AMPAS to break the soundtrack barrier
Oscar-winning sound mixers will demonstrate their craft
Sound mixers Tom Fleischman (left) and John Midgley backstage at the 84th annual Academy Awards
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One of the things that always seems to be nebulous to new film enthusiasts and, in particular, new Oscar watchers is the difference between sound editing and sound mixing. We've certainly made it a point to explain it over the years via the two categories' separate Tech Support entries each season, but for those in the LA area, here's your opportunity for a thorough crash course, AMPAS-style.
The Academy has just announced its "40 Years of Sound for Film" event set to take place on Tuesday, March 6 at the Linwood Dunn Theatre in Hollywood. Fresh off his Oscar win for "Hugo," sound mixer Tom Fleischman will be on hand along withlegendary three-time Oscar-winning mixer Chris Newman ("Amadeus," "The English Patient," "The Exorcist") to "explore the intricacies of building a motion picture soundtrack using clips from 'Hugo,' 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 'The French Connection,'" according to the press release.
Furthermore, the program will demonstrate how raw tracks recorded on a set become part of the finished aural product through the collaboration of various sound engineers involved in a film: sound mixers, sound designers, sound effects editors and everyone's favorite, foley artists. There will also be a discussion of how digital technology has progressed the art form as the two mixers share stories of working with directors like Jonathan Demme, Milos Forman, William Friedkin and Martin Scorsese.
Tickets for "40 Years of Sound for Film" are a measly $5 for the general public ($3 for Academy members and students with valid ID). They are available for purchase at the Academy's official website, at the Academy box office located at 8949 Wilshire Blvd. or by mail. Doors will open at 7pm and the programs gets underway at 8pm.
If you're a film enthusiast in the area, I strongly recommend taking in an event such as this. The knowledge and insight you'll gain into the process will be invaluable, I guarantee it.
For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupThe Great Dane
March 1, 2012 at 5:40PM EST Reply to CommentBut it's still a joke that we have a 4/5 overlap every year. They voters on the final ballot don't even know the difference, and everytime someone actually explain the difference between the two, sound mixing actually sound more like editing, and Sound editing sounds more like sound mixing. Everyone Else just has one Sound category. One would be enough, especially when it always the same 4/5 nominees in both categories
Kristopher Tapley "...everytime someone actually explain the difference between the two, sound mixing actually sound more like editing, and Sound editing sounds more like sound mixing..."
March 1, 2012 at 6:03PM ESTUm, how? Sound editing: creating artificial sound effects and integrating them into the soundtrack. Sound mixing: balancing sound effects with dialogue, score and other aural elements. Simple.
Kristopher Tapley Though I do agree that it would make a lot of sense to scale things back to one sound category, with mixers and editors recognized therein. It'll never happen, though.
March 1, 2012 at 6:04PM ESTRichardZ Why not just rename the award Sound Effect Editing?
March 1, 2012 at 10:11PM ESTLaHaine Nah, I think I would prefer to have both categories remain separated. Though close, the two disciplines are different and deserve individual recognition.
March 1, 2012 at 11:30PM ESTKristopher Tapley Production design entails more than design and set decoration. Would you suggest they add an Oscar for props? Or scenic painting? There are defined disciplines within each element of filmmaking, but no other branch gets two shots on goal.
March 1, 2012 at 11:42PM ESTZach
March 2, 2012 at 12:38AM EST Reply to CommentWell, even in the brief clips packages, the AMPAS got the two confused. The sound mixing clip was just sound effects while the sound editing clip had the sound effects, music, etc.
So if the Academy can't get it right -- or whoever put the clips together for the telecast -- how can we expect the average Joe to understand it? And as Kris says above, it really is quite simple: Sound editing is creating the sounds, sound mixing is the (surprise, surprise)mixing and blending of all aural elements.
Brian Sacco
March 3, 2012 at 8:03PM EST Reply to CommentA clear distinction exists between sound mixing and editing, even though it may be ambiguous to those not involved. One could argue that the relationship between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing is similar to that which exists between Cinematography and Picture Editing. While the material itself is categorically the same (a series of images, or sound, respectively), the process by which the material is captured and manipulated and the context under which those processes occur are ultimately different.