Who is Salt? Uncover the sound behind “Salt” in this exclusive SoundWorks Collection Sound for Film Profile featuring Re-recording mixer Greg P. Russell, Re-recording mixer Jeff Haboush, and Re-recording mixer Scott Millan.

Take an exclusive tour of the Walt Disney Studios located in Burbank, CA hosted by Gil Gagnon, VP of Post Production Services.

The Walt Disney Studios Post Production Services has a rich history in Dubbing dating back to the early 1940′s when Fantasia was mixed in the Main Theatre. Fantasia went on to win several technical achievement awards from the Academy as it was one of the first to mix in “Stereo” and it actually incorporated an early form of surround sound termed “Fantasound”.

The Sound Editorial department is staffed by a talented crew including two-time Oscar-winner George Watter II along with Robert Sephton, and Thomas de Gorter. The facilities include Pro Tools Digital Audio Workstations and 5.1 sound design rooms that are truly state-of-the-art. In addition, this world class facility provides complete sound integration and compatibility with the mixing stages in a conveniently located campus-like environment in Burbank, CA.

Join Skywalker Sound’s Re-Recording Mixer and Sound Designer  Tom Myers, Sound Re-Recording Mixer Michael Semanick, Director Lee Unkrich, and Stuart Bowling, Technical Marketing Manager at Dolby Laboratories as they take you behind-the-scene and discuss the sound of Toy Story 3.

Toy Story 3 will be released in Dolby Surround 7.1 in 12 languages in select cinema chains throughout Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latin America, New Zealand, North America, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

About Dolby Surround 7.1
The latest innovation from a pioneer in cinema sound, Dolby Surround 7.1 improves the spatial dimension of soundtracks and enhances audio definition. The result: full-featured audio that better matches the visual impact of movies.

With the ability for content creators to mix in a discrete 7.1 format, Dolby Surround 7.1 provides four surround zones to better orchestrate audio channels in a movie theatre environment. The four surround zones incorporate the traditional Left Surround and Right Surround with new Back Surround Left and Back Surround Right zones. The addition of the two Back Surround zones enhances directionality in panning 360 degrees around the theatre.

Dolby Surround 7.1 format comprises eight channels of audio and has the following channel layout: Left, Center, Right, Low-Frequency Effects (LFE), Left Surround, Right Surround, Back Surround Left (new), and Back Surround Right (new).

Movie Studio:
Pixar Animation

Directed by:
Lee Unkrich

Original Music by:
Randy Newman

Sound Department:
Sound Designer -Tom Myers
Supervising Sound Editors – Tom Myers & Michael Silvers
Re-recording Mixers – Michael Semanick & Tom Myers
Sound Effects Editors – Dustin Cawood, Teresa Eckton, Al Nelson, Tim Nielsen
Foley Editors – Pascal Garneau & Dee Selby
ADR Editors -Steve Slanec & Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Assistant Supervising Sound Editor – Mac Smith
Assistant Sound Effects Editor – Frank Clary
Assistant Sound Editor – Benny Burtt
Foley Artists – Jana Vance & Dennie Thorpe
Foley Mixer – Frank Rinella
Foley Recordist – Sean England
Mix Technicians -Tony Sereno & Jurgen Scharpf
Digital Transfer – Marco Alicea & John Countryman
Recordist – Ron Roumas
Video Services – John “J.T.” Torrijos
Engineering Services – Steve Morris & James Austin
Digital Editorial Services – Tim Burby, Dave Hunter, Danny Caccavo

Movie Synopsis: (IMDB)
Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it’s all for one and one for all as they join Barbie’s counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear to plan their great escape.

Award-winning Foley artist Gary Hecker recently joined CSS Studios’ Todd-AO in late 2009. 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 filmIndependence 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.”

For more information, visit www.toddao.com.

Motion Picture Sound Editors proudly presents a panel discussion and Q&A of the Warner Bros. Pictures/Paramount Pictures/Legendary Pictures feature Watchmen. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead), this epic realization of the famed Watchmen graphic novel takes audiences on an incredible journey of vision and sound.

