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 65 SOUND SOUND SOUND Who or what sparked your interest in sound? What made you decide to seek a career in sound? I grew up in suburban Tampa, Florida, spending a lot of time watching movies on TV and in theatres, as well as drawing, painting, sailing, and generally having a good time. As I got into my early teens, my friends and I started making 8mm, Super 8mm and eventually, 16mm movies. My friend Tom Roche (now a documentary filmmaker) had what I thought was the coolest thing ever—a four-track reel-to-reel tape recorder— so he created the soundtracks. Bruce Baldwin (now a biologist at Johns Hopkins) was generally the hero and my main sidekick. I was lucky to grow RICHARD KING has been working in sound for nearly four decades, so his contribution to the soundscape of our viewing lives is hard to imagine. Having studied painting and drawing, as well as film at University, it's easy to see his painterly hand at work in the sound for so many films. With an ear for detail, and years of experience leading creative teams, Richard is the recipient of four Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, and four MPSE Awards for Best Sound Editing. He is also the recipient of the MPSE's Career Achievement Award. When I asked Peter Weir what he would say about Richard's work, he likened Richard to a conductor and a master of his craft. Where do you start to unpick such an amazing and extensive career? up around a bunch of smart, curious, and creative kids. I stuck around Tampa long enough to graduate from the University of South Florida with a BA in fine arts, then moved to NYC and got a full-time job at a small company which made industrials and documentary films and before too long, I got the chance to do some picture and sound editing. I found the picture editing to be more of an intellectual challenge, more like a puzzle since there are limitations with the materials you're provided. But I thought sound editing was truly an open field, the only limitation being your imagination and time. One of the documentaries, produced by the USIA, was about the building of an enormous hydro- W ITH SOUND