Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1061972
116 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2018 116 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2018 absolutely brilliant, and it was only after we finished that he said he wished he had a few more days to make the mix better. I wondered, "How could it be any better?" Lee is a man who loves his work and shows it every time. Paul Levin Colleague; Post-Production Supervisor, Producer, Director n I worked with Lee on a bunch of films over a 20-year period. From the beginning, I was always struck by the ratio of his talent to his ego; most film people with Lee's degree of artistry and depth of resumé lose touch with reality. Lee never did. He's a brilliant dialogue mixer with golden ears, but also a generous, funny person who can read a room and set everyone at ease. I've been lucky to count Lee as a friend and fellow nerd since the 1990s, and you should know that, as such, I've seen him wield not only an IEC-compliant SPL Meter, but also a kayak paddle to great effect. Do not challenge his kayaking skills. Lee is also an old-school New York original, as New York as an egg cream in the Empire State Building with "pizza rat." I love the guy. I just wish he could get some fresh jokes, because I've heard all his corny material a million times. Blake Leyh Friend/Colleague; Sound Effects Editor, Music Supervisor, Composer n M y first film mix with Lee was Robert Altman's O.C. and Stiggs in 1985 — very wild Altman with a fun and wild soundtrack, and edited by Elizabeth Kling, my wife. By this time, Lee had already mixed the following outstanding films: Four Friends, The Verdict, Sophie's Choice and The Cotton Club, along with about 50 documentaries and 50 other great and near- great films. I am forever grateful for our fantastic collaborations with Lee on the Coen brothers' films. In 1989, Miller's Crossing was our first film, and the first edited in our new facility, c5. We were all very excited. Carter Burwell's score was fabulous! Barton Fink (1991) was the next Coen/Dichter project, and maybe my favorite film, certainly my favorite soundtrack. We had such great material to work with, and Lee cheerfully exceeded our expectations — daily. In 1995, we had many laughs working for Barry Sonnenfeld on Get Shorty, followed by more laughs on Men in Black. We had many other fun mixes together, including Sleepy Hollow and Shaft. Since then, Lee has mixed another 100- some films and documentaries, and now we are all a bit older and very much wiser for the times we had with our own New York mixing genius! Skip Lievsay, CAS Friend, Colleague; Re-Recording Mixer, Sound Editor n A t a recent re-recording talk with Tom Fleischman, Lee Dichter screened the tunnel scene from Men in Black. In pursuit of a rogue alien bug (Vincent D'Onofrio), Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) drive through the Queens Midtown Tunnel. The scene begins mysteriously, then quickly becomes a wild ride as K's Ford fires up its rocket boosters and drives on the tunnel's ceiling. J panics while K sings along to Elvis. Sound design, music and dialogue are featured in turn, with a dash of Foley and ADR added in, creating a scene that is just so much fun! It's a perfect example of Lee's work: a master conductor at play. There's no need for K's advice to J that he needs to "learn to take some joy in your work." This is just what Lee always does. Thank you, Lee, for sharing the joy. I am delighted to join in celebrating Lee Dichter. I raise my glass to you. Marissa Littlefield Colleague; ADR Editor n L ee is considered by many the dean of motion picture sound re-recording mixers. He has some 300 film credits to his illustrious career. He has been nicknamed "The Ears" and the "Go-to Mixer" for award-winning directors and documentarians — Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet, Woody Allen, Mike Nichols, Nora Ephron, the Coen brothers, Ken Burns and an endless list of other A-list directors. "The Ears" was the re-recording mixer on numerous Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning and -nominated films: Sophie's Choice, Hannah and Her Sisters, Sleepless in Seattle, The Verdict, Doubt and Angels in America, to name a few. I am honored and blessed to have known the very young Lee, the one before he became the world-renowned re- recording mixer you are honoring today. Lee was a sound recordist for me, as was his older brother Mark. I immediately saw Lee's talent, his attention to detail and his amazingly approachable humanness, which produced in all who worked with him the desire to have Lee as a friend. There wasn't a moment's hesitation in having Lee do his very first re-recording mix, and having it done for me. That film, De Düva (The Dove), went on to become one of the most honored and beloved American short films of all time and represented the United States in film festivals around the world, winning 28 awards. Lee's talents have graced every award-winning commercial, television and feature film and network branding I've ever created. Like so many others, I cannot consider a production complete without "The Ears" supporting and making us look and sound great. I love you, my old, and most talented, friend. Anthony Lover Friend/Colleague/Mentor; Director, Writer, Producer n W e can't get Dick Vorisek. He's booked solid," the producer notified us. "Oh, no," I shrieked, shattered by the news. No mixer in New York compared with Vorisek. But a colleague began singing the praises of Lee Dichter and suggested we consider him. Shortly after, we did a scratch mix with Lee at Photo-Mag and I was quickly won over. Months later, after we'd spent the day