Fall Issue 2005
Fall 2005
Dedicated to the Advancement of Sound
Third Generation Mixer Michael Minkler is the CAS Career Achievement Recipient The Cinema Audio Society will honor Michael Minkler, C.A.S. Re-recording mixer with the Career Achievement Award at the 42nd Annual C.A.S. Banquet on February 25, 2006.
M
inkler began his career 30 years ago by following in his grandfather and father’s footsteps. Minkler says, “I was born into the business. My father had his own studio and I would hang out as a teenager during the summer. I fell in love with audio and started working full time when I was 17.” Learning the ropes as a recordist at the age of 22 Minkler said, “You learn by working with whatever you can get your hands on—commercials, TV shows, industrial films.” At the age of 24 he got his big break as a temp mixer at Warner-Bros., and was asked to come onboard fulltime; a stint that lasted four years. In 1980 Minkler accepted a post as chief mixer and managing director of new facilities at Robert photo courtesy Ascent Media Altman’s Lion’s Gate Films, a position that called Michael Minkler, C.A.S. on his exceptional organizational abilities. In 1984 he became an independent mixer at various facilities and sound editors, and the mixers.” and in 1990 began working in Santa Monica at Minkler received an Oscar for Chicago, Black Hawk Skywalker Sound’s Lantana facility (which he Down, a BAFTA Film Award for JFK, Chicago, Star Wars, helped to design and staff). This work continued and a Golden Satellite Award for Collateral. during the acquisition by Todd-AO and continues The Career Achievement Award will today with his position at Ascent Media. When asked about his motivation as a mixer, be presented to Minkler, a past C.A.S. Minkler replied, “You have to be a very fine-tuned President, at the 42nd Annual C.A.S. weaver of sound. The goal is to make the sound fit the film in an emotional way, a dramatic way, and Banquet at the Biltmore Hotel’s Crystal in a storytelling way. To accomplish that, all the Ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles on pieces have to fit together. It’s really a collaborative effort among the director, the composer, the film February 25, 2006.