Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1061972
109 Q4 2018 / CINEMONTAGE 109 Q4 2018 / CINEMONTAGE Striptease. There I was, at the console next to the Lee Dichter, thinking, "If I mess this up, I'll never work in this industry again." Then, as soon as we started mixing, Lee started to ask for my opinion, listening to my ideas and helping me out during the difficult sections. At the end of three days, I felt that we were actually collaborating. That is Lee's greatest gift: He always made everyone involved in the mix feel welcome and appreciated their contribution. There have been dozens of dialogue and music editors who were as nervous as I was the first time in the studio with the Lee Dichter but, as I have witnessed, Lee would praise their work, listen to everyone's input and make the mix an inclusive team project. He is a natural-born teacher. If you were lucky enough to be in a mix room with him, he would explain in real time the intricacies of dialogue mixing in ways no one else could. I've never met anyone who experienced such joy in his craft, even while matching ADR lines: "Watch this! I'm going to boost it 6db at 3k. Aha! That's it!" Then, when he listened to the same line 10 minutes later, "Hmm, I can get it better." That energy was infectious. It made me want to listen to every word he was saying. I knew I was witnessing something that would probably never be duplicated. Thank you, Lee, for those invaluable lessons. Feel free to stop by the studio anytime I'm mixing and please talk all you want. Roberto Fernández Friend/Colleague/Mentee; Re-Recording Mixer n I first met Lee in the early 1980s when I was working at Trans/ Audio and he was working at Photo-Mag. We were both young re-recording mixers working in New York and, as soon as we met, I knew he was a kindred spirit. His reputation preceded him, but it wasn't until we were both working at Sound One that I truly saw what a tremendous talent he was. Lee, I was always in awe of the way you handled the sometimes stressful moments in the mixing room, and your mixing chops are truly admirable. But it was your kind, generous and humorous nature that drew my greatest respect. You always encouraged me and always gave me good advice. One of the biggest regrets I've had over the course of my career was that we never got to work together on a film; you were always in one room while I was in another! Congratulations, Lee, on this very well- deserved award. You have inspired me for decades, and you've been a shining example of what a friend, a co-worker and a strong union brother should be. All the best to you. Tom Fleischman, CAS Friend/Colleague; Re-Recording Mixer n L ee Dichter is deservedly known as a top feature film mixer. He is fun to work with and his enthusiasm brings both creative and practical solutions to his work on films of every kind, from documentaries to dramatic features. I first met Lee Dichter when Sidney Lumet and I arrived to mix The Verdict. Up to that time, Sidney had mixed all his films with Dick Vorisek — a great mixer but a man not noted for his light- hearted approach to life. I had become accustomed to making changes to the tracks to accommodate the manipulations Dick wanted to make in the mixing. Remember, in those long-ago days, audio was on a magnetic stripe on 35mm film, running on machines called dubbers in a back room. I would run into the back, put the tracks in question on an editing bench and physically edit them, then remount the tracks and the mix would proceed. As our mix on The Verdict began, it became apparent to Sidney and me that Lee was used to doing it all himself on the mixing board with tricks he had developed working with his commercial clients. This was way faster than stopping to edit (which Sidney loved) and often produced good results. But there were some issues not solved easily using Lee's methods; in his enthusiasm, it was sometimes difficult to persuade Lee (who was keen to keep mixing) to stop and let me edit a solution as a more expedient way forward. This enthusiasm and skill are infectious and permeate the mixing process with Lee. It is always a pleasure to work with him. Peter Frank, ACE Friend/Colleague; Picture Editor n I had the pleasure of working with Lee for 22 years at Sound One. Lee made everyone in the room feel like they were part of the process and valued their opinions — whether it was the mix room with the director, producer, editors and assistants, in the office with the owner, boss and scheduler, or just hanging out at the production desk. And then there was the time he told me how, back when we recorded on mag and we had to rewind the film, he would continue to mix while it was running in reverse or backwards. Always mixing, always making adjustments. Nobody even knew he was still mixing because all they heard was it playing backwards. Amazing! Jim Gardner Friend/Colleague/Mentee; Director of Business Development, Company 3, New York n I have been very fortunate to have been able to work with Lee and call him a friend. I first met him at Sound One. I had recently arrived from LA and was setting up Studio G to be used in sound design. My studio was on the third floor, as was Lee's Studio D. There are very few film mixers who have the ear Lee has. I honestly believe his films should be used as teaching tools for any mixer wanting to learn what great-sounding dialogue should be like. Lee is one of those special people who understands the filmmaking process and therefore knows how to help directors make their movie while, at the same time, treating everyone in the mixing studio with respect, regardless of their title.