Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535880
18 M PS E . O R G BY CHARLES MAYNES MPSE Solange Schwalbe MPSE Board member and Sergeant at Arms In 1981, I got into the Motion Picture Editors Guild, but not on to the Industry Experience Roster at ABC-TV Network Film. After three years there, I got a job opportunity at Universal Feature Trailers. The head of the department said no, because my name was not on the Roster. The man who hired me felt so bad that he called a friend of his Getting into "The Industry" is something each of our members has a unique, and usually unusual path into the film, TV, interactive, and gaming audio community. MPSE Wavelength is pleased to present an ongoing column that presents the various experiences of our membership in their path into the industry. Our MPSE Board of Directors will be presenting their experience, and we would love to see our membership contribute to this column about their experiences, as well. at Ruby-Spears Animation, who hired me as an assistant editor to build tracks on 35mm film for the films Rainbow Brite and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Working on those at Ruby-Spears allowed me to qualify for the Experience Roster. After two years working in animation, I got a job as an assistant on a nonunion feature called The Oasis. And while working on that feature, I got a call from the Editors Guild. They wanted me to go to Thundertracks, a union sound house here in Los Angeles, for an interview to work on a feature. Their head assistant, Linda Whittlesey, wanted a female assistant to work in their pool of men. Since there were 10 women on the Roster, they promised Linda that they would interview all 10 of us. When I arrived at Thundertracks, I discovered I was number 10. When I arrived, they took me down a long hallway that had different Bozo depictions with Oscar categories on the wall. Best Actor, Best Producer, Best Director, Best Makeup, etc. I thought it was a riot! When I got to the backroom where the interview was conducted, the three supervisors at Thundertracks, Steve Flick, Richard Anderson, and Mark Mangini, sat on the floor. I sat in a director's chair. To my surprise, they asked me nothing about film. They asked me about my bicycle tour, my dogs, everything but film. It was so fun. After the interview as I was leaving, I grabbed a piece of 35mm film out of the trash and I wrote "Bozo Screams 357" and stuck it on the wall and called it "Best Sound." I was hired the next day to work on the film Gremlins. My career launched after that. Who knew? The Bozo Wall. I've done sound editing on 175 features since. BREAKING ENTERING &