Episode 34: Cats Don't Dance (1997) Post-Production Sound Discussion Part One (with David E. Stone)
Supervising Foley Editor Vanessa Ament and Supervising Sound Editor David E. Stone return to one of their favorite movies that they ever worked on, the animated film Cats Don't Dance (1997). This film is now a lost animation classic, the first film directed by Mark Dindal (Emperor's New Groove and Chicken Little). The voice acting is top notch, with major stars taking even minor voice roles. The lead male voice belongs to Scott Bakula, who took the role of Danny the Cat during the height of his Quantum Leap fame, and Scott turns out to be a marvelous singer along with his distinctive vocal chops. The songs in the film are written by Randy Newman at the height of his musical powers as the go-to songsmith for major animated features -- Cats Don't Dance was written between his better known work on Toy Story and Toy Story 2 for example. Even the fabulous singer Natalie Cole has a prominent vocal role, singing an unforgettable Randy Newman tune, "Tell Me Lies," which should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. So why isn't Cats Don't Dance better known? Well, the film got hit by a business transition at Warner Bros., received no promotion, and did very little box office, recouping less than 10% of its costs. However, in retrospect, this film deserves a second (and third, and fourth, etc) look and a deeper appreciation. Cats Don't Dance was one of only two animated films ever made by Turner Feature Animation, a short-lived production company started by Ted Turner that only produced two films, with Cats Don't Dance being the final one. As two of the post-production sound professionals who worked on the film, Ament and Stone share behind-the-scenes stories of the making of the sounds for Cats Don't Dance. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Performative Film Sound.
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48:28
Episode 33: A Goofy Movie 30th Anniversary Post-Production Sound Discussion, Part Two (with Vanessa Ament & David E. Stone)
This is part two of two part episode: Supervising Foley Editor Vanessa Ament and Supervising Sound Editor David E. Stone return to one of their favorite movies they ever worked on, the now Disney classic, A Goofy Movie (1995). This film which has found a large and enduring audience was made by Disney Television Animation and was not expected to be a big hit. Ament and Stone share behind-the-scenes stories of the making of the sound for A Goofy Movie. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Performative Film Sound.
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34:57
Episode 32: A Goofy Movie 30th Anniversary Post-Production Sound Discussion Part One (with Vanessa Ament and David E. Stone)
Supervising Foley Editor Vanessa Ament and Supervising Sound Editor David E. Stone return to one of their favorite movies they ever worked on, the now Disney classic, A Goofy Movie (1995). This film which has found a large and enduring audience was made by Disney Television Animation and was not expected to be a big hit. Ament and Stone share behind-the-scenes stories of the making of the sound for A Goofy Movie. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Performative Film Sound.
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30:14
Episode 31: Oral History of American Foley Artists
In this episode, Dr. Vanessa Theme Ament, author of The Foley Grail and Foley Artist on such films as Die Hard, Platoon, and Predator, shares stories about several Foley Artists she worked with at the beginning of her career. In this oral history, Vanessa recalls three Foley Artists in particular: Kim Fowler, John Post and Robert Rutledge. Intertwined with these tributes, Vanessa also mentions other Foley Artists she worked with and their contributions to the art and craft of Foley. Welcome to the World of Performative Film Sound!
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28:28
Episode 30: Writing Sound in the Screenplay (An Interview with Dr. Gabriel Paletz)
In this episode, Dr. Vanessa Theme Ament, author of The Foley Grail and Foley Artist on such films as Die Hard, Platoon, and Predator, speaks with Dr. Gabriel Paletz, a film teacher, scholar, and programmer at the Prague Film School in Prague, Czech Republic. Gabriel recently published an article entitled "Writing sound in the screenplay: traditions and innovations" in the journal The Soundtrack. Delving into the main theses of this article, Vanessa and Gabriel explore the many reasons why screenwriters and the most common master form of the screenplay has often overlooked or eschewed the inclusion and aesthetic elements of the film's aural and musical qualities. Furthermore, Gabriel shares how he teaches an original course called "Learning from Awful Films." Importantly, as Vanessa and Gabriel share, from both a pedagogical and practicioner's point of view, even awful films are more awful with bad sound and bad foley. This conversation makes a very powerful case for screenwriters and above the line personnel to include sound elements in the screenplay and as part of a film's pre-production. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Performative Film Sound.
Sobre Whole-y Foley: The World of Performative Film Sound
Every two weeks, Dr. Vanessa Theme Ament, award-winning Foley Artist and author of the book The Foley Grail: The Art of Performing Sound for Film, Games, and Animation, interviews professionals from all avenues of performative sound world-wide from foley artists to sound designers to musicians and more. Tune in and discover historical as well as new and innovative concepts and practices in the fascinating world of sound. Subscribe at the button below on the left.
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