Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1061972
114 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2018 114 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2018 I treasure our friendship throughout the years and pride myself on having fixed up our honoree Lee Dichter with his beloved Sophie. Lee, you are the mensch we are so grateful to have in our film and personal lives. Aviva Kempner Friend/Colleague; Documentary Filmmaker n F or a newly minted sound editor walking into an unknown mix room, intimidation is par for the course. Lee's studio was the exception. His relaxed, friendly manner did not make you feel like a pair of hands correcting sync on a backroom bench, but more like his rookie partner — inexperienced, perhaps, but maybe with valuable ideas. This emotional openness and his sense of humor made Lee's studio a place where you wanted to work, and reflected a deep connection to the dramatic content up there on the screen. Over the years, covering my reels at the mix, and then supervising, he taught me what dialogue should sound like, and how a mixer could bend and enhance performance, not just clean the track. How do you explain the direct neural connection between his ears and EQ knobs? However he does it, tweaked by that emotional bond, he changes what he's hearing out of the speakers into what he's hearing in his head. Visiting actors and location recordists quickly saw that their work was in good hands. I wish I could have better emulated his grace and patience in an industry often lacking in both. He treated everyone with the same kindness; directors to interns, receptionists to studio executives, all got the same Lee. Under insane deadlines, with little sleep, fielding constantly changing picture cuts, surrounded by arguing filmmakers, he kept the mix on an even keel — without raising his voice. We respect him for what he could do with a track; we love him for how he treated those around him. Michael Kirchberger Friend/Colleague/Mentee; Sound Editor n I have often been a recordist on films I have directed and, in my early career, did sound on others' films. On the movies I shoot today, I always wear a Comtek in the field. Sound is such a crucial part of any good film. Lee is a true master. If he hears the crack of a golf ball being hit, without looking he can tell what club was used to hit it. That's how attuned he is to sound. My first film as director and producer, Harlan County USA, was incredibly difficult to make. I went into debt and knew I would have to do everything in my power to get it finished. During post, I met with the great Lee Dichter to persuade him to work with me. I thought I would never convince him to mix my movie because he was already the top mixer with whom everyone dreamed of working. But Lee has been a devoted lifelong union member and advocate. When he saw Harlan was about coal miners fighting for their right to be part of the union, and how women took over the picket lines — and that it was a documentary infused with music — not only did he work on it, he did it for next to nothing. He believed in what the film was about. Lee is so much fun to work with. During our sessions, we found ourselves talking about anything and everything, laughing and enjoying working together. I felt like the luckiest girl imaginable whenever I got to work with Lee again on a number of films, like American Dream and Wild Man Blues. I've seen him perform miracles on films. I'm proud and honored to have worked with Lee and hope to do so in the future (hint, hint). Barbara Kopple Friend/Colleague; Recordist, Director, Producer n I first met Lee in the summer of 1984 when I was a young tech at Sound One. I hardly knew anyone and was eager to learn as much as I could. It was quite obvious to me that Lee was special and I made it a point to learn his secrets. Quite often, I started hanging in the mix studios to fathom the ins and outs. I wanted to know everything about the workflow and the technology that make it happen. But then I realized I should pay more attention to something else. I saw Lee performing magic every day. He was (and still is, amazingly, so many years later) masterful when it comes to mixing sound for movies — but that wasn't what got my attention. After all, I was very new to the industry and couldn't tell much difference between bad, good or great sound. What I experienced was how amazing Lee is with people. He is most gracious, respectful, sensitive and super-professional to every person around him at all times. He made every person in the room feel comfortable, even when ideas were in conflict. Lee, my mentor, thank you for a long and precious friendship. Avi Laniado Friend/Colleague/Mentee; Chief Engineer, Harbor Picture Company n I n 1978, Evan Lottman asked me to be the supervising sound editor of Jerry Schatzberg's film The Seduction of Joe Tynan. Jerry wanted to mix with someone other than Richard Vorisek. I knew of Lee; he was an accomplished documentary mixer at Photo-Mag. Lee and his brother mixed there in side-by- side studios, his sister Beverly booked the clients and Sybil Brown was at the front desk, while his dad Murray kept everyone on their toes. Photo-Mag was basically a commercial mix house. Mixing dramatic features was what Lee aspired to do. What I did not know at the time was how much fun mixing could be. Lee made the experience a joy. He slid his tracks around from the console, and would take affront at the suggestion to stop