Episode Seventy-Six: Production Sound

Believe it or not, having good sound is about as important to your production as having a good quality picture. Low quality sound will make your film seem cheap and unprofessional. Zsolt Magyar joins us this week to talk about being a production sound mixer on set. Brian McQuery also joins us to discuss the [...]

Believe it or not, having good sound is about as important to your production as having a good quality picture. Low quality sound will make your film seem cheap and unprofessional. Zsolt Magyar joins us this week to talk about being a production sound mixer on set. Brian McQuery also joins us to discuss the relationship between the sound mixer and the 1st A.D. The fabulous Aydrea Walden ten Bosch fills in as co-host for Jenna.

Zsolt Magyar- Production Sound Mixer

Zsolt Magyar is a Hungarian born, Los Angeles based Production Sound Mixer. In Budapest, at the age of 18, he starts his study in electric engineering and joins the rock band, “Azok A Fiuk” (Those Guys). They release two albums with great success. In 1993, he opens for U2. The same year he forms another band, “Bang Bang.” They release an album that is produced by Polygram Records. From 1992 to 1998, Zsolt is a celebrity spokesperson for Roland Musical Instruments in Hungary. From 1993, Zsolt works as a music composer for commercials, movies, brand image shows and fashion shows throughout Europe.

In 2000, Zsolt moves to Los Angeles and finds a new career. He gets into the sound mixing world of the Hollywood film industry. Since he started, he has mixed many feature films, shorts, commercials and television shows. In 2004 he gets nominated by the Cinema Audio Society for outstanding achievement in sound mixing for the TV film The Hollow (2004) (V). He has a multi-channel hard disk recording system, plus a number of high-end wireless and boom microphones, and everything needed for recording sound in the most demanding locations.

Zsolt’s Website- www.productionsoundmix.com

Zsolt’s Email- [email protected]

Brian McQuery- 1st A.D.

Born and raised in Chicago, Brian has always had a love for movies.  He wrote his first feature-length screenplay shortly after graduating high school and has since written original screenplays in the genres of crime, drama, action, thriller, comedy, horror and western.  Brian skipped college and jumped into the workforce, with jobs in insurance, sales, customer service, and telemarketing.

Brian left his job as Director of Telemarketing in 2000 because he wanted to direct motion pictures, not telemarketing.  He threw himself into Chicago’s indie film scene, built relationships with local actors and filmmakers, and in October 2002, he completed a low budget DV short, Debt, which he wrote, directed and executive produced. Debt was Brian’s first experience with professional equipment and a crew and it screened at several film festivals.  Over the next three years, Brian wrote, produced and directed the DV short films: Commitment, Snare, and Three Couples, the 16mm short film, Everybody Sins, the 35mm short, Promise, and the DV 24P shorts films, Let Go and Vacant.

Brian has a well-rounded view of feature film production and has worked as a 1st Assistant Director on over a dozen independent features and numerous short films, Web series, and other projects.  He has also worked as a 2nd AD on half a dozen independent features.  His strong organizational and management skills enable him to keep the crew moving efficiently to make the most of limited resources on independent films.  He has lived in Los Angeles since 2006 and several of his short films played the film festival circuit and won awards in 2006 and 2007. And since 2009, he has arranged for actors and filmmakers to appear at screenings of their films at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles.

Brian’s Website- www.brianmcquery.com

Aydrea Walden ten Bosch- Writer

Aydrea has written for The Seattle Times, the Now Write! Screenwriting book series, The Second City Los Angeles, iO West, Hawaii Film Partners, NBC/Universal, Highlander Films, Nickelodeon, and Disney. She also runs the satirical blog, The Oreo Experience–My Life and Times as a Super White Black Person.

For more information about Aydrea or to contact her please visit her website at www.theoreoexperience.com