Join Academy Award®-winning Re-recording Mixer Chris Jenkins and Re-Recording Mixer Frank Montaño (the mixing team behind Wolfman, The Book of Eli, Wanted, 300, Fast & Furious, Frost Nixon), along with Supervising Sound Editor Scott Hecker (New Moon, 300, Road to Perdition), Composer Tyler Bates (300, Dawn of the Dead, The Day The Earth Stood Still), Music Editor Darrell Hall (300, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Halloween) as they delve into the intense creative collaboration behind this phenomenal film’s sound.

Monday, December 7, 2009
Hitchcock Theater, Universal Studios
Total Run Time: 52:30

Special Thanks to MPSE, Warner Bros. Pictures and Universal Studios Sound

Lights. Camera. Corkscrews. Action.

SoundWorks Collection presents exclusive video from the 2010 Sonoma International Film Festival panel, “From Script to Screen” featuring Stuart Bowling, Technical Marketing Manager at Dolby Laboratories.

Stuart Bowling is a multi-channel mixing expert who has been integral in Dolby 3D support and implementation, and in the development of Dolby 7.1 now being used for Toy Story 3. He has previously served as Digital Cinema Applications Engineer at Dolby Laboratories, owner of Cinematic Solutions, Field Manager at Lucasfilm, and Technical Manager Germany at Warner Brothers International.

NAB President and CEO Gordon H. Smith opens the NAB Show with his first state of the industry address, highlighting the legislative and regulatory challenges and opportunities broadcasters face in the digital age, as well as NAB’s advocacy efforts on behalf of the radio and television businesses. In addition, Smith will address the unique and positive role broadcasters play in every local community across America through their commitment to public service.

Hiroshi Yoshioka, Sony Corporation Executive Deputy President and President of the Consumer Products & Devices Group, delivers the NAB Show keynote. His address will focus on global and U.S. consumer demand for 3D technology and timetable for mainstream adoption. He will further discuss Sony’s “lens to the living room” vision for 3D and share a special 3D presentation including clips from the Masters Golf Tournament and other recent events.

Michael J. Fox, Emmy-Award winning actor and advocate for Parkinson’s disease research, will be honored with the NAB Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the broadcasting industry.

The Cinema Audio Society and the SoundWorks Collection present:

“MEET THE WINNERS”
A panel discussion of sound mixing, an informative & educational event
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Egyptian Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

• CAS Career Achievement Recipient:
Randy Thom, Director of Sound Design at Skywalker Sound

• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures: “The Hurt Locker”
Production Mixer Ray Beckett and Re-recording Mixer Paul J. Ottosson

• Television Movies and Mini-Series: “Grey Gardens”
Production Mixer, Henry Embry
Re-recording Mixer, Rick Ash

• Television Series: “Mad Men – Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency”
Production Mixer, Peter Bently
Re-recording Mixers, Ken Teaney, CAS & Todd Orr

• Television – Non-Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials: ”Deadliest Catch – “Stay Focused or Die”
Re-recording Mixer, Bob Bronow, CAS

• DVD Original Programming: “Into the Blue: The Reef”
Production Mixer, John M. Reynolds
Re-recording Mixer, Terry O’Bright, CAS & Keith A. Rogers, CAS

About the Cinema Audio Society:
The Cinema Audio Society© consists of Sound Mixers and Associates from the Film and Television Industries. The Society was founded to create a proper channel of communication between the related sound crafts and between those instrumental to the production and distribution of film and television soundtracks.

Supervising Sound Mixer and Sound Designer Randy Thom talks about Dreamworks Animation 3-D thrilling action-adventure “How to Train Your Dragon”. Find out how the roster of dragons were brought to life and the unique approach Skywalker Sound takes when working on their film’s sound.

Movie Studio:
DreamWorks Animation

Directed by:
Dean DeBlois
Chris Sanders

Original Music by:
John Powell

Sound Department:

Movie Synopsis: (Wiki)
“How to Train Your Dragon” is a 2010 computer-animated fantasy film by DreamWorks Animation loosely based on the 2003 book of the same title. The film stars the voice talents of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, and David Tennant. The story takes place in a mythical Viking world where a young Viking teenager named “Hiccup” aspires to follow his tribe’s tradition of becoming a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon, and with his chance at finally gaining the tribe’s acceptance, he finds that he no longer has the desire to kill it and instead befriends it.

(Dreamworks)
From the studio that brought you “Shrek,” “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda” comes “How to Train Your Dragon.” Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the action comedy tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t exactly fit in with his tribe’s longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup’s world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.

GDC10: Where It All Began: Lessons That Can Be Learned From ‘First Generation’ Music

Speakers: Rod Abernethy (Composer, Rednote Audio), Alexander Brandon(Creative Director, Heatwave Interactive), Brian Schmidt (President, Brian Schmidt Studios, LLC), Brad Fuller (Partner, Sonaural LLC), Tommy Tallarico (President, Tommy Tallarico Studios)

Not just a walk down memory lane, this panel will explore how the music of first generation 8-bit games was created and what makes it so well loved by gamers of all ages. What makes those old 8-bit tunes still so endearing, instantly recognizable and still fun to listen to? We will explore the glory days of game music, how it was created under unbelievable technical restrictions compared to today’s production standards. We’ll also explore how the modern day composer and audio director can use many of the same concepts and techniques used in first generation in today’s music.

Visionary Director Tim Burton returns with an all star cast including Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, the queens Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway, and Alan Rickman as the caterpillar bringing to life the magical return of “Alice in Wonderland”.

A 19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. Bringing to life this familiar cast of characters and world include the talents of Sound Re-recording Mixer Tom Johnson and Re-recording Mixer Michael Semanick. Off with your head!

Movie Studio:
Roth Films
The Zanuck Company
Team Todd

Distributed by:
Walt Disney Pictures

Directed by:
Tim Burton

Original Music by:
Danny Elfman

Sound Department:

Movie Synopsis:
In this extension of Lewis Carroll’s original stories, Alice Kingsley, now 19, attends a party at a Victorian estate shortly after the death of her beloved father. The formal affair, unbeknownst to Alice, is an engagement party planned by her mother and sister. Just as the arrogant and boorish Lord Hamish Ascot proposes to Alice under a gazebo and before the eyes of hundreds of snooty society-types, Alice spots a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch. In shock and confusion, she runs off into a maze and follows the White Rabbit through it. She eventually tumbles down a rabbit hole into Underland, more commonly referred to as “Wonderland” by its inhabitants. She had visited this place 10 years earlier, but had entirely forgotten about it. She then reunites with her childhood friends, including the Mad Hatter, who explains to Alice that they need her help in over-throwing the Red Queen, who has taken control of Wonderland from her benevolent sister, the White Queen. Alice is also told that she is the only one who can slay the Jabberwock, the dragon who terrorizes the inhabitants of Wonderland under the rule of the Red Queen. Alice then embarks on an adventure of self-discovery in the process of saving Wonderland and her friends there from both the Jabberwock and the Red Queen’s reign of terror.

The Cinema Audio Society consists of Sound Mixers and Associates from the Film and Television Industries. The Society was founded to create a proper channel of communication between the related sound crafts and between those instrumental to the production and distribution of film and television soundtracks.

The CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing are presented annually to the winning Re-Recording and Production Mixers in each of four categories: Television Non-Fiction, Variety or Music Series or Special; Television Series; Television Movies or Mini-Series; and Motion Pictures. The competition is open to feature films and television programs released or aired during the calendar year, and the winners are revealed in a sealed envelope ceremony at the Cinema Audio Society Annual Awards Banquet.

For the 2010 CAS Awards the SoundWorks Collection partnered with the CAS to provide exclusive backstage interviews with the winners of this years awards show.

Each year the MPSE presents the MPSE GOLDEN REEL AWARDS, in which they acknowledge the year’s best work in the various areas of sound editing: Dialogue & ADR, Effects & Foley, and Music.

For the 2010 Golden Reel Awards the SoundWorks Collection partnered with the MPSE to provide exclusive backstage interviews with the winners of this years awards show.

SoundWorks Collection Exclusive Presents
“Avatar” Sound Panel
February 3rd, 2010 at the Fox Studios, Zanuck Theater
Total Run Time: 47:25

Featuring:
Director James Cameron
Producer Jon Landau
Christopher Boyes – Supervising Sound Editor / Sound Designer / Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Gary Summers – Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Andy Nelson – Sound Re-Recording Mixer

The groundbreaking technical and directorial abilities of Director James Cameron can be experienced in his breathtaking visual world of Pandora in “Avatar”. This never before seen world is filled with landscapes, creatures, and civilizations that have also never been heard before by audiences.

Bringing to life the sounds of Pandora include the talent of Skywalker Sound’s Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Re-recording Mixer, and Sound Designer Chris Boyes in this SoundWorks Collection sound for film exclusive profile.

Movie Studio:
Lightstorm Entertainment

Distributed by:
20th Century Fox

Directed by:
James Cameron

Original Music by:
James Horner

Sound Department:

Movie Synopsis:
AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a newcomer from Earth embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home.   James Cameron, the Oscar®-winning director of “Titanic,” first conceived of the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.

We enter the alien world through the eyes of Jake Sully, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair.  But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart.   He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where a corporate consortium is mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving Earth’s energy crisis.  Because Pandora’s atmosphere is toxic, they have created the Avatar Program, in which human “drivers” have their consciousness linked to an avatar, a remotely-controlled biological body that can survive in the lethal air.   These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives of Pandora… the Na’vi.

Reborn in his avatar form, Jake can walk again.  He is given a mission to infiltrate the Na’vi, who have become a major obstacle to mining the precious ore.  But a beautiful Na’vi female, Neytiri, saves Jake’s life, and this changes everything.  Jake is taken in by her clan, and learns to become one of them, which involves many tests and adventures.  As Jake’s relationship with his reluctant teacher Neytiri deepens, he learns to respect the Na’vi way and finally takes his place among them.  Soon he will face the ultimate test as he leads them in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world.

Director Quentin Tarantin’s “spaghetti western but with World War II iconography” sets the stage for a stellar soundscape produced by his talented sound team. In this sound for film profile we talk with Sound Re-Recording Mixer Michael Minkler, Sound Re-Recording Mixer Tony Lamberti, and Sound Designer Ann Scibelli. A basterd’s work is never done.

Movie Studio:
Universal Pictures

Mix Studio:
TODD AO

Directed by:
Quentin Tarantino

Film Editing by:
Sally Menke

Sound Department:

Movie Synopsis: (IMDB)
In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the “Basterds”, a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl’s plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.

The SoundWorks Collection is pleased to announce a partnership with The Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) by providing video coverage of the 57th Golden Reel Awards.

Each year the MPSE presents the MPSE GOLDEN REEL AWARDS, in which they acknowledge the year’s best work in the various areas of sound editing: Dialogue & ADR, Effects & Foley, and Music. Also this year the 2010 Filmmaker Award will be presented to Director Steven Spielberg.

This years awards show is on February 20, 2010 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Los Angeles, CA.

The SoundWorks Collection will be featuring highlights from the show and reporting special coverage of this years annual awards show!

Supervising sound editor and designer Cameron Frankley talks about the unique work his sound crew brought to Director McG’s fourth installment of the Terminator series. See the array of sounds that were recorded to bring to life the cast of robots and cyborgs set in 2018.

Movie Studio:
Sony Pictures

Directed by:
McG

Original Music by:
Danny Elfman

Sound Department:

Movie Synopsis: (IMDB)
Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

Explore Director Spike Jonze’s heartfelt adaptation of the classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” with Sound Re-Recording Mixer and Supervising Editor Ren Klyce. Learn about the unique approach they created for capturing the voices of the actors and other stories about bringing the wild creatures to life.

Movie Studio:
Warner Bros. Pictures

Mix Studio:
Skywalker Sound

Directed by:
Spike Jonze

Original Music by:
Carter Burwell
Karen Orzolek

Sound Department:

Movie Synopsis:
Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in “Where the Wild Things Are,” a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in.

The film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions.

The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. Max soon finds, though, that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, a Playtone/Wild Things Production of a Spike Jonze film: “Where the Wild Things Are,” starring Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Forest Whitaker.

“Where the Wild Things Are” is directed by Spike Jonze from a screenplay by Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers, based on the book by Maurice Sendak. It is produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, John Carls, Maurice Sendak and Vincent Landay, with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers.

The creative team is made up of many long-time collaborators of Jonze, including director of photography Lance Acord, production designer K. K. Barrett, editor Eric Zumbrunnen and costume designer Casey Storm, as well as Karen O and Carter Burwell, who did the music. They are joined by editor James Haygood.