Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/757053
44 F A L L 2 0 1 6 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y On August 13 at Warner Bros. Studios, brothers and sisters of the Cinema Audio Society and a guest enjoyed an exclusive screening and reception. At 5 p.m., hors d'oeuvres and bever- ages were served and members and their guests mingled before the 6:30 screening of the 1993 blockbuster, The Fugitive. The event was made complete by a Q&A with director Andrew Davis, production mixer Scott D. Smith CAS, supervising Foley editor Solange S. Schwalbe MPSE, and re- recording mixers Frank Montaño, Jeffrey J. Haboush CAS, and Michael Herbick. The inside perspective of these professionals was invaluable. While the movie sounded fantastic, 23 years ago, 5.1 surround sound was novel and the workflow was very different. Frank recalls that they set a new speedy standard at the time, mixing The Fugitive in four weeks over four stages (probably 12 weeks' worth of hours). Donald reiterated, stating that "there was no copy/paste." He recalled they had just gotten this crazy thing called "automation." There was a lot of "eye-ear-hand coor- dination." Live mixing and printing was still very much the game. The group was still so fired-up about the sound of the film—teasing one another as they took their seats saying that they "have just a few notes." Now, they describe their workflow as very different due to technology, time demands and limited budgets. Frank teased, "Nowadays, we mix a film in four weeks but spend eight b y K a r o l U r b a n C A S M P S E CAS MEMBER EVENT: weeks on deliverables." Supervising Foley editor Solange was asked whether, with the cutting pace increased and staff decreased, the standards and expectations have lowered. She responded, "You don't have a choice … or you won't be on another film." Even with technological innovations, the smaller teams make the workload heavier—and the timeline to produce the same quality of material is much shorter. When I asked the panel whether they were truly able to watch the film and enjoy their mix or whether they still pick apart their work (as we all do) or lament the lack of technology in one area or another, Frank Montaño (who has garnered seven Oscar nominations, including one for The Revenant last year), explained, "There is always some- thing that will haunt you, but you have to put yourself back into that space and that time. It is not fair for me to say 20 years later, 147 movies later, that my game would be the same." When he takes himself back, he goes "Not too bad … it holds up." Jeffrey J. Haboush sums up the panel's sentiments by saying, "I am grateful to be part of history. I am lucky to still have the rawness [for audio] in my body like these other people here and it was a real honor to be part of this movie." It was a great Saturday night. Make sure to keep your information current with the CAS office and look out for more member events brought to you by the CAS. • 44 F A L L 2 0 1 6 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y C A S Q U A R T E R L Y 2 0 1 6 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y