In Memory of George E. Simpson (1944 – 2009)

George Simpson

Soundelux Helps Prepare “Astro Boy” for Lift Off

Supervising Sound Editor Richard L. Anderson of Soundelux

Soundelux provided sound design and editorial services for Astro Boy, the animated feature set for release today from Summit Entertainment. Academy Award-winning Supervising Sound Editor Richard L. Anderson led the team that also included Sound Effects Editor George Simpson, Supervising Foley Editor Paul Aulicino, Sound Designer Tim Walston and Sound Effects Editor Mike Chock.

Directed by David Bowers (Flushed Away), Astro Boy is based on the iconic cartoon character created by Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka. The film features the voices of Nicholas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland and Freddie Highmore as Astro Boy.

Anderson has more than a hundred films to his credit including many animated films. Among them are Shrek the Third, Flushed Away, Madagascar and Shark Tale. He won an Academy Award in 1982 for Raiders of the Lost Ark.

MPSE Sound Show to Feature STAR TREK

Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) has announced details regarding their upcoming “Sound Show,” which will boldly present an exploration of the sonic worlds of this summer’s blockbuster Star Trek from Paramount Pictures.

 

Join award winning Supervising Sound Editor Mark Stoeckinger (Mission: Impossible III, The Last Samurai) and Co-Supervising Sound Editor Alan Rankin (Windtalkers, The Amityville Horror) – both from Soundelux – as they demonstrate the process of creating an epic soundtrack for the action-packed reboot of the long-running science institution. Specially prepared sequences will be shown to reveal the variety of elements used to create a new universe of sound.

 

Joining them to tell the whole sonic story are Picture Editors Mary Jo Markey and Maryann Brandon (Mission: Impossible III, Alias), Composer Michael Giacchino (Ratatouille, Lost) and Re-Recording Mixers Andy Nelson & Anna Behlmer (Mission: Impossible III, Cloverfield).

 

And as if that wasn’t enough, the presenters will be rounded out by our very special guest, Director J.J Abrams (Mission: Impossible III, producer Cloverfield, creator Alias, co-creator Lost).

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2009 @ 8:00 PM

 

Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills

 

For ticket information, please visit the MPSE’s web site.

Update: Read coverage from ProSoundNews here.

Soundelux London’s Eddy Joseph Takes Top “Conch” Award

Supervising Sound Editor Eddy Joseph of Soundelux

Soundelux London Supervising Sound Editor Eddy Joseph was awarded Best UK Film Sound Editor/Designer at the UK Screen Sound Awards 2009, popularly known as “The Conch.” Soundelux also picked up two awards for its work on Quantum of Solace. The awards came for Best Film Soundtrack of The Year (Over £10 Million) and Best Foley Project.

Now in its fourth year, The Conch honors the best work in the British audio industry. The awards were announced September 22 at a ceremony at Kings Hall, London. 

“On behalf of everyone at CSS Studios, I would like to congratulate Eddy Joseph on receiving this honor from his peers in the British audio industry,” said CSS Studios President, Robert C. Rosenthal. “Eddy is an exceptionally talented artist and represents the best of his craft, and we are extremely proud to have him as a member of the CSS Studios family.”

Joseph has won numerous awards for creative excellence over the course of his distinguished career, including two BAFTA Awards for Best Sound (for Casino Royale and Pink Floyd: The Wall). His recent projects include Green Zone, Quantum of Solace and Vantage Point.

Sound One Mixes Lee Daniels’ “Precious”

"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"

Sound One recently provided sound editorial and mixing services for the Lee Daniels film “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” set for a limited release in November by Lionsgate. Sound One’s team for the film included Re-Recording Mixers Reilly Steele and Roberto Fernandez, Supervising Sound Editor Bob Hein, Music Editor Eric Hirsch, ADR Mixers Bobby Johanson and David Boulton, Foley Artist Jay Peck and Foley Mixer Ryan Collison. 

The film won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, as well as a Special Jury Prize for the film’s star, Mo’Nique. It also won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Variety’s John Anderson called the film “courageous and uncompromising” and “a diamond—clear, bright, but oh so hard.”

