Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521235
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 55 In the early 1980s, Avram's career had him jumping around the heart of Hollywood's studio system. Avram's trajectory led him to MGM with Lorimar's relocation. MGM was undergoing its own transformation under the ownership of Ted Turner. The studio landscape was in a state of constant flux, with mergers, acquisitions, and changing leadership reshaping the industry. During his time on Hill Street Blues in 1982, Avram worked alongside the talented team at Sam Horta's Horta Editorial & Sound, located in the heart of Burbank. Together with the Horta sisters, Avram delved into the intricate world of dialogue editing, contributing to the show's success. The atmosphere there was electric, fueled by the energy of a groundbreaking series that was pushing the boundaries of television. Avram became an integral part of the team, working tirelessly to ensure that every sound was just right. The recognition for Hill Street Blues extended beyond critical acclaim and viewer praise; it also garnered industry accolades, including Avram's first Emmy Award for sound editing. Despite the impressive array of projects he worked on, Avram remained modest about his contributions and the awards they garnered. While he acknowledged the industry recognition received by the sound houses he worked with, he never sought personal acclaim for his role in their success. By 1984, Avram was moving entirely into features, starting with uncredited ADR editing on Body Double with Steve Flick supervising at what was then named Thunder Tracks. Next came The Last Dragon, supervising and cutting the ADR at WallaWorks. Soundelux was Avram's next employer where he worked on the miniseries Space, cutting dialogue and ADR. From there, Avram joined the The Goonies post sound crew in 1985. Working within the TBS lot, Avram found himself immersed in a world where Steven Spielberg's influence was everywhere and resources seemed limitless. The atmosphere on the set of The Goonies was electric, with Richard Donner at the helm directing the action. Avram vividly recalls the excitement of being on the lot during lunch breaks, where he and his colleagues explored the elaborate sets, including the iconic beached pirate ship. This quarter-scale marvel was built within the massive sound stage #16, complete with a super huge tank that could be filled with water for filming lake or ocean scenes. The sound supervisors and editors all went on to become major players in our industry: Richard Anderson, Andy Patterson, Mary Andrews, Mike Benavente, Beth Bergeron, George Berndt, Marty Bram, Jim Christopher, Teresa Eckton, Don Flick, Warren Hamilton, Solange Schwalbe, Burt Weinstein, Dave Williams, Gary Wright, and Avram Gold. Avram's experience working on RoboCop brought him face-to-face with director Paul Verhoeven's unique approach to filmmaking. Verhoeven hailed from Europe where filming budgets were lower. Consequently, ADR recording was not as widely used and coming from this experience, Verhoeven opted to shoot the RoboCop optical effects scenes a second time, but without the high-speed and unblimped camera rolling, which eliminated the unwanted camera noise. This attention to detail meant that even complex shots involving the imposing Ed 209 robot model could be captured without compromising sound quality. For Avram, this meant syncing up the no-camera quiet tracks to the original noisy-camera production tracks, a process akin to working with ADR material. Despite the unconventional approach, Avram found the results to be remarkably effective. The duplicated scenes exactly mirrored the original production, seamlessly blending into the final cut of the film. Reflecting on this experience, Avram couldn't help but marvel at Verhoeven's ingenuity. The director's willingness to experiment with alternate techniques not only streamlined the filmmaking process but also showcased his commitment to achieving the Avram cutting sound for Lorimar on the MGM lot in 1979.