Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541592
80 M PS E . O R G C5 Inc. was founded in 1989 by sound editors Phil Stockton, Skip Lievsay, Ron Bochar, Bruce Pross, and one other major investor. Named for the number of original partners and its location in Chelsea, the company was established to provide a permanent, high-tech space for sound design and audio post-production for film and television in New York City. The need for this full-service sound facility and its talent was evident from inception. Initially, the facility featured a small in-house Men in Black, to name a few. In 1999, the company underwent an expansion to attract work from West Coast facilities. With the departure of founding partner Bruce Pross, there was a need for a more permanent Foley mixer solution. For Foley artist Marko Costanzo, the decision was easy, and he, along with sound editor Ben Cheah, insisted that the team pursue Foley mixer George A. Lara. George was a 12- year journeyman Foley mixer at Sound One Studios in New York, working with the likes of legendary Foley artists Elisha Birnbaum and Brian Vancho. Marko and George met at Sound One and worked together from 1986 to 1989. With the addition of George to the C5 Foley team, that partnership was set up to solidify and flourish. The expansion included the conversion of a warehouse in Northvale, New Jersey, creating the C5 Foley House—the largest Foley stage on the East Coast. The C5 partners designed and oversaw the construction of this new facility, incorporating input from both George and Marko on the layout's functionality. The massive 60'x30'x16' unobstructed room was designed to be a room within a room, divided into three, 20'x30', 6-inch-thick concrete floating floors, propped up on hockey puck-sized discs were set in place to absorb the sub-level frequencies (rumble). This isolation system improved the bass quality by reducing rattling and unwanted vibrations. This resulted in cleaner, more precise low- end recordings. The new space included several specialized surfaces. Ceramic tiles both large and small, linoleum tiles and oil cloth coverings. There was also a 16x16 feet dirt pit which contained a mud area, sand, different gravels, street tar, and slate. One section had a water pit used for lakes, rivers and the ocean. Storage for their extensive props collection was accommodated in the sizable attic space. The garage area was initially intended to be isolated, sealed off, and soundproofed, allowing automobiles to drive in for Foley studio. This stage was equipped to handle a high volume of post- production projects, but its constraints became evident as time wore on. During C5's early, formative years, Foley artist Marko Costanzo worked under the supervision of sound editor Bruce Pross on numerous films that became staples of cinema history— Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs, Spike Lee's Malcolm X, the Coen brothers' Fargo, and Barry Sonnenfeld's Foley house circa 2000 L-R: Assistant editor Larry Wineland, lawyer Dennis John, supervising sound editor/mixer Skip Lievsay and Foley mixer George A. Lara. Marko with the Maniciles for O' Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000.