BOOM, CRASH, BANG!
A look into the creative minds behind the sound effects for some of the Hollywood’s biggest animated movies
FEBRUARY 2010 FEATURE INTERVIEW
By Deedee Brown, Lisanne Carmel, Caroline Fogarty, Nicole Friedman, Ryan Hogan, Natalie Jones, Isabelle Kitze, Christian Kuhn, Megan Lindsay, Liza Mansbach, Mollie Mitchell, Taylor Lee, Natalie Peterson, Claire Sabin and Elena Sandell - from Branson, Marin Academy, Miller Creek Middle, Mill Valley Middle, Old Mill, Redwood High, San Rafael High, Tam High, The Bay School and White Hill Middle Schools
At first sight, the Technical Studios building at Skywalker Ranch gives no hint to what goes on inside of its walls. To a mere passer by, it would be written off as a vineyard house or a fancy barn. It is not until one begins to explore the twisting maze of hallways that the inner workings of the building begin to reveal themselves. Along the walls hundreds of movie posters hang from countless films forgotten in the nooks and crannies of time. Many more, all hand-selected by George Lucas himself, hang in places that make a statement to the artwork alone.
Al Nelson works on the sound editing for movies produced on the ranch. He has been working in sound for 15 years on films such as Up, Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, Wall-E, and How to Train Your Dragon. Al wanted to start out our visit "with a bang," and thus lead us down a short flight of stairs into the state of the art Stag Theatre.