday, January 25, 2022 • The application period was extended to
(Nominee listing error and omission deadline is Friday, February 4, 2022) 5 p.m. PST, Friday, November 19, 2021.
See: https://cinemaaudiosociety.org/
• Final Voting begins online Thursday, February 24, 2022 student-recognition-award/
• Final Voting ends online 5 p.m. PST, Tuesday, March 8, 2022 • Finalists announced
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
• Winner announced at the
58th Annual CAS Awards,
Saturday, March 19, 2022
CAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Be sure to check out and subscribe to the Cinema Audio
Society YouTube channel that was launched this summer. The
initial episodes feature interviews with some of this year’s CAS
Award winners. Projects featured include The Mandalorian,
Hamilton, Sound of Metal, and The Queen’s Gambit.
Search YouTube for “Cinema Audio Society” or follow this link:
https://www.youtube.com/c/CinemaAudioSociety/featured
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 15ANNOUNCEMENTS
EIPMA Bridging the gap between aspiring professionals and industry experts.
This year has passed so quickly! After receiving 149 entries from 33
As 2021 is ending, here is what EIPMA countries, we announced our winner on
has been up to. September 20, 2021:
Guilherme Somensato & Mate Nagy
The #NOBEL4ISS Equal Space Challenge from Hungary for The World as One.
for the Nobel Peace Prize has been a big
part of 2021, with this challenge With the success of this challenge for production. We are currently scheduling
competition, we offered a filmmaker’s filmmakers, we look forward to creating Panel Q&A’s & Speed Mentoring sessions
webinar series that included: new challenges for filmmakers and with schools and organizations. Both
The Art of Sound specific crafts to help engage new talent programs are garnering great interest
The Art of Visual EFX and help connect them with our industry. from many states across the US and
The Art of Directing and Cinematography Canada, along with other international
The Art of Writing inquiries.
The Art of Editing
The Art of Producing EIPMA is partnering with the Cinema
The Art of Mixing & Recording Audio Society for the 2021 Student
The Art of Virtual and Augmented Reality Recognition Award.
Entertainment Copyright Law
Recordings of these webinars are available AWARDS SEASON
through our website: eipma.org EIPMA Moving Forward Into 2022
Also included in the webinar series are EIPMA will continue to offer webinars EIPMA’s Speed Mentoring session for the
interviews with winners, finalists, and that focus on the positions that make up Student Award nominees last year was a
astronauts. entertainment production and post- big success. We look forward to being
able to continue to offer this to the
upcoming nominees from CAS, MPSE,
and ACE.
Thank you to all who have generously
donated their time by volunteering and
participating in our panels, webinars, and
Professor of Practice in speed mentoring sessions. We are truly
SOUND DESIGN
making a difference for all of those
students and individuals interested in a
career in entertainment. It’s so important
as an entertainment community to
engage our future talent. We can’t change
the world, but we can make sure that our
knowledge gained is passed along to the
APPLY: next generation of talented filmmakers.
For more information, please visit:
eipma.org
FOLLOW THE CAS
ON SOCIAL MEDIA
DEPARTMENT OF Stay up to date on the latest CAS
Cinematic Arts news, events, and exclusive
offerings. Be sure to check your
email inboxes and follow the CAS
on Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram.
16 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUARTERLYCAS Summer Events
by K aro l Ur b a n C AS M P SE
Summer 2021 was fraught with changing social distancing
restrictions. But that did not stop the Cinema Audio Society from
providing opportunities for our members to come together and
foster their relationships and grow in their craft.
Firstly, our talented members The series features interviews with Mandalorian. Discover our videos and
Michael Wynne CAS and Amanda many winners of our 57th CAS subscribe to our channel here:
Beggs CAS, created a YouTube Awards, including members of the https://www.youtube.com/CinemaAudioSociety
channel. Our first programming series sound teams for The Queen’s Gambit,
premiered its first episode on July 6. Sound of Metal, Hamilton, and The
Additionally, leading talent and Supervising sound editor and
technologists joined us on August re-recording mixer David Barber
3 to discuss remote workflow CAS MPSE was the moderator. The
challenges and real-world tales presentation included workflow
from the battlefield harnessing illustrations and a discussion. The
Sohonet’s ClearView Flex. The presentation was followed by a live
panel consisted of Westwind Chief question-and-answer period, all
Engineer Craig Holbrook, Formosa while live chat and moderation
NoHo Director Operations & took place for all audience
Engineering Danial Shimiaei, members. A recording of the panel
re-recording mixer Joe Dzuban, discussion is available here:
re-recording mixer Karol Urban https://cinemaaudiosociety.org/cas-sound
CAS MPSE, Sohonet Chief Revenue -symposium-2021-long-distance-high
Officer Dennis Rose, and Sohonet -demands/
Network Engineer Thomas Menari.
