Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1061972
125 Q4 2018 / CINEMONTAGE 125 Q4 2018 / CINEMONTAGE that Lee had braved. He and his wife Sophie gave me the inside skinny on what to expect and how to prepare, and they checked in with empathy and encouragement instrumental to my progress. More proof that the glue of Lee's virtuosity is, above all, a generous spirit that transcends whether you are his client, colleague, disciple or friend. He will always do his best and, moreover, help you to do yours. He just can't help it. Paul P. Soucek, MPSE Friend/Colleague; Sound Editor; Faculty member, CalArts School of Film and Video n W hen people ask me with whom I would recommend mixing, I sometimes use the analogy, "With whom would you want to take a cross-country drive?" Aside from the obvious expertise and skill required to be a fine mixer, with whom would you want to spend two or three weeks, or a month, in a darkened studio? I met Lee and worked with him for the first time on Ishtar. That was Sound One, 1987. I'd heard a lot about him, his skills, his personality. People kept saying, "Don't worry, Lee is mixing; you'll be fine." But there were Elaine May, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman and Steve Rotter all playing an active part in the making of the film. It could be stressful mixing. Finally, the day came to pre-mix reel three. As I entered Studio D, the largest studio at Sound One at that time, there stood all the above-mentioned people talking in heated discussions across each other. The mood seemed, as often with Ishtar, very tense. "How am I going to function in this environment," I wondered. "Might I be thrown under a bus?" Lee must have seen me entering the studio, carrying an armful of cue sheets. He stepped away from the console and away from the group. Approaching me, he said, "Hi, you must be Ira. I'm looking forward to working with you." Looking forward to working with you…Looking forward to working with you… Those words, that sentence. What welcoming words to hear — from a mixer. When you think of Lee Dichter, you think of a collaborative artist. Beyond his vast experience and talent, what Lee has always brought to a mix has been compassion, warmth, reassuring support — all the qualities you'd expect in a mensch. Ira Spiegel Friend/Colleague; Sound Editor n I t has been my great pleasure to work with Lee on 20 or so projects starting in the '80s and continuing till his retirement. We've worked together on projects for the Coen brothers, Mike Nichols, Barry Sonnenfeld, Robert Altman and several others. Lee's skills as a dialogue mixer are unsurpassed, particularly his ability to match ADR to production. I also love the way he has always treated me (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) as a collaborator and partner in crime. Lee is a sweet, charming and caring human being as well as a fantastic re-recording mixer. Long live the magic of Lee Dichter! Philip Stockton, MPSE Friend/Colleague; Sound Editor n L ee Dichter is the best mixer I've ever seen. Many years ago, a few years after I started mixing, I thought I was really hot, a great mixer, the tops. Then a friend asked me to sit in on his mix with Lee, whom I had met but never seen mix. Sure, why not? Let me check him out. A few hours later, I knew that I was just a beginner, and watched a true master at work. A few years after this, I began to work at Sound One, Lee's home base. I spent the next 25 years working with Lee, sometimes at his side. In all that time, I was always in awe watching him work.