Reilly Steele is a two-time BAFTA Award nominee whose credits also include “Brokeback Mountain”, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “The Sixth Sense.” Hein’s recent credits include “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, “Definitely, Maybe” and “Music and Lyrics”.

Sound One is the east coast’s premier audio post-production facility, home to five re-recording studios, two ADR studios, a Foley studio with a comprehensive prop collection, and nearly one hundred editing suites. Sound One is centrally located on Broadway in the historic Brill Building in midtown Manhattan.

Tarantino’s “Glourious Editers”

Head over to the Editors Guild Magazine to check out their cover story on Inglourious Basterds, featuring interviews with picture editor Sally Menke as well as Wylie Stateman and Harry Cohen of Soundelux.

Debra Kaufman’s interview with Wylie and Harry can be found here and Garrett Gilchrist’s interview with Sally Menke can be found here.

Todd-AO Wins Emmy for HBO’s “Entourage”

Dennis Kirk and son Jesse

Re-Recording Mixers Dennis Kirk and Bill Jackson from CSS Studios’ Todd-AO facility have won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-hour) and Animation for their work on the HBO series Entourage. They shared the award with Production Mixer Tom Stasinis.

Kirk and Jackson received the award at the 2008-2009 Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards held by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, September 12^th, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Kirk previously won an Emmy in 2007, also for Entourage.  This is Jackson’s first Emmy Award.

Bill and Linda Jackson

“On behalf of all of us at CSS Studios, I congratulate Dennis and Bill on this wonderful accomplishment,” said CSS Studios President, Robert C. Rosenthal. “We are very pleased that the Academy has recognized their artistry, which continues a long tradition for excellence in sound at Todd-AO.”

Veteran Foley Sound Effects Artist Gary Hecker Joins Todd-AO

Gary Hecker

Award-winning Foley artist, Gary Hecker, has joined CSS Studios’ Todd-AO. One of the most accomplished Foley artists in Hollywood, Hecker has contributed to more than 200 films in a career spanning almost three decades.  Among his recent credits are 2012, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Angel & Demons, Watchmen and the Spiderman trilogy.

At Todd-AO, Hecker will serve as Supervising Foley Artist, and while continuing to work on films, will also seek to grow the facility’s Foley department. “Gary Hecker is synonymous with Foley and enjoys universal respect in the Hollywood sound community,” said CSS Studios President, Robert C. Rosenthal. “He is an exceptional talent, one who has helped to define his craft, and he makes a wonderful addition to our team.”

Hecker, who spent the past 16 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment, likened his move to Todd-AO to a reunion. “There are several artists at Todd-AO and its sister company Soundelux—including Lon Bender, Wylie Stateman, Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers and Mark Stoeckinger—with whom I worked early in my career,” he said. “I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with them again and to ensure that Todd-AO has the best Foley stage in the industry.”

Hecker became enamored with Foley while still in high school and has worked in the field his entire career. He is the recipient of three Golden Reel Awards, most recently in 2006 for War of the Worlds, to go with more than 20 Golden Reel nominations. He has also contributed to several films that have garnered Academy Awards or Academy Award nominations for sound, including Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, War of the Worlds, Road to Perdition and Memoirs of a Geisha.   In 1998, Entertainment Weekly named Hecker to its list of the “100 Most Creative People in Entertainment.”

Hecker is also well known for creating special voices for films. He helped create the “voice” of Godzilla in the 1998 remake of the film of that name and did voice work for the aliens featured in the 1996 film Independence Day.  He also supplied vocal elements for Seabiscuit, 300, Shrek and Mighty Joe Young.

“I’m a creative guy and it’s the creative aspects of Foley that have always appealed to me,” Hecker said. “I also like working with other sound artists and making my clients happy.”

Per Hallberg on Sound Design for “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”

Per Hallberg, Soundelux

Supervising Sound Editor Per Hallberg of Soundelux and director Stephen Sommers discuss the sound design work for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Watch the video here.

Post Magazine – “Sonic Soldiers”

Pick up a copy of Post Magazine’s August edition to read interviews with Supervising Sound Editor Wylie Stateman of Soundelux and Re-recording Mixer Michael Minkler of Todd-AO regarding their work on Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.