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 19CAS Summer Events Finally, we concluded summer with our first-ever drive-in movie on August 14 at 8 p.m.!! This format event offered members the ability to get together in compliance with the changing COVID restrictions from the safety of their vehicles while enjoying one of our all-time favorite CAS pastimes: watching a good movie. The featured film was the cult favorite The Goonies! Traditional concessions of popcorn, candy, and sodas were provided, and many CAS members took advantage of the family-friendly nature of the event by bringing their children and dogs. Please keep your eyes open for social media posts and As always, if you are interested in organizing a local emails from the CAS Office announcing more events and CAS social event, please get in touch with our office: important dates as we move forward into our awards CASOffice@CinemaAudioSociety.org season. We are now working on coordinating a virtual membership event and a holiday drive-in movie! 20 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUARTERLY
FOR YOUR C O N S I D E R AT I O N
BEST PICTURE
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING - MOTION PICTURE (LIVE ACTION)
“
THE BEST FILM
OF THE YEAR.
A dazzling work by one of the
greatest directors of all time.
Immaculate technical achievements.”
AWARDS DAILY
“
UNUSUALLY BOLD
SOUND MIXING.”
THE FILM STAGE
FROM ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER JANE CAMPION
FILM.NETFLIXAWARDS.COMIncorporating lots of Dante on the
set of Robbie in 2019.
To Remote or
Not to Remote:
Using Dante to
Overcome Modern
Production Recording
b y A a r o n “Cuj o” Cool ey CA S
Sometime around early 2015, I made the decision that, as a
production sound mixer, I wanted to expand my abilities into what I
foresaw as the coming standard of more streamlined digital recording
workflows and to expand the capabilities of my system without adding
massive amounts of heavy and power-hungry analog gear and the
associated cabling and complexity that goes along with it.
22 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUARTERLYInside my truck, the “Digital Diesel,” to accommodate that in a non-theater
enjoying a moment with my pipe. environment, I needed a recorder that
could handle such a track count, a
console to handle it, and a way to move
all of those signals to and fro, while still
keeping the rig mobile. Dante seemed
to be a very good solution, but again, the
gear was expensive, not easy to find,
and even more challenging was that
nobody in my region was really using
the technology in any meaningful way.
The Wish List
I called my friend, Peter Schneider at
Gotham Sound in New York City, and
told him what I was trying to do and the
limitations that I was under. I needed:
no less than 24 channels, analog-to-
Dante conversion (bi-directional), rack
mountable, affordable, durable, field
ready, and stand-alone operation. To
add another layer of impossibility was
my requirement that it be 12V
DC-powered and have near zero
I had been working on and off at Tyler bi-directional channels of 24 bit/48 kHz latency. The 12V DC power bit turned
Perry Studios under sound mixer Sal audio can be sent over a single Ethernet out to be the final nail in the coffin of
Nappo. Massive track counts, impossible port. Latency is near nil, quality is as pretty much every device that I had
filming speeds, and vast geographical clean as the original signal source, and found, so Peter was going to have to do
coverage were daily demands. Sal had distribution of the signal(s) can be some heavy lifting to fill that slot.
been implementing remote RF receiver effectively limitless on the proper Enter the Ferrofish A32 Dante. At that
racks to cover the property and had just network. It is by all definitions, a time, it was brand new to the market
begun experimenting with RFoF (RF paradigm shift in audio production and Peter got my hands on one of the
over fiber) and AoF (audio over fiber). I around the world. first ones to hit the states. Thirty-two
had been deeply studying Sal’s growing My work at that time, and still today, channels analog I/O with full Dante
system and the problems that it solved. regularly involves high cast counts and, conversion, as well as all other modern
Unfortunately, there was no real many times, live performance and music formats, and it can do them all
command and control of the racks from work. I can have as many as 25-30 cast simultaneously in 250 microseconds (a
a remote location. So, while the solutions on mic at any one time. In order for me quarter of a millisecond). It comes
it created were great, there was still a lot
of hands-on work at both ends that was
required to keep the system running.
Having grown up in an analog music
world and then partially transitioning to
a digital hybrid audio flow, plus having
spent many years doing FOH for live
sound, I knew there was gear available
to make this happen. However, I also
knew that it was expensive, not well-
suited for field use, usually heavy, and
oftentimes clunky to integrate into a
sound-for-film environment.
I researched a technology called
Dante—Digital Audio Network Through
Ethernet. This technology developed by
Audinate has, quite frankly, changed
the audio world at its very core. Dante
allows users to transmit full fidelity
audio over a basic Ethernet cable and The desk inside the Digital Diesel.
And, yes, that’s an iced coffee.
network in real time. Up to 512
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 23standard at 12V DC,
single rack space, very
easy to navigate, and
near “set-and-forget”
operation. This
definitely checked all
the boxes.
After getting my
hands on the A32
Dante, I set about the
integration, but still had
all the mixing and radio
mic gear in my main
mix cart. I was using a
Sound Devices 688
with CL-12 control
surface, Lectrosonics Venue WBL Above: My twin mixing carts that I built when I was
at Tyler Perry Studios, affectionately known as Thing
receivers, and Lectrosonics IFB, along 1 and Thing 2. Right: Using long-range RF and my
with Comtek for program listen. I “Millennium Falcon” rig to reach about 2/10th of
dumped tens of pounds of copper cables a mile, line of sight, to get everything I need for a
distant bridge scene. Bottom left: Backside of the
and connectors, streamlined the cart mix cart.
with just a few connections and an
Ethernet cable. Phase One of the move to a scream on the wireless mics with
to streamline things was well in hand, zero clipping and without jumping on a
but the full Dante workflow was still not trim knob to try to catch it.
in place.
One of the unplanned benefits of the FCC Considerations 100’. This worked very well, but still
Ferrofish A32 Dante and its process was During all of this time, the FCC was wasn’t ideal for many reasons. First,
the input and output gain adjustments. going through the processes of selling there are no less than four antennae on
This gave me an additional layer of gain off a vast chunk of the spectrum we the tree; two for the radio mic receivers,
stage, although digital, in the path which have all been using for years, and it one for the Comtek, and one for IFB.
allowed me to fine-tune my transmitters, became rather obvious that a new set of This made a very heavy and ridiculously
receivers, and the Ferrofish for the rules was going to be forced upon us in bulky cable snake that my crew simply
broadest level of dynamics possible. the field, whether we liked it or not. All loathed. Second, I didn’t want to use
With the Ferrofish A32 Dante, I could of the known users and their frequencies active antennae because of the induced
adjust the settings and then leave them were going to have to repack and cram noise floor from amplification. Third, the
alone, allowing me to go from a whisper into about half of the space that was constant cable management and keeping
there. This meant that for location rolling traffic from crushing it or passing
sound, RF management was going to be through doors, windows, and hallways
crucial and probably more complicated. made work life a lot busier than it
Gone would be the days of using a needed to be. It worked, and it worked
single set of frequencies for weeks, really well, but I needed a better solution.
months, or for a rare few years on end.
I knew that the FCC—T-Mobile move Transitioning to Dante
was going to be a crushing blow to the I decided to take full advantage of Dante
unprepared, so I set about trying to and build an Ethernet-capable system.
educate myself on the ramifications of a This would allow me to maintain the
smaller and more crowded RF spectrum. proximity of the receivers, shorten the
I knew that in order to get more radios in antenna run, and deliver pristine audio
a smaller space, I’d have to lower the signals. With a max working length of 100
output power of the transmitters to meters, I thought I could easily handle
avoid intermodulation. Also, with such a just about any possibility that arose.
crowded spectrum, I would need the For this build, I would definitely need
receivers or antennae very close to to change up the gear, so I started with
mitigate interference from outside a pair of Sound Devices PIX 970
sources. recorders and a Midas M32R mixer.
I used a remote antenna rig for a Both of these are Dante capable and
couple of years, with ultra-low-loss have been worked hard in the industry
antenna cable and limiting the run to for years, so the track record of
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 25FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
B EST S O UN D M IXIN G
CHRISTIAN COOKE BRAD ZOERN
RE-RECORDING MIXERS
GREG CHAPMAN
PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER
www.searchlightpictures.com/fyc © 2021 20TH CENTURY STUDIOSperformance is well established. I was and more popular, and more vendors In the early part of 2020, I was one of
still using Lectrosonics WBL Venues, were entering that market segment so it the first to go back to work, and I
which are analog output, so I used the seemed that this was going to be the immediately deployed my remote Dante
Ferrofish A32 Dante to convert into a direction to move in to be ahead of the racks. At that time, they were rather
Dante stream. This also gave me a curve. Additionally, the wideband RF rudimentary because the dollars just
return path for program listen and IFB capability was solving so many issues. weren’t there to support anything more.
feeds. I needed command and control The ability to not be locked into a specif- But the technology worked. It wasn’t
for the remote receivers, so I again ic range or block of RF effectively made pretty yet, but it was working, and that
turned to my pal Peter at Gotham Sound the digital wideband radio a near future- meant I was working.
for some pro tips. He lined me up with proof piece of kit. The fact that some Producers were absolutely on board
the proper switches to convert to TCP/ makers were offering these radio receiv- with the new-to-them design because it
IP control for the Venues. ers in a Dante-capable version became checked so many boxes. COVID
Now, I could fully remote all of the the icing on the proverbial cake. I was all compliance, limited persons on the hot
receivers, use Wireless Designer from in. set, pristine audio, and no downtime.
Lectrosonics to control all of them and To go back in time a bit, I had originally After a couple of gigs where I refined
manage the RF scanning and designed this system in my head to be a and improved the remote rack, I received
coordination, and then move all of the rapid deployment, easily configurable, what I considered to be a career-
audio over a single Ethernet cable with a easily maintained, RF and audio changing call.
near zero latency. This system worked distribution package that would work In mid-2020, I was hired to be the
and it was astonishing. I thought that I well in nearly any location or stage and head of the audio department at Tyler
was done, but I still wanted to make it on any format from narrative to reality. I Perry Studios (TPS). They were going
bigger, faster, better… even created (in my mind) a rapid back to work, and they were all-in on
Digital radio seemed to be the next deployment bag-drop Dante kit for COVID compliance. They had the base
target for me for many reasons, most of mixers who needed something small, infrastructure, the funding, and the
which involved the lack of intermodula- light, and fast. desire to make it happen. Because TPS is
tion issues when cramming large Then COVID… easily one of the most technologically
amounts of transmitters into a small Full-stop, shut it down, and we are all advanced studio lots in all of North
airspace. Digital radio mics from various in a crazy new world. America, and because I had already
manufacturers were really getting more spent a great deal of time there mixing
Dante for Distance their movies and working on some of
A fully distant work pattern is the episodic shows, I was familiar with
going to be the new norm for the very unique needs and desires there.
the foreseeable future. In They knew me, I knew them, and we
order for me to go back to each knew I could get it done under
work, and to do it safely and these monstrously challenging
socially distanced, a remote conditions where the future was
operation is going to be anything but certain.
mandatory. I needed to go Some of the unique components of
full throttle on the Dante and the property include roughly 140 acres
fiber builds. So that’s what I of film lot filled with standing sets,
Here: My “Digital Diesel” truck.
Below: The Digital Diesel on location did. stages, and buildings of all kinds.
at the courthouse in Roswell, GA, while Everything is tied together with fiber-
filming Step Up 3 in the Spring of 2021. optic networks and it all feeds back to
the main control room, or can be tapped
from nearly anywhere on the property.
That means when the system is up and
running properly, it is possible to mix
from the control room in the main
building, or from any other location on
the property, while receiving signal from
anywhere else on the property, which
may be as far as a mile away. Also, the
execs can be in their offices and watch
anything, from anywhere, in real time,
with full audio and video.
The tech involved is substantial and I
both wanted and needed to model that
in my rig. The next step in that process
was to simply convert Dante to fiber
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 27There are several advantages to my
remote capabilities. I have a very
controlled listening environment. The
truck is very quiet and I can listen on a
pair of Genelec monitors or headphones,
as the situation dictates. I am socially
distant and I am out of the weather.
A potential downside is that I am
away from the ‘vibe’ of the set and
sometimes miss out on that. There is the
Clockwise from left: Posing with an early iteration additional aspect that most sets are not
of the “Millennium Falcon” rig at Tyler Perry Studios
in 2020; fiber coming in and out and converting accustomed to a mixer working from a
to Dante inside the Digital Diesel; the “Millennium truck or trailer and the logistical
Falcon” rig, 2020. challenges that come along with that.
separate sound teams (including my An amusing sidenote is that on my
own) and a sound crew of 20 or more current show, the line producer finally
techs. It was the most stressful, saw my truck near set and came over to
challenging, satisfying, and rewarding chat. “Oh, that is what you were talking
time in my entire sound career to date. about,” he said. “You are truck-based.”
At one point, we used Dante and fiber “Yes sir,” I replied, “COVID safe and
to engineer and implement a massive out of the rain.” To which he replied,
remote station for one of the DP’s. The “You and Mark Ulano...” I freely admit
challenge was to create a station where that I can’t even hold a candle to Brother
the DP could watch, listen, and Ulano and his glorious career, but it did
communicate with two completely make me feel good to be compared in
separate film crews on two separate the same sentence with him.
stages, in real time, with full audio and On a more serious note, remoting the
video, full duplex comms, and all on receiver rack and using available
separate, discrete feeds. technology to do it, whether using
Ethernet or fiber, is something that I
My Current Rigs believe is going to become more and
My current build has me working on set more common. The larger demands on
as a production mixer for various projects PSM’s to have the ability to send audio
from a truck that I bought from the to a galaxy of destinations, the larger
legendary Jim Hawkins. Jim is known for track counts we are constantly being
his lifetime of work in TV and film, but asked to provide, the evermore crowded
also for his studio work at Capricorn RF airspace, and the apparent
Records in Macon, GA, and his own permanence of social distancing is going
studio in Athens, GA. It would be no to require that each of us look hard at
stretch to say that Jim was a significant how we service our producers. While it
optic. I did that by installing network part of the creation of what is known as is very true that we are in a product
switches in the mix cart and the remote Southern Rock. I have a full control creation and delivery business, we are
receiver cart that simply convert using room setup with an Allen and Heath absolutely in a service business. I believe
SFP’s. I use single mode fiber which SQ7 feeding a pair of PIX 970 recorders that it is incumbent upon us to each
gives me a theoretical range of up to 20 with a Dante over fiber network. stretch our comfort zones and be
km. For those wondering about latency, For less accessible locations, I have proactively seeking solutions to
the loss is approximately 200 two mix carts built with Midas M32R problems that are just over the horizon.
microseconds per kilometer. On this consoles and PIX recorders that match COVID popped up as the planet’s
property, it would be near impossible to the network, so I can be plug-and-play largest surprise, and being able to adapt
ever be more than 400 microseconds in mere moments. For bag work, I have is critical to success.
from anywhere to anywhere. Suffice to a Sound Devices 688 with several My commitment to being up to speed
say that in any real word application channels of Lectrosonics wireless to with the latest tech and how it may or
that a location sound mixer would handle insert car or micro locations. may not be able to make my service
encounter, it is real time. catalog broader is what I think was a big
I left TPS at the beginning of 2021, but To Remote or Not to Remote component to me getting back to work
in the time that I was there, I both mixed After all of this, the question remains: early—and staying working throughout
and oversaw the mixing of nearly a half- Should YOU remote your gear—and the current pandemic.
dozen shows running simultaneously why or why not? Your mileage may vary, but I think it’s
and concurrently, with as many as three I cannot answer that question for you. a good idea to take the test drive.
28 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUARTERLYFOR YOUR CAS AWARDS
C O N S I D E R AT I O N
TELEVISION SERIES - 1/2 HR
P R ODUCTI O N SO U ND M I XE R
JOSEPH WHITE JR., CAS
RE -RE CO RD I NG M I XE RS
LINDSEY ALVAREZ
MATHEW WATERS, CAS
“TREMENDOUS
SOUND DESIGN”
— GOLD DERBY
“EXCEPTIONAL
FILMMAKING”
— COLLIDER
“ADDICTIVELY
ENJOYABLE”
— LOS ANGELES TIMESSound Mixer Paul Massey to be honored with the Cinema Audio Society Career Achievement Award
by D oro t h e a Sa r ge nt
The Cinema Audio Society has announced
that the organization will honor multiple
CAS, Oscar®, and BAFTA winner and
nominee, sound mixer Paul Massey with
the Cinema Audio Society’s highest
accolade, the CAS Career Achievement
Award, to be presented at the 58th CAS
Awards on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at
the InterContinental Los Angeles
Downtown Wilshire Ballroom.
“The Cinema Audio Society is delighted to announce
Paul Massey as this year’s Career Achievement recipient.
Paul has been crafting the final sound for films that have
become part of the fabric of our popular culture and
collective experience for decades,” said Karol Urban.
“The success of these contributions has yielded him
an Oscar, four BAFTA’s, and four CAS Awards, and an
imposing number of nominations. Additionally, his
continued boundless enthusiasm, energy, and talent for
sound mixing and the sound mixing community make
him an ideal recipient of this honor.”
Upon hearing the news that he was to receive the
highest honor of the CAS, Paul said,“I am overjoyed,
honored, and humbled to receive this CAS Career
Achievement Award. It means so much to me accepting
this recognition from my peers who I respect so much.”
Massey was born near Pinewood Studios, London. As
a teenager, he studied music through the Royal
Academy of Music, playing in various bands and
orchestras. At age 19, Paul emigrated to Toronto,
Canada, to work as an assistant recording engineer at a
prominent recording studio. However, upon arrival, the
job was no longer available. Faced with not having
enough money to return to London, he worked for
bands and on construction crews until he decided to go
to Fanshawe College to study recording engineering.
After almost a year, he was fortunate enough to obtain
an assistant position at Master’s Recording Studio, so he
left college and never looked back.
Over the next nine years, Massey recorded and mixed
albums, commercials, and scores with various musicians.
He then had an opportunity to record and mix live tours
with bands such as Yes, Supertramp, The Police, The Band,
and Tears for Fears for a series of TV concert films, utilizing
world-class recording trucks from Le Mobile and Record
Plant amongst others. This experience introduced Massey
to mixing sound for picture, and he loved it! During this
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 31SU PPORT: Awards@Warn e rM e dia.com
time, Massey also mixed several
projects for TV, along with many
IMAX specialty films.
He moved into film more formally
when he joined Deluxe/Filmhouse in
Toronto, where he met and worked
with Andy Nelson in the late ’80s. In
1989, Andy moved to L.A. and
recommended Massey to J.R.
DeLang at Todd-AO. Sight unseen,
J.R. offered him a re-recording mixer
position over the phone! So, in 1990,
Massey moved to Los Angeles.
Massey has since worked at many
studios in L.A., primarily Todd-AO,
Sony, and 20th Century Fox, while
also working internationally at Bohemian Rhapsody
facilities in London, such as
Twickenham, Goldcrest, and
Pinewood on both US- and
UK-financed films.
Paul Massey considers himself
incredibly fortunate to work with
amazingly talented directors, picture
editors, and sound crews, many of
whom have become lifelong friends.
A few long-term collaborating
directors include Sir Ridley Scott,
James Mangold, and Gore Verbinski.
His stellar work has garnered him 25
combined Oscar, BAFTA, and CAS
Award nominations. Bohemian
Rhapsody secured him an Oscar,
BAFTA, and CAS Award. He also
won both a BAFTA and CAS Award
for Walk the Line and Master &
Ford v Ferrari
Commander: The Far Side of the
World, and another CAS Award for
Ford v Ferrari and another BAFTA for
Almost Famous.
Massey joins an illustrious group of
past CAS Career Achievement
honorees that includes William B.
Kaplan, Tom Fleischman, Lee Orloff,
Anna Behlmer, John Pritchett, Doc
Kane, David MacMillan, Andy
Nelson, Chris Newman, Scott Millan,
Jeffrey S. Wexler, Randy Thom,
Dennis Sands, Ed Greene, Mike
Minkler, Willie Burton, Gary
Rydstrom, Charles Wilborn, Jim
Webb, Richard Portman, Tomlinson
Holman, Les Fresholtz, Walter
House of Gucci
Murch, and Don Rogers.
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 33Filmmaker Award Honoree
Multi-Hypenate
Ridley Scottby Do ro th e a S a r gen t
WILL RECEIVE THE CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY FILMMAKER AWARD
AT THE 58TH ANNUAL CAS AWARDS ON MARCH 19, 2022,
AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN.
“The Cinema Audio Society has long
regarded Sir Ridley as a legendary
director and bold visionary producer. It
is with immense anticipation that we
prepare for this year’s awards knowing
we will have the opportunity to
physically gather as industry
professionals representing our craft to
salute Sir Ridley’s contribution to
creative storytelling,” said CAS
President Karol Urban.
Ridley Scott, one of the world’s foremost
directors and producers, is most known for his
work on films such as Thelma & Louise, Alien,
Black Hawk Down, and Blade Runner. His film epic
Gladiator won the Academy Award, Golden
Globe®, and BAFTA Awards for Best Picture, and
the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading
Role for Russell Crowe.
Scott has also been lauded by the Emmy
Awards, Cannes Film Festival, and the PGA
Blade Runner
Alien Gladiator
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 35Awards throughout his illustrious
career. In 1968, Scott formed RSA
as a commercial production house
for some of the world’s most
recognized corporate brands.
In 1995, Scott formed Scott Free
Productions to serve his film and
television projects such as Blade
Runner 2049, Murder on the Orient
Express, Hannibal, American
Gangster, Concussion, the critically
acclaimed CBS drama The Good
Wife, its spin-off The Good Fight,
HBO series Raised by Wolves, and
the hit telefilms Killing Lincoln,
Hannibal Killing Kennedy, and Killing Jesus.
The most recent feature films
produced by Scott Free include
Jake Scott’s American Woman,
Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s The
Friend, and Wash Westmoreland’s
Earthquake Bird. As a director,
Scott’s recent projects include
Alien: Covenant, the sequel to
Prometheus, starring Michael
Fassbender and Katherine
Waterston; All the Money in the
World, starring Christopher
Plummer, Michelle Williams, and
Mark Wahlberg; and The Last Duel,
starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck,
and Jodie Comer. Scott recently
All the Money in the World completed House of Gucci. This
film stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver,
Jared Leto, and Al Pacino, and was
released in November 2021. Next,
he will direct Kit Bag with Joaquin
Phoenix set to star as French
military leader and emperor
Napoleon.
Scott will be the 17th CAS
Filmmaker honoree. He joins an
illustrious group of previous
recipients: George Clooney, James
Mangold, Steven Spielberg, Joe
Wright, Jon Favreau, Jay Roach,
Richard Linklater, Edward Zwick,
Jonathan Demme, Rob Marshall,
Taylor Hackford, Henry Selick, Paul
Mazursky, Bill Condon, Gil Cates,
and Quentin Tarantino.
American Gangster
36 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUARTERLYFOR YOUR CAS AWARDS
CONSIDERATION
FX INVITES CAS MEMBER VOTERS TO SCREEN
OUR ELIGIBLE SERIES FOR YOUR AWARDS CONSIDERATION.
TO SCREEN, GO TO
FXVIP.DIGITALSCREENERS.COM
AND ENTER THE CODE BELOW ON THE LOG-IN SCREEN.
CAS MEMBER REDEMPTION CODE:
CASFYC21u2M+
APPLE TV USERS – DOWNLOAD THE FX VIP CUSTOM APP ON THE APPLE TV APP STORE“IT’S AN EXTRAORDINARY EVENT
NOT JUST OF MUSICAL HISTORY. IT’S A MIND-BLOWING
MOMENT OF AMERICAN HISTORY.”
WESLEY MORRIS,
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Produced by Joseph Patel, p.g.a. Robert Fyvolent, p.g.a. David Dinerstein, p.g.a.
BEST SOUND
Emily Strong Sound Mixer Paul Hsu Re-Recording Mixer
Rob Fernandez Re-Recording Mixer Paul Massey Re-Recording Mixer
AND IN OTHER CATEGORIES
SearchlightPictures.com/FYCOF SOUND MIND:
Taking Care of
Your Mental Health
by A d a m Ho w e l l CAS
Although I never met Wolf, his death floored me. Oscar winner Frances McDormand
beautifully stated, “Wolf recorded our heartbeats. Our every breath. For me, he is
Nomadland.” Michael Wolf Snyder, a production sound mixer who died by suicide
earlier this year, is the inspiration behind this article. If this reaches just one person,
then it was worth writing—and worth reading.
CAS QUARTERLY I WINTER 2022 39While processing this sad news, I “With professional rewarded with a roaring laughter from
the crowded control room. Again, I
started thinking about my own
incredible highs and excruciating lows help, as well as spoke with superiors to report an HR
as a production sound mixer in this event, but was told that it was “just a
business. It’s a delicate subject, and I
daily meditation joke.” Well, it definitely got some
am no professional on the topic of and exercise, I was laughs. It took me years to realize that I
mental wellness. I’m just a concerned was justifiably embarrassed by that
colleague and I am hoping for change. able to apply new inappropriate encounter, and that it
I’ll start by saying that I don’t like the
techniques to how I was okay for me to acknowledge that it
wasn’t right on many levels. However, I
word “crazy.” There are addiction approached work.” was not yet equipped with those skills.
issues and mental illness in my family –Adam Howell CAS
tree, and I’ve had my fair share of It became increasingly difficult to dis-
struggles, so, believe me, I’m very cern priorities, both on and off set. The
familiar with the word! But I’ve come to hired by the production again. Financial pressure was immense. The sleep was
believe it’s derogatory, judgmental, and insecurity had convinced me that I had intermittent and the daytime rest was
out of date. That being said, I distinctly to save as much money as possible, so I nonexistent. Lacking were boundaries
remember how I felt a little “crazy” walked into a Duane Reade, bought a and accountability when I pointed out
during one of the biggest, yet stressful, can of tuna and ate my first dinner in the unrealistic hours I was expected to
breaks of my career. that cramped, dark hotel room. And so work. There was an apathetic approach
began the next six weeks of 80 hours on when I brought up breaks, turnaround,
The year was 2012. I was in an the clock. and overtime. I started to feel unwell,
astonishingly small—and loud—hotel physically, and I began to feel uneasy,
room in New York City. I had butterflies Especially difficult to deal with were the mentally. I thought that if I grin and
and I was eager. The next day, I was to so-called “soft hours”—the emails, bear it, then it would magically go
start on the most lucrative job of my texts, and phone calls, off the clock, that away. But that wasn’t the case.
career to date with a sizeable gear rental I was constantly bombarded with.
on a successful competition show. It Incessantly being inundated with that Inspired by my teenage niece, who so
was my first supervisor position in NYC, many lines of communication was bravely sought out guidance from her
and being L.A.-based, I knew very few exhausting. There was a bully on set as high school counselor when she felt
professionals in the city other than the well, and it was difficult to navigate triggered, I decided it was time to make
show runner and line producer. meetings and interactions with that a change. Thankfully, I was able to
However, I was to hire upward of 11 individual. After I reported an incident make a connection with a therapist.
mixers and two A2’s per day, seven to HR, it did improve, but the damage With professional help, as well as daily
days a week, for six straight weeks— had been done … or so I thought. meditation and exercise, I was able to
during the busy summer season! I was (Interestingly, that person apologized apply new techniques to how I
out of my element, uncomfortable, and to me four years later on a different approached work. I also learned how to
very anxious. Scared, really. Would I do production.) But at the time, I didn’t accept my surroundings and decide if
a good job? How would I be accepted, know how to stand up for myself or say they are healthy for me or not. Now I
if at all? Would I get lost on the subway “No” to abuse. Nor was I able to set boundaries and establish my needs
and end up in the wrong borough? properly delegate to my staff, especially before I even walk on set and I’ve found
in that overwhelmingly stressful that an open, respectable line of
All the basic worries of an outsider— environment. communication brings more peace to
some ridiculous in hindsight and some my workday. That, in turn, rolls into my
that stick with me to this day. My soon- Adding to the apprehension, I can personal life. Nowadays, I enjoy hitting
to-be-wife was at home in L.A. vividly recall checking a high-profile record a whole lot more! I consider
preparing for our upcoming nuptials singer’s in-ear from the control room. I myself very lucky.
which were to take place the day after I pressed the push-to-talk mic and I told
was to wrap this big opportunity. the celebrity that I was testing to make I wanted people to have a chance to
Although the LP knew I’d be leaving sure the signal was solid before our EP share their experience about how they
early to make it to my wedding on time, sat in the chair. After affirming that it approach their work/life balance amidst
having to get myself covered halfway was clear, this person responded with the mental stress that can sometimes
through the final episode exacerbated an expletive-ridden, sexually charged seem insurmountable. How do they
my worries, thinking that I’d never be remark aimed at me, which was address it? How do they manage or
40 WINTER 2022 I CAS QUARTERLYYou can also read
