Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546135
C I N E M A A U D I O S O C I E T Y. O R G 75 to make them from scratch. She proudly took on the challenge and when she had completed the mission, came out to set to meet Kirk for the first time. My memory is that Kirk greeted her with a smile, ate his fill of chocolate croissants, grumbled his compliments to the chef, and then he went back to his work. Having lived through my experiences while getting to know Kirk, she took that as the highest compliment! Over the course of the filming of this movie, it became clear to me that Kirk had taken to me. He began looking for opportunities to help me move along in my career as he knew I had dreams of one day becoming a production sound mixer. He tasked me with recording the sound for the second unit. He worked it out with the producers that I receive my first mixing credit on the film as he saw that opportunity as being something that would greatly help my career. Eventually, our time on 12 Years a Slave was wrapping up. It occurred to me that I was not ready for my time with Kirk to come to an end. This was such a strange realization for me as it was in stark contrast with how I began the job. I was disappointed to be saying goodbye, especially since I had heard that this was to be his last film project before entering retirement. He gifted me a ukulele that I began practicing daily—as well as that propane camping stove. We stayed in touch almost daily. A couple of years later, I got an urgent phone call from Kirk. He asked if I still had that stove top, which I sure did. He was coming back to New Orleans to shoot Jurassic World and wanted to make sure I was available! We picked right back up where we had left off. Our summer weather setlist expanded as we were right back to playing tunes for anyone within earshot of our sound trailer. The biggest difference this time was that a good portion of the film was shot on a soundstage. Kirk absolutely hated being indoors. So, we set him up outside under a tent with his Cantar recorder on his cart and we ran an analog snake into the set so the transmitters and receivers could be sacrificed to the inhumane conditions of a cold and dark soundstage. There were times when the rain would be absolutely pouring. I remember one particular time hearing the sound of what seemed like deafening white noise over his slate microphone as his voice yelled, "SPEED!" I immediately ran out to check on him, and what I saw upon opening that door is still seared into my brain to this day. Kirk, who was wearing a light rain jacket, shorts, and white shrimp boots was completely drenched. He was fiercely holding onto the tent with one hand, mixing with the other hand, and the wind and rain were coming in sideways! I panicked and grabbed hold of the tent to help him so he could continue to use both hands, but he ordered me to go back inside and that he was perfectly content. And I knew that he was. It was his preferred place to be indiscriminately alongside nature—armed with his binoculars, his trusty anemometer, and his headphones regardless of the conditions. Again, Kirk arranged for me to mix the second unit on this movie. He was always looking out for me and offering me his guidance every step of the way. The first day on this massive set, he left me a clipboard for my sound reports with his personal words of wisdom written with permanent marker, "Don't Fuck It Up, Kid!" It gave me a huge smile and all the confidence I needed to succeed. I knew he was in my corner and that he trusted me with the keys to the car. We shared more meals on that job and played a lot more music. I got to know his lovely wife Leslie when she came for a visit. Upon wrapping this film, we again said our goodbyes. However, this time it didn't feel quite as sad since I knew it would not be the end of our friendship. He went back to his home in Whidbey Island, Washington, and I continued along as normal in New Orleans. I got another call from Kirk sometime after he had officially retired from the film industry. He and his wife had finally fulfilled their dream of living on The Big Island of Hawaii. He broke some news to me that would again have a significant impact on my life. He decided to send me his remaining sound equipment so that I could finally make the leap into becoming a production sound mixer. I was thrilled and asked what I could do in return, to which he asked that I use some of my earnings to "Come to Hawaii to visit your ol' pal, Uncle Kirk." Deal! Over the next several weeks, box after box began to arrive at my doorstep. And, before long, I had just about everything needed to mix a small movie. The timing perfectly aligned with an opportunity that presented itself to me to mix my very first feature—a comedy by the name Keanu. I was thrilled and scared out of my mind, but Kirk was just a phone call away. He reminded me routinely of that most important piece of advice that he had scribbled across the clipboard.