Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1469942
SUMMER 2022 – LOCAL695.ORG 37 sessions to 35mm mag for the dub stage. I'll never forget the day Sony threw all their Moviolas in a dumpster out by Cannery Row. The Sound Editors were incensed. Even at 22 years old, I knew this was a tragedy. I got a drive-on and heaved one into the trunk of my big old 300SD. I still have it in my garage, the giant letters "MGM" in white vinyl across its side. How can you throw away that kind of history? Every day, I'd bring my highlighters and the only books I could find about editing and the new Avid system. John clocked them one day. "Are these your books?" he pointed. "Yes…" I said, not knowing if I was in trouble for reading at work. He nodded and walked away. Next thing I knew, they were helping me get my days to join the Editors Guild. I was over the moon. From there, I got work in assistant sound and film editing, and eventually became a Music Editor. But years of sitting in a room by myself in front of a computer were starting to take a toll. It was lonely work and it just didn't fit my personality. I needed a big family to work with every day. I needed the set. In 1998, Local 695 ceded the jurisdiction of Re-recording Mixers to Local 700 and I was able to switch my card over to Local 695. With one fateful morning phone call from Joe Foglia needing a Utility for his show Scrubs, my career was finally on track. I absolutely loved being a Sound Utility. I now had fifty people to say hi to every morning. I loved getting to know the actors, forging life-long friendships with costumers and camera assistants, ensuring our department was running smoothly, and learning all the new technology that had come out since my dad's days. We were still on DAT, but the CD-RAM was in the wings. Wiring, cabling, running around, snacks, whatever we needed. It was so much fun. Here's a fun fact: I never wanted to be a Sound Mixer. Anytime someone would ask me, my eyes would glaze over. The thought of buying all that gear (twice over), and worse, keeping track of it all is like herding a million little kittens made my stomach hurt. From tiny BNC barrel connectors to expensive, delicate mixing panels. No thank you. Watching mixers wrangle that headache was a cure-all for me. Plus, as a Utility, I basically had no homework, no off-the-clock stress. If the gear broke, I'd offer my sincerest condolences, send it out on a rush order, and run right back with the spare from the truck so we could keep rolling. By the time I hit thirty-eight thousand hours, I'd definitely reached my cruising altitude with a quick fix for any sudden fiasco. Nothing but a sports bra? I can wire that. Director threw their Comtek? Hello Keith, it's me again. In early 2020, Joe Foglia picked up a pilot and he, Kevin Santy and I were all set to have our usual great time for ten days. But on March 13, 2020, something truly terrifying happened. Transpo didn't show up to pick up the gear. If that doesn't send a chill down your spine, you've never worked in this business. If I ever write a horror movie, that's how it's going to start. Life had just been flipped upside down and inside out. COVID had arrived. I think it's safe to say we all re-prioritized our lives during the lockdown. Suddenly, we as hyperactive, workaholic film people, HAD to stay home, sleep in, and (hopefully) enjoy time with wherever and whomever we were stuck. We called people we hadn't spoken to in far too long, spent time in group Zooms with old and new friends, drank too much, or didn't drink enough. We rediscovered what was really important. LIVING. I frickin' loved it. When things started to loosen up, Misty Conn, Yvette Marxer, and I started meeting for drinks at whatever watering hole would have us. We'd talk about everything, but conversations often revolved around the business. "Anna, when are you going to MIX?!?" Yvette suddenly hollered in her South African accent, slamming her hand down on the table for emphasis. There it was again. Joe Foglia, Anna, and Boom Operator Kevin Santy on the set of Castle Anna on the backlot of Universal Studios, Chivalry, BBC. Photo: Jake Simon, Sound Utility