At the 46th Annual CAS Awards, Feb. 27, The Hurt Locker took top honors, receiving the CAS Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures. Accepting the award was production mixer Ray Beckett and re-recording mixer Paul N.J. Ottosson.
Back for the third year, KTLA Morning News Entertainment Reporter Sam Rubin, warmed up the capacity crowd in the Crystal Ballroom of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Director of sound design for Skywalker Sound, Randy Thom was feted with the CAS Career Achievement Award, presented by director Robert Zemeckis and editor Walter Murch, CAS. Thom’s extensive credits include the Oscar-winning films The Incredibles and The Right Stuff. In talking about working with iconic sound designer Ben Burtt to record a sound for Indiana Jones’ punch, Thom revealed that they had been punching a frozen chicken, but that experiment created “not a very interesting sound.” From then on their newly-coined phrase “chicken hit” was used for any bad sound effect.
Also honored was multi-faceted stop-motion animator Henry Selick known for films such as Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. On hand to present the CAS Filmmaker Award to Selick was actress Dakota Fanning and sound mixer Agamemnon Andrianos, CAS. Andrianos commented that, “Henry Selick tells the story with sound.”
Additional awards were presented for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing in four categories. The Television Movie or Mini-Series Award went to production mixer Henry Embry and re-recording Mixer Rick Ash for Grey Gardens. Mad Men – “Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency” garnered the Television Series Award for production mixer Peter Bently, and re-recording mixers Ken Teaney, CAS and Todd Orr. In accepting the honor, Teaney said, “I want to thank my fellow mixers for realizing that quiet is not always easy.”
The honor for Television – Non-Fiction, Variety or Music Series or Specials was awarded to Deadliest Catch – “Stay Focused or Die,” re-recording mixer Bob Bronow, CAS. Production mixer John M. Reynolds and re-recording mixers Terry O’Bright, CAS and Keith A. Rogers, CAS went home with the award DVD Original Programming Award for Into the Blue: The Reef.
CAS president Edward L. Moskowitz, CAS, presented the President’s Award to Manfred Klemme founder of the K-Tek family of products. The CAS Technical Award for Production was awarded to Lectrosonics Octopack – a Portable Multicoupler for SR Series Receivers and for Postproduction Avid Pro Tools 8 took the honor.
Award-O-Meter
Venue: The Historic Millennium Biltmore – the most classic venue in town.
Parking: Valet parking discounted to $22; Self-park at Pershing Square for $6.60.
Open Bar: Cash Bar with long lines but a longer time allowed for cocktails than other shows.
Quality of Wine: Good table wine – red and white. Thanks to CAS publicist, Dorothea Sargent, for treating the press table!
Food: Candied walnut, pear and mixed green salad; surf, turf and pasta; an out-of-this-world trio of mini desserts that far surpassed the scrumptious desserts at all the other awards ceremonies.
Attire: Black tie optional.
Show Length: It started at 8:30 pm, (a half hour late), but was done in under two hours, by 10:20 p.m.
Host: KTLA’s Sam Ruben.
Swag: A gift bag, but because the show was oversold, the press didn’t get any.
High Point: Great Clips.
Low Point: The rather dry reading of the Emmy and Oscar nominated Mixers.
Best Quote of the Night: In the video intro: “Is that the boom mic, or are you glad to see me?”
After-Party: ?
Overall Score: 8.5/10
