Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541592
82 M PS E . O R G achieve in a smaller, drier stage. The team conducted numerous tests to determine the ideal placement of the principal shotgun mics and the various room mics. These trials also influenced the choice and placement of wall treatments. It was a new and fantastic learning experience for all involved. Shortly thereafter, the team's next major recording challenge was the animated feature Ice Age, directed by Chris Wedge. Extensive collaboration and creativity went into creating and capturing the unique movements of mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, dodo birds, and other animal characters. Supervising sound editor Sean Garnhart attended the sessions to ensure the footsteps of the many prehistoric animals were distinct and discernible from one another. A truly synergistic process, Chris's feedback on Manfred the mammoth, Diego the Saber-toothed tiger, and Sid the clumsy sloth guided the creation of specific sonic footprints for each of them. The movements of the neurotic and often chaotic character Scrat became one of the film's most enjoyable challenges for the team. Following Ice Age, C5 prepared for Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York. One of the most unique directives of their careers came from Scorsese's desire to "hear pools of blood in the streets." At the instruction of sound supervisor Eugene Gearty, the team constructed several heavy wooden platforms with various surfaces to mimic the sounds of Manhattan's Five Points neighborhood, including roads, piers, apartments, churches, and most notably, cobblestone streets. These surfaces, along with the slate sidewalks, dirt areas, and cobblestone, were assembled in the large dirt pit. Movable foam walls were added to create a dry, anechoic sound environment for exterior recordings. Preliminarily, Marko and George would record key scenes, which were delivered to Eugene and picture editor Thelma Schoonmaker for integration into the work track. Feedback from Thelma and director Martin Scorsese guided any necessary adjustments. The events of September 11, 2001, brought Gangs' production to a halt due to the closure of Manhattan after the World Trade Center attacks. While work in the city stopped and the film went on hiatus, the New Jersey-based C5 Foley House stage remained operational, reconfiguring its space to record for Barry Sonnenfeld's Men in Black II. Foley artist Jay Peck joined this project in early 2002. When work on Gangs resumed, the advantages of the new, ample studio space became clear. The crew could manage multiple major projects simultaneously, keeping Marko, FS on Gangs of New York, 2002. Marko performing stabs on Gangs of New York.