EDITOR'S NOTE
Altman and His Alternative Approach to Sound
by Tomm Carroll
 Tomm Carroll |
An old maverick never dies. He just keeps bucking the system. I wrote those lines some 15 years ago to describe renowned director Robert Altman in an interview with him. Those words are still true today, with the possible addition that after bucking the system long enough, said maverick is ultimately honored by that very system. On March 5, that actually happened when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed an Honorary Oscar on Altman (his first) for his substantial body of work, which stretches all the way back to the 1950s.
On the face of it, this honor from Hollywood, Inc. may seem ironic since, as the director has been fond of saying over the years, “The major studios sell shoes––and I make gloves. We’re in different businesses.” But the thing about being ahead of your time is that if you live long enough (Altman is 81 and still at it), the rest of the world finally catches up––and catches on. Including Oscar.
As was evident by the introduction given him by actresses Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin at the Academy Awards ceremony, it is Altman’s consistently unconventional use of sound, particularly overlapping dialogue, for which he is admired. His film soundtracks are infuriating to some and influential to others but ignored by none. The man treats sound in his films like few other directors do––and it is increasingly accepted by audiences, who by now have come to expect nothing less from him.
Spurred on by his Honorary Oscar, Editors Guild Magazine caught up with several of the sound editors and mixers who have worked with Altman over the years to learn about their experiences bringing his “sound vision” to the finished film. Aside from interviewing members of Altman’s sound crews, writer Kevin Lewis also queries the director himself about his sonic preferences and peculiarities in dialogue and music.
Speaking of music, it’s many a music editor’s dream to compose a score for a film. And it’s a dream that for at least one of them, Scott Stambler, came true. Filmmaker Brian Helgeland tapped Stambler as composer for the re-worked director’s cut of his 1999 feature Payback. Debra Kaufman talks to Stambler and Helgeland about the circumstances that led to this not-so-common opportunity.
Before there was music––or any sound––in film, motion pictures were silent, of course. It was in that era––100 years ago to be exact––that the legendary Vitagraph Studio opened in what is now the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York. Production and post-production continue to this day on the site, now inhabited by JC Studios, where the veteran daytime drama As the World Turns (which is 50 years old this year itself) is videotaped and edited. Lewis recounts the rich history of Vitagraph and also visits the soap opera’s editors, Bob Mackler and Matt Griffin, at JC Studios to check out their new nonlinear editing system.
Also, a belated congratulations to all who won awards in post-production in February and March. Due to deadlines, this issue is the earliest we can report on the various ceremonies.
And speaking of awards, on a final note, Editors Guild Magazine has been nominated for three “Maggie” Awards (including Most Improved Trade Publication) by the Western Publications Association, which annually honors trade and consumer periodicals published west of the Mississippi. I would say, “Wish us luck,” but as the awards will be handed out when this issue is literally on the press, it’s a moot point.