Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1469840
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S U M M E R 2 0 2 2 25 is a long process. They are involved in the film several months before the final mix, therefore, constant communication with picture editors, directors, and the rest of the team allowed them to discuss ideas and try new concepts to make the film work in the best way. They enter the process early on from storyboards and animatics so the whole team can identify what works on the film and what doesn't. They keep building from that, having narrative, visual, musical, and sound elements in mind as storytelling tools, tested through constant screenings and always evolving as an ongoing process. Being in the same facilities contributed to the success of the process, they add. During the pre-dubs and final mix, which they did at Skywalker, David usually did a dialogue pass first. He mentions that one advantage of having Gabriel on the dubbing stage as a re-recording mixer is that he knows all the details of the dialogue because he was involved in the recording process, so they could help each other out. Then David made a music pass, and Gabriel jumped in with the FX pass. However, in some scenes with a lot of action, they would change the order. It is an organizational event working on these films with such a large number of tracks. They handled hundreds of music tracks with appropriate splits that enabled David to create an image of the orchestra that is immersive without being distractive, while having the overall screen-oriented perspective. To keep track of this, David usually has the written score with him at the mixing stage. Given his musical background, his collaboration with composers is transparent as they can communicate in the same language, and that helps with the tension and emotions that sometimes occur at the dub stage. "It is important to gain the trust of the composers," he adds. he worked to broaden the scope of mixers that were part of the organization and opened it to more members. Throughout his career, he has seen the evolution of technology and has been lucky to be at the edge of innovation. On the other hand, Gabriel Guy CAS went to college for a degree in Anthropology, and he thought his future would be around this field of study. He started playing trumpet and guitar in fourth grade. However, doing radio in high school and college allowed him to explore sound. It was his first mixing experience; mixing radio from CD players, turntables, and cartridges for the promos. He was excited by the sound of things and loved radio shows. He started in the industry 23 years ago at Skywalker Sound and met David 20 years ago when David, while working for Todd- AO, went to Skywalker to mix a film. Gabriel was the mix tech for Gabriel, then moved to Todd-AO and later both moved—to Disney to work on live-action and animation projects. Gabriel began working on dialogue recording at Disney and then moved to mixing shorts, temps, promos, and then feature films. The first film they mixed together was Frozen (2013). Since then, eight feature films plus a lot of shorts and other projects have brought them as partners on the mixing stage. For Encanto, Gabriel had around 21 days of SFX premix. David had around 10 days for dialogue and around seven days for songs. For the final mix, they had around three days per reel. However, it is a lot more work than just the days at the dubbing stage. It goes back to the early stages of the film as every aspect of sound quality has to be considered throughout the process and kept consistent, so it Doc Kane CAS, Paul McGrath CAS, David E. Fluhr CAS, David Boucher CAS, and Alvin Wee. Photo: Alex J. Berliner