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I think “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” will be back for the full trio of Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects at the Oscars this year, after the franchise’s second installment managed only one of those. The sound work in particular is once again top notch, one of the most carefully [...]
On the sound of ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:18 pm · June 28th, 2011
Filed in: Daily
OFF THE CARPET: Sun came up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:11 am · February 28th, 2011
Steven Spielberg couldn’t have put it more concisely during his presentation of the Best Picture category last night. To paraphrase, he noted that whichever films did not happen to win Best Picture this year would join the ranks of numerous classics of the medium. Was it preemptive damage control? I hope not. Why be apologetic? [...]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Sound Mixing
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:59 am · February 14th, 2011
I feel like we’ve done a pretty decent job of educating some of our readership on the difference between Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing over the last five years here at In Contention. It struck me that we haven’t really covered it in a focused way this season, and the Oscar Guide seems [...]
Filed in: Oscar Guide
2/11 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Franco couldn’t care less, love letter to Annette Bening, Hammond polls voters
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:37 am · February 11th, 2011
• James Franco: “If it’s the worst show in the history of the Oscars, who cares?” I love this guy. [Screening Room] • David Poland on how the Academy is missing a golden opportunity by essentially banning Banksy from the ceremony. Not that Banksy would even humor his suggestions, but still. [The Hot Blog] • [...]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT INTERVIEW: ‘Salt’ sound re-recording mixer Greg P. Russell and ‘Unstoppable’ supervising sound editor Mark P. Stoeckinger
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:13 pm · February 3rd, 2011
When Oscar voters spoke up last Tuesday, two intriguing craft category nominations stuck out, both coming from the same branch: Mark P. Stoeckinger’s third bid to date for the sound editing of “Unstoppable” and Greg P. Russell’s fourteenth — yes, fourteenth — for the sound mixing of “Salt.” The Academy’s sound branch consists of 405 [...]
Filed in: Interviews · Tech Support
TECH SUPPORT: Best Sound Mixing — Volume II
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 10:40 am · November 26th, 2010
Sound mixing has a lot in common with sound editing, but the distinctions are still critical. While both clearly relate to what we hear in the theater, sound editing specifically relates to the creation of artificial sounds (“sound effects”) while sound mixing brings everything together — from effects to music to dialogue (recorded on set [...]
Filed in: Tech Support
TECH SUPPORT: Best Sound Mixing — Volume I
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 3:44 pm · September 2nd, 2010
Last week, while discussing the sound editing category, I explained the difference between that art form and sound mixing. The Oscar for the latter is shared between two (or more) persons who construct the soundtrack of a movie. The re-recording mixers bring together everything – dialogue, sound effects, music – into what we hear in [...]
Filed in: Tech Support
On the sound of ‘Salt’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:04 pm · July 26th, 2010
The most recent predictions update substituted “The Last Airbender” (which failed miserably with critics) with “Salt” in the sound categories, and it wasn’t blind speculation. After all, the sound crew consists of such multi-lauded talents as Scott Millan and Greg P. Russell. Russell, as you know, has racked up some 13 nominations without a win. [...]
Filed in: Daily
Interviews with the nominees
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:14 am · March 5th, 2010
As we head into the big weekend of this year’s hotly anticipated Academy Awards telecast, I thought I’d toss this list up once more, broken down by film. We’ve added to it a bit since the nominees were announced. And if you’d like to re-live the season so far, you can see how things have [...]
Filed in: Interviews
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Sound Mixing
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:52 am · February 9th, 2010
The year’s sound mixing category had relatively few surprises, just glancing at the tea leaves of the season. There was a typical 4/5 crossover between the Cinema Audio Society and the Academy, with “District 9” missing both here and in the sound editing field. One might be quick to chalk this, in fact all of [...]
Filed in: Daily
WEEKLY WRAP: Globe awards, BAFTA noms, foreign shortlist
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:41 pm · January 22nd, 2010
• “Avatar” and “The Hangover” took top honors at a very populist Golden Globes ceremony — Off the Carpet reported from the party circuit. • The Academy revealed the nine films shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Film; we sized up the race. • BAFTA announced their nominations, with “An Education,” “The Hurt Locker” and “Avatar” [...]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT INTERVIEW: Sound mixer Greg P. Russell
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:51 am · January 21st, 2010
When you’re coming off of one of the most elaborate and intensive sound mixing gigs in movie history, let alone of your own career, how do you top it with a sequel? That’s the challenge sound re-recording mixer Greg P. Russell faced when he and his team set about weaving in the various sonic elements [...]
Filed in: Interviews · Tech Support
Behind the sonic magic of ‘Transformers’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:48 am · January 12th, 2010
Speaking of sound, Paramount was shrewd enough to put together a wonderful event last night in the Cary Grant Theater on the Sony lot dedicated to the sound design of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Re-recording mixers Gary Summers and Greg P. Russell were on hand, as well as sound effects editors Ethan Van Der [...]
Filed in: Daily
On the sound of ‘Transformers’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:47 am · December 30th, 2009
A few weeks back we told you about a new site called SoundWorks Collection, which has been doing a great job of featuring the sound mixing and sound editing on a number of the year’s contenders. Using brief video pieces to illustrate an element of the industry that is still somewhat mysterious to many, I [...]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT: Best Sound Mixing — Volume II
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 5:53 pm · November 12th, 2009
As a recap from the last time we covered this field, the category of Best Sound Mixing (formerly known as merely Best Sound) rewards re-recording mixers — individuals who mix music, dialogue, effects and everything else into the soundtrack we ultimately hear — as well as production sound mixer — those responsible for capturing the [...]
Filed in: Tech Support
TECH SUPPORT: Best Sound Mixing — Volume I
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 9:45 am · August 27th, 2009
A few weeks ago I analyzed the Best Sound Editing category, which awards the creation and integration of artificially created sound effects. Today, we look at sound mixing – the overall composition of all the elements of a movie’s soundscape into a singular soundtrack. The re-recording mixers, who do this work during post-production, are rewarded [...]
Filed in: Tech Support
Mixing Autobots with Decepticons
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:44 am · June 30th, 2009
While “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” tears up the box office while simultaneously rubbing the critical fraternity wrong, some of us can’t help but wonder how the money will effect its performance in the technical categories (a concentrated focus of In Contention in Gerard Kennedy’s seasonal Tech Support columns) come year’s end. Tom O’Neil is [...]
Filed in: Daily
