Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1122868
Amanda Zinoman, told me she was doing a show called Trauma: Life in the ER for NYT TV (New York Times TV) and that they needed a sound editor and mixer. This was the late '90s, during the dominance of MiniDV video, and was a total run-and-gun type of show; no production mixer, just a shotgun and a lav directly into the camera. I was the single- person team; sound editing, designing, and mixing. I remember thinking, 'How the hell do I clean this up enough for broadcast and to pass QC?' It was kind of trial by fire but became a great place for me to see how mixing affects a show and how it can influence the story line: a scene became more intense by pushing ambulance sounds above the dialogue, for instance. Most importantly, because it was a series with lots of episodes that aired on TV a month or so after I was done with the mix, I was able to watch and learn what worked, what didn't, where I should have been more aggressive with EQ or where I over compressed." Over the next couple of years, Benny would work on other similarly-styled TV shows, reality shows, and long-form documentaries. At NYT TV, he connected with producers Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia, who produced a half-hour series focusing on travel and food hosted by Anthony Bourdain called A Cook's Tour. Benny mixed most of the first season. Chris, Lydia, and Tony would go on to create No Reservations for the Travel Channel and they called on Benny to sound design and mix. "The one-hour format allowed Tony to spend more time talking with locals, discovering the history of the location, and getting to better understand the culture. It became more structured and narrative compared to the half-hour show." As an aside, it was during this time that I started working with Benny at the post-production company called PostWorks New York. I recall on more than one occasion walking into Benny's studio, hearing ambiences playing out the speakers, and seeing Benny on the couch in the front of the room sipping an espresso. "I feel like I'm in a piazza," he'd say. Benny's a character—and one of the main mixers I could rely on to provide a great mix for my clients when I was unavailable. Benny continued his work as the series for which Benny received this award for came to fruition. "Chris and Lydia have always trusted my work. I'm very protective of it and consider myself one of the team. They've always been receptive to my ideas and, over the past number of years, I have had some beautiful footage that I've been able to complement with sound." I asked Benny if he could share some memories of working with Bourdain. "My favorite memory was one of the first times Tony came in to record VO. He goes in the booth and lights up a cigarette—not thinking anything of it. And I have to tell him that he can't. And he starts going, 'I thought recording studios were a vicissitude of personal freedom' and all this stuff." (Laughs) He continues, "With Tony, what you saw was what you got. He was one of those people who made sure the statements were right, the pronunciations were right, etc. If a show or scene didn't feel right, even after all those years and considering the other projects he was involved in, he'd make sure it was adjusted and brought to a level he felt comfortable with. He really cared about the quality of his shows and never went on autopilot." Benny and his two partners, Lou Teti and Pat Donahue, opened the three-room String & Can audio facility in 2010. "We're centrally located near Herald Square in Manhattan. We have two 7.1 Dolby-approved rooms, one of which will hopefully soon be upgraded to Atmos, and also a smaller 5.1." While he continues to do lots of work for Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia's company Zero Point Zero, Benny recently finished longtime client Stanley Nelson's Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool documentary film and the miniseries Reconstruction: America After the Civil War. "That project was one of the most interesting jobs. We had mostly sit-down interviews, photos, and some animations. For the sound design, for example, we had to go in and think whether a type of locomotive was present during that era or whether a sewing machine in the late 1800's made a specific kind of sound. It was a remarkable project to work on." Being that Benny was the supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer on the project, he adds, "Wearing both hats allows me to select what will work in the final mix and allows me to be much more efficient with my time—which can allow for more creativity." The sound mix for many projects on Benny's résumé demonstrates this creativity. "It's a certain type of filmmaker who understands the importance sound can play aside from the obvious things. Adding the non-obvious sounds can often make a project more authentic sounding and interesting and really help carry the narrative. I've been really fortunate to work with a number of those kinds of filmmakers." Re-recording mixer Benny Mouthon CAS