Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1353865
14 I M PS E . O R G Alan Decker RE-RECORDING MIXER & SOUND EDITOR Sadly, we recently lost one of our own to COVID-19. Re-recording mixer & sound editor Alan Decker passed away December 14 after a brief bout with the virus. Alan was a fine mixer & an accomplished editor (although he had mostly mixed for the last dozen years or so). He garnered numerous nominations and awards during his career, including six Emmys, for both mixing & editing. He was well respected throughout the industry for his abilities & accomplishments. Alan loved the work. He brought with him a genuine love for the craft, a tireless work ethic & a desire to make anything he worked on, the best it could be. When Alan worked on a show, he fully committed to it as if it were his own. He was always willing to go the extra mile. His clients knew that they were in good hands, that they would be well taken care of. His clients were clients for life. His stage was a happy place. Yes, the work came first, but there was generally a constant, humorous banter throughout the day. The work got done, but fun was had doing it. More importantly, everyone on the stage was treated with kindness and respect. A PA was afforded the same respect as the showrunner. In fact, Alan had one client that started out as a PA, eventually became a post producer & always came to Alan with his shows, when possible, precisely because of the respect he had been shown when he was a PA. He was appreciative of, and generous toward all those he worked with. Every year during the holidays, he would buy small gifts for support staff to show his appreciation for all they did throughout the year. As much as he loved the work, it did not completely define him. A voracious reader, lover of the arts, musician & photographer, he always had something interesting to talk about. And talk, he did. His gregariousness was legendary. He engaged with everyone he came into contact with, be it an industry cohort or a complete stranger in line at Starbucks. He could always find something in common with the person. He loved connecting with people and truly loved hearing their stories. He endured no small amount of ribbing directed at this chattiness. A great, self- deprecating sense of humor was his response. Alan was a talented sound professional with a great heart and a larger-than-life persona. He was universally loved and appreciated. The world in general, and the sound community in particular, need more people like Alan. He was a good soul who will be sorely missed. Pictured with John Glen, at Pinewood, in 1969 working on On Her Majesty's Secret Service. For those involved in the sound community in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, Andy was a regular figure at Weddington Productions, Todd-AO, Director's Sound, Sound Deluxe, and Sonic Magic. He also did quite a bit of uncredited work dubbing films for foreign release, and once explained that when working on the foreign version of Arachnophobia, he had to tape up cardboard around the edges of the screen because the spiders were terrifying. Andrew was a Buddhist, anthroposophist, and lifelong activist, his kindness and gentleness of spirit was matched only by his wit and sense of humor. He retired in 2010 and moved back to the UK, where, before his death, he was actively involved in the British Cinema & Television Veterans Association. When he passed away, he lived in Denham off of a street that borders the back of Pinewood Studios, where his career began. He is deeply missed by those who survive him, including is daughter Eleanor Patterson, his ex-wife Lorne Albert, his son-in-law John Seitz, cousins Stephanie and Patrick Burrows, nieces Lottie and Jessica Patterson, and his granddaughter Madeleine Seitz.