Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1491451
Spring 2023 – LOCAL695.ORG 23 the beach. As I dug myself out from under the camo nets, I was doing everything in my power to hold back tears. It wasn't the only time I have cried on a film set. But when I saw the scene in the theater, it's some of the most exciting cinema I have ever witnessed—much less having been lucky enough to have been a part of. My point is that this work is always a place of intense concentration and attention. But it can be so very rewarding. Finally, I did get a call to join the team for Fabelmans. And yes of course, I was available. It was exciting to be on a set with Steven again. The script was intimate and powerful, and it had a strong cast of people with whom I really wanted to work. We all approach our projects in different ways. For me, the most important decision I get to make is in the selection of crew. Since the use of radio microphones has become ubiquitous, the utility sound position is as important as any other in the department. Of course, the personality and skill of the boom operator, the set-facing emissary of the department, continues to be of critical importance. I asked Steven, "Who is going to talk?" His reply, "Everyone!" I hunkered down with a mix panel and recorder set on apple boxes. To be hidden from the camera, I was under camouflage nets, and I was being jostled and kicked by actors in combat boots, full battle gear, and weaponry. The camouflage nets had been hastily pulled from the beach, and were caked with sand and grit which filtered down onto me and the sound gear. The seas were getting quite rough as we started filming, everyone just trying to hang on, and waves started coming over the bow of the landing craft. I grappled with the gear to try to keep it above the rising water in the bottom of the craft. Bob Jackson stood next to Mitch Dubin at the handheld camera, and cued the boom at whoever was speaking. It was a high-energy scene and the actors were shouting to be heard over the roar of the engines and seas. But in the middle of a take, I noticed the overload lights starting to flash on the right side on my Sonosax mixer. Despite my efforts, it was getting wet. When I had a second, I quickly re-patched Bob's mic cable into an input that I thought still might be dry—and I prayed that the thing would last long enough for us to get the scene. After a few more takes, Steven yelled "cut" as the rain turned into a deluge. The landing craft turned to motor slowly back toward Production Mixer Ron Judkins