Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512183
84 M PS E . O R G offered them opportunities to do mix fixes and be recognised as an important member of the team. Assisting on those mixes was always the highlight of the project, when the team bunkers down in the mix theatre and, over long days, together creates a defining soundtrack. It was on the final mix for a Phillip Noyce film called Catch a Fire (2006) that Andrew encouraged me to challenge myself and try editing some tricky ADR on the mix stage that wasn't working. Andrew could have cut it himself, but he offered this opportunity to me to help me grow. Andrew had trained and worked as a psychologist before entering the film industry, so I think he could see my crippling self-doubt and wanted to help me conquer it. I cut that ADR as if my life depended on it and presented it to the mix. Phillip was thrilled with what I'd done, and I was so proud of myself. It made me realise that I could do it. After that, I stopped working as an assistant and began my career as a sound editor on films for Huzzah Sound. Working with Andrew was a great privilege. He had earned the respect of directors, producers, and his peers, so he naturally attracted the most sought-after film projects. They trusted him because they knew he spoke the language of film; he knew what made a great soundtrack and he knew how to achieve it. They also respected him so highly that they would listen and make budgeting adjustments when he advocated for his crew to have realistic schedules and wages. Most importantly, Andrew knew how to make work fun. He enjoyed a joke, and his laugh was so unbridled, you could recognise it from miles away. To this day, when I run into people who worked with Andrew, they all say they can still hear his glorious laugh when they think of him. A bakery aficionado and an excellent baker himself, we would punctuate the schedule with homemade birthday cakes and treats. Andrew's birthday is one week after mine, so we would always celebrate together, blowing out candles on two neighbouring cakes. It wasn't below him to wear a party hat on such occasions. A great communicator and a great listener, Andrew's office was a bustling place full of chatter and laughter. People were always coming and going, some seeking counsel, others seeking information, most just wanting to say hello. And there was usually a student on attachment observing it all. It was a beautiful, chaotic space, calmed by the dulcet tones of Lucinda Williams or Neil Young or a balladeer you hadn't heard before, singing honest, heartfelt words, quietly in the background. I think it's fair to say that our industry is all about getting opportunities to prove yourself. It's one thing to get an opportunity and to prove yourself, but to offer that opportunity to others, and guide them through it, is above and beyond. Andrew Plain offered that to so many of us; Huzzah Sound was akin to a school of learning and industry exposure. He employed us blind of the common prejudices, like gender, family commitments, or age. It is testament to his legacy that there are so many of us now at the height of our careers challenging the status quo. I hope one day I can offer even a fraction of what Andrew has to the industry. ■ Andrew with Linda Murdoch His peers trusted him because he spoke the language of film; he knew what made a great soundtrack and he knew how to achieve it.