Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512183
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 75 that he inspired a generation of students to specialise in film sound. While a good number of those who waylaid him after his lectures were taken on as interns and sometimes later as staff at Huzzah Sound, his mentoring also involved generous advice and assistance to film study/ theory students. In 2001, Andrew received the Centenary Medal in the New Year's Honours, 'For service to Australian society and to Australian film production,' a fitting acknowledgement of his high public and professional standing and his dedication to Australian film. His overall vision was of a society in which creativity, critical thinking, technical skills, and professional integrity, along with commitment to issues of social justice, are highly valued. on film sound at the University of Newcastle, Australia, when I was working there. Apart from a gruelling work schedule, he was in constant demand for his lectures and master classes all over Australia and I quickly discovered why. Not only was he a speaker of wit, clarity and substance, but his long experience of gathering and working creatively with sounds meant he possessed that priceless attribute of those who work with sound—he was a highly attentive listener. As someone who understood the vital difference between hearing and listening, he was always attuned to the idiosyncratic rhythms of give and take that characterises true dialogue. For these reasons, he was capable of coaxing coherent insights from even the most tongue-tied of students. Hence, it is not surprising and therefore, put into practice a long-held dream that had been almost impossible to achieve in the analogue era—creating a sense of sounds as shapes. And he welcomed the way new techniques of placement and more complex layering allowed for other new expressive possibilities in the construction of the narrative and its characters. However, he was cautious about the push toward 'perfect' sound and image and found attempts to sweep the audience along with 'big sound' all too often results in a kind of hollowing out, giving the audience a false sense of fullness and contributing to the easily digestible but forgettable quality of some contemporary films. One of Andrew's many generous acts during our 30-year friendship was to give a series of guest lectures Freelance picture and sound editors, Spectrum Films, Willoughby, Sydney, 1988 (Andrew back row, 4th from the left).