Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1259912
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 37 interactive philosophy has led to him working on a broad collection of projects. He is, however, probably best known for his work on animated projects, having Academy Award nominations for sound editing on Up and Toy Story 3 and for mixing on WALL-E. With animation, Tom enjoys being able to get involved early on—noting that test screenings often play a year or so before release, so there's time to live with and further work on the projects. Asking how he became involved with Making Waves, Tom states, "The two sound designers, Kimberly Patrick and Qianbaihui Yang, brought me into the project and introduced me to Midge." Midge Costin spent a number of years developing and working on the project and, being a professor, there are lessons in this film. "I spent 20 years trying to explain to my dad the difference between editorial and design and mixing. He's a smart guy, but this movie illustrates that in a clear way. We see what each discipline is and what each brings to the final product." Tom continues, "It's informative but it's also exciting and entertaining. It takes this thing we do and makes it look cool. [Most] people who don't do it think of it as a technical skill rather than a creative skill. This movie shows how creative sound work can be. It gives sound its creative due." I really enjoyed how the story was told in this movie and found the portion discussing the transition from mono through surround very effective. Tom recalls, "You forget how groundbreaking surround was at the time. I remember being in college when Apocalypse Now came out and you could hear the helicopter fly behind you. It was so mind-blowing. You have to give credit to Francis [Ford Coppola] and Walter [Murch] for doing that. It was so groundbreaking." Tom was also happy to see that Midge and (writer/producer) Bobette Buster presented a diversity of sound practitioners in the film. "When I started, it was mostly nerdy, white guys like me. Now, over time, we're seeing more diversity. A lot more women and people of color are working in the area. That's something the documentary underlines as well, that anyone with a desire and a creative outlook can do this work." Given the film excerpts included in the documentary, Tom humbly jokes, "I figured I could only screw it up!" On mixing some of his mentors and colleagues in the project, Tom shares, "I ran into Gary [Rydstrom] in the hall and joked, 'I pitched your voice up four semi-tones.'" Tom concludes, "As a sound person, I'm proud to have been involved with [the project] and excited that people can see the process of this thing that we do and are able to understand it a little better." Congratulations to David, Tom, and Dan, along with the other members of the sound team who helped present the craft we do so well: Kimberly Patrick, Qianbaihui Yang, Frank Rinella, Sung Rok Choi, Anthony De Francesco, Marilyn Morris, David Peifer, and Paul Stula.