Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1487730
good at working with brilliant but prickly artistic personalities. More importantly, I found the work endlessly fascinating (and still do) because the musical problems, and the way creative teams work, are different in every film. I can easily spend 30 minutes slightly altering the sync of music in a scene, and dissecting how each version affects the story or emotions. (If that sounds interesting to you, then dial 1-800-MX-WANNABE now!) PL: I can imagine that other than when you're needed on the mix stage, much of your work is done in a solitary setting. How has the pandemic affected it? JER: The chemistry and communication you get from having artists physically in the same room is irreplaceable, and when you're making a film, it's particularly important because you're creating a ride that you hope people will experience as a group. But we did what we had to do in the COVID crisis. The manifold health benefits of working at home are that I drive less, eat better food, and get to be more flexible for exercising and family needs. The disadvantages are that it can be much harder to feel like I'm on the same team as editorial because there are things happening and changing on a production that you normally pick up just by being in the same hallway. In addition, trying to understand someone's reaction to music is much harder if you're not sitting next to them. The best communication is eyeball to eyeball; people sharing the same experience in the same room. I'm still as willing as ever to drive an hour so that I can show a five-minute music clip in person. PL: You recently won the Golden Reel Award (along with Ramiro Belgardt and David Channing) for your work on the remake of West Side Story ( WSS). Congratulations! Can you tell us a little about that experience? Joe E Rand on the Sony Lot, 2016 Joe E Rand with Oscar-winning composer James Horner, 2013