Music mix in progress
Back at the Ranch again for the music mix. As I was checking in, Kimberly, who handles reservations at the INN, said that I’m becoming a regular. I sure am. And I’m right back here again for the sound mix next weekend so they’re really going to get tired of my monkey-looking-ass by the time this is done.
I didn’t come to the ALTERED music mix but heard it was a real scream, so I didn’t want to miss out on this party! These composers really know how to mix it up! Actually, Kent kind of scarred me a bit when he told me he was sure Gregg and I were not hearing certain elements in the music that he was definitely hearing in his studio, so I decided to come for the weekend and make sure I was getting what I wanted.
Things are sounding great. They started on Thursday and I got here yesterday, so they got me a CD of the cues they’ve finished and they are sounding really tight. We are on the big scoring stage at SKYWALKER SOUND, which is pretty cool.
Tony is here along with Leslie Ann Jones, who mixed the ALTERED score and who Tony is a huge fan of. Kent has been coming by for a few hours a day since he’s still putting finishing touches on some cues at his home studio.
It’s been a crazy six weeks for these guys and it’s amazing that they’ve composed and recording over 60 minutes of music during that time. The original plan gave them eight weeks after picture-lock to deliver the score, but since the edit took about a month longer than anyone had anticipated and we couldn’t push the sound mix any later, we had to squeeze the score a bit and somehow make up two weeks. But Tony and Kent were real troopers and never doubted that they could deliver the music on time, even with the smaller window.
It’s been pretty stressful for them and next time we’ve promised each other that eight weeks is a minimum for the music, but I’m sure it’ll come down to all-night sessions and last minute tweaks again even with the extra time. It always seems to work out that way.
COLOR CORRECTION
My last trip to the west coast ended up pretty well. We got all the color correction done and I still had time to visit AMEOBA four times during the visit!
Also had dinner with Amy and met her parents, Judy and John, who are about the damn coolest couple I’ve met in a long time. No wonder Amy turned out the way she did. And now I know where Amy gets her great looks, too. Judy’s a real looker!
Ended the trip with a pretty good karaoke session, even though I was pretty spent and didn’t sing as much as I should’ve. It was a good group including Josh Leonard, Paul McCarthy-Boyington and Tim Chiou, one actor from each of my films! That was a real treat!
Speaking of actors from my films, check this out when you can. Could be really cool if it works.
All in all, it was a good trip to LA, but I was glad to get back home to the family. I’m looking forward to them being here during the sound mix the week after next. Can’t wait to see Lukey’s face when he sees the STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES props on display at the main house. He’s really into INDY now and he was only 2 when he was here the last time.
All right, back to the mix, even though I’m doing nothing except sitting here and watching them work. Leslie and the mix assistant, Judy, are getting the next track ready, Kent is in the next room preparing more tracks and Tony is sitting here catching up on some reading.
Heading to AMOEBA tonight (Tony has never been there) and we’re going to visit HOUSE OF NANKING again, and then it’s back to the INN for a nice fire-side chat with Tony. I’m pretty sure we’re the only ones at the INN right now so have the whole place to ourselves! Tony and I haven’t had any time to hang like this for a long time, probably since back in the old days when we were still editing BLAIR WITCH. It’s nice to catch up.
And last but not certainly not least, I just found out a few weeks ago about the passing last December of Patricia DeCou, who played the famous Mary Brown in THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.
I didn’t know Patricia very well, but she certainly made the production of our film much more interesting. She was the only production assistant we got from Montgomery College (MC) and I remember the art crew coming back from working on the Rustin Parr house after her first day and they were all buzzing about this woman who came out to help. Dan and I had to meet her, they said.
I don’t know who came up with the idea of her playing Mary Brown but Dan and I both knew she was perfect when we finally met her a few days later when we picked her up at a play she was helping out with at MC. We gave her a ride home and saw her trailer and knew we had found our perfect location, too.
Patricia was eccentric, for sure, but her most unique trait was her energy, her enthusiasm for her work. She embraced what Dan and I were trying to do with Mary and added her own take on who Mary was that truly made the character. She opened herself and her home up to us and gave us a remarkable performance in our film.
Thanks so much, Patty.
Karcher wrote some nice stuff about Patty, too.
From the Ranch, Sanchez out!
-ed
