Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1075515
24 W I N T E R 2 0 1 9 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y be involved from early on and for a long time collaborating with others in planning an integrated approach. Involvement can take many different forms. On The Abyss, the challenges inherent in the production recording were significant, but we were also tasked with keeping the cast members, underwater crew, submersible operators and topside personnel in constant contact with each other as necessitated by both the creative process and their overall safety. Any hiccup from that end might require the company to surface, god forbid. As a result, it was in everyone's interest that we were kept very much in the loop by production. Long after the rest of the crew wrapped, usually the director was needing to decompress after working at depth. I'd play back audio for dailies he'd screen on his floating monitor, place phone calls, and otherwise keep the tank safe. On Rango, which was a rare opportunity for me to be involved on an animated project, our recordings were one aspect of the production which would carry straight through to the final product. Before we would move onto the next setup, we would often hear, "How was that for sound?" I enjoyed the heightened involvement we had on the three Pitch Perfect musicals with their ensemble casts, sometimes with upward of 40 pieces of music, as the sound department was always front and center, right in the crosshairs. Over the past decade, you've also been sprinkling in TV series work, including Luck, Bosch and the very popular Westworld. Was there something that led to you deciding to accept series- based work? I had done a number of pilots over the years, most often with feature directors with whom I'd worked. I enjoyed adapting to the challenges dictated by their compressed schedules, aware that they were still given a bit more breathing room than if the show would be going to series. Since a lot of scripted series work is like doing mini-movies, what do you see as the differences between working on fea- tures and series? I enjoy working in each of the formats for their respective qualities. I like the extended and deeper involvement you get by working on one long project as happens with features. Working the shorter episodes of a series, there's a nice balance between short cycles of initiation and completion coupled with the longer arc of story and character that's not possible on a feature. I also enjoy the working rhythm of a series crew. Let's talk tech. How have you adapted to recorder advancements over the years? Well, I started off in analog. I loved the full-track Nagras, they are such great machines. I have fond memories from those days, for many reasons. I was told I bought one of the first Nagra IV-S TCs in New York, but my timing was a little off. I had to drop an FM Piloton board back in because none of the productions had geared up yet for SMPTE! I was very intrigued by digital technology, so I bought a Sony PCM-F1 processor in the mid-'80s. That device allowed digital audio recording onto video tape. War of the Worlds In pre-OSHA days mixing in a trunk on Kiss the Girls. With utility tech Thomas Payne and boom op Nicholas Allen on the set of Wild Bill. Crouched under a desk on the bridge of a container ship during Blackhat. With Kevin Maloney booming a Golden Hour dolly shot of actor Chris O'Dowd on Get Shorty.