Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500189
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 27 fantastic!' He does another take, 'That was great!' And he would keep going. The minute I'd say, 'Oh, the sync on that one was not too good'— he was done. But as long as you keep telling him it's great, he'd give you take after take. And they were all different and they're all great. He was phenomenal. When I worked with Tom Cruise [on Top Gun: Maverick], he watches the scene and memorizes it and doesn't even look at the cue sheets. He's a genius at it. He has the whole film in his head. He's very intuitive. He's also really respectful of the directors. I had Tom Waits offer me a coat hanger once—he helped me tie up the dragging muffler in my old MGB, while he was at Fantasy Studios working on Big Time. VRS: What has been your most challenging sound job so far? Why? GYW: Challenging can mean many different things. A job can be challenging because there is not enough time or budget for staff to do the job you know the project deserves. It can be challenging because of technical difficulties, it can be challenging because of the personalities—so this is a very 'Challenging' question to answer! Every show has its own quirks. The trick for me is to settle into the plusses of every situation to deliver a track that makes the director prouder of their film. VRS: You mentioned the importance of mentoring other women to get into sound editing. What is your advice to women who may want to do this? GYW: I do think this is changing for the better in the past few years. Awareness has pushed the facilities and supervisors to hire entry-level people from different cultural backgrounds and gender orientations. It is important to get people up to speed so they are confident and capable of doing the work; we don't want to set them up for failure. Most of the new hires I have met at Skywalker are quickly picking up the skills they need beyond knowing Pro Tools and have already enhanced the quality of work being done. We all need to share what we know with those coming up, and I learn soooo much from them too, it is very symbiotic. When I started, it was so different from what it is now. You do have to know Pro Tools. And computers. I learned on the job, as I'm sure you did. In many ways, I'm not qualified to do my job! I tell interns and new hires to be audacious, brave, tenacious, keep your ears open and listen to how the world sounds. Sit in a hotel lobby and listen to voices— listen for how their voices bounce off the walls and ceilings—listen to the doors—listen to people walking in the lobby or outside, down the street. My husband Jeff makes fun of me. When we go to a restaurant, he knows when I'm eavesdropping on the conversation at the next table! I listen to the cadence of how they talk and I'll make a note. 'Ooo, I like that line—I can use that for a loop group!' [A group of actors who improv crowd scenes.] Be aware of the world around you. Take your earbuds out. Stop scrolling on your phone. Listen to the waves and how different they sound. Pay attention to the world wherever you are. Listen to birds. Listen to what's annoying or not. What would you leave out? What would you put in? What time of year is it and how do the seasons affect the sounds? You want to work with people who are capable and pleasant to be around. Keep the negativity to a minimum. Keep your spirits up and L-R: Chris Scarabosio, Gwen, and Ben Burtt at Fox for Munich (2005). Right: Halloween at Fox on Avatar (2009).