Michael Minkler

Michael Minkler (born 14 May 1952) is a motion picture sound re-recording mixer. He has received Academy Awards for his work on ''Dreamgirls'', ''Chicago'' and '' Black Hawk Down''. His varied career has also included films like ''Inglourious Basterds'', ''JFK'' and '' Star Wars'', as well as television programs like '' The Pacific'' and ''John Adams''. Minkler works at Todd-AO Hollywood. He is also the Managing Director of Moving Pictures Media Group, a company that specializes in film development, packaging projects for production funding acquisition.

Early career

Minkler started working as a recordist when he was 17, and started mixing in 1974 when he was 22. His early projects included commercials, television shows and industrial films. His first major film came in 1976 when he was hired for temporary work on music and effects tracks for the foreign release of ''All the President's Men'', with rerecording mixers Arthur Piantadosi and Les Fresholtz, at Warner Brothers' Stage 5. He continued to work with Piantadosi and Fresholtz on another 35 films, and considers them his mentors. Mike Minkler Q&A, Tom Kenny, ''Mix'' magazine, September 1, 2002

Family history

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Minkler was born into a family of sound-for-film professionals.

Darrell Minkler, his grandfather, worked at Chicago Labs in 1928, developing disc recorders. He came to Hollywood to work on the Vitaphone project at Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Studios. Darrell Minkler also built a company then called Radio Recorders for music recording with such pop classic performers as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Tommy Dorsey. That studio later became a part of The Record Plant.

Don Minkler, his father, began his sound career in the late 1940s and founded Producers Sound Service in 1964. Don Minkler's re-recording career includes such films as ''Easy Rider'', ''Five Easy Pieces'', ''The Last Picture Show'' and ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls''.

His uncle, sound re-recording mixer Bob Minkler began working in the sound department back in the 1960s and won an Oscar in 1978 for his work on ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope''. Other Bob Minkler credits include ''10 (1979 film), 10'', ''Hair (film), Hair'' and ''Bull Durham'' and ''Saturday Night Fever''.
His other uncle, Lee, also a mixer, shares the distinction of being on the Oscar Nominated Sound Mixing team for ''Tron'' with Michael and Bob. That is the only time that three members of a single family were nominated for an Oscar for the same film.

Minkler's son, Christian P. Minkler, is also a re-recording mixer, who has worked on both television and feature film projects since 1990. Christian's most recent credits include ''Repo Man (film), Repo Man'', ''The Proposal (2009 film), The Proposal'' and ''Role Models (2017 film), Role Models''.

Professional experience

After a four year stint at Warner Bros. Studios, he took the job as the chief mixer and managing director of facilities, at Robert Altman's Lion's Gate Films in 1980. In 1984, Minkler struck out as an independent, working at a number of facilities, until 1990 when he helped design and staff Skywalker Sound's Lantana facility in Santa Monica. He continued to mix there after the facility was acquired by Todd-AO. While at renamed Todd-AO West, Minkler won a pair of Academy Awards, first for ''Black Hawk Down'' in 