Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1122868
44 S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y operator for 20 years, and the move to mixer was daunting. Working on that show opened up other opportunities that eventually led to American Crime Story. Any particular mentors help you get there? I would say Petur Hliddal and Karl Fisher had the biggest impact on me. I was trying to transition from nonunion to union when Karl recommended me to Petur. Those two great gentlemen gave me the foundation for how I approach the job today. Was there an overarching directive from the powers that be/the show runner regarding the approach of the show's sound? Yeah, we don't loop! Ha! Was there a personal approach brought to bear after hearing about the show for the first time? My approach to the job is that I like to maintain a low-key presence. I only press when shooting performance angles (i.e., close-ups). Then I'll be cognizant of the needs of the production; if the sun is going down and we need a wide and tight, I'll encourage the production to shoot them together. My crew is here to serve the best needs of the show, not the best needs of our department. I took note while watching the show that some of it appears to have been shot right in the heart of Miami's South Beach, an extraordinarily busy area. What were the particular challenges shooting both on the beach and on Ocean Drive? CAS Award Winner – Limited Series MEET THE WINNERS The Assassination of Gianni Versace "The Man Who Would Be Vogue" by Patrick Spain FX's true crime anthology American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (Part1) "The Man Who Would Be Vogue," is the story of just that; the unforeseen murder of Gianni Versace on the front steps of his mansion in South Beach in 1990. Only in this retelling the story is told in reverse. The show begins with the crime and backs into the unhinged world of the killer. The team that brought 1990 back to life and exposed the inner struggle of the disturbed Andrew Cunanan was production sound mixer John Bauman CAS, re-recording mixers Joe Earle CAS and Doug Andham CAS, ADR mixer Judah Getz CAS, and Foley mixer Arno Stephanian. JOHN BAUMAN CAS: Production Sound Mixer You are from Southern California, and it sounds like you had family in the business. Is that how you started? My grandfather and two uncles were in sound. I remember visiting sets as a child and being awed by it all. I never thought I'd be sitting in the mixer's chair. Well, that certainly seems like it piqued your interest. How did it begin for you professionally? In the early '90s, direct-to-video erotic thrillers were all the rage. I started as a boom operator making $50-$100/day on nonunion movies like Victim of Desire and Turn of the Blade. What was your first big break? It was when Sean Rush called me to mix second unit on Season 1 of American Horror Story. By that time, I had been a boom Production mixer John Bauman CAS on the set