Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1314046
Tom Kenny of Mix magazine and Tom McCarthy of Sony Studios gave the opening remarks while sitting masked six feet apart on the Cary Grant Stage at Sony. They talked about how 2020 has been a strange year and how the pandemic has impacted everyone globally. Tom McCarthy said his main concern is the health and safety of his employees and filmmakers. Both production and post-production are coming back slowly, and Sony has put in place a system whereby editors and even mixers can work remotely. Everyone on the lot has to follow strict safety protocols, which is obviously a prerequisite for every facility that wants to start up work again. Sony is unique in that it has a research & development department based in Tokyo, and Tom McCarthy said they have been working with them to develop a new technology called 360 VME—Virtual Mixing Environment. This is, of course, the perfect time for an innovation like this, as it is safer if mixers and editors and filmmakers can work from home. Tom McCarthy said the value of this Mix event is the collaboration of sound artists globally with each other, interacting with technological vendors, and networking with others so that we can all explore innovations. He praised Tom Kenny for starting this event six years ago. Tom Kenny said that after talking to people in music and post, it is obvious that we are all just trying to figure this out and that there has been a lot of creative input around the world. He emphasized that this is a [sound] community affair. Recap by Peter Kelsey CAS Below left: TOM KENNY Mix magazine Below right: TOM MCCARTHY Sony Studios OPENING REMARKS Tom Kenny and Tom McCarthy EVENT SUMMARY DAY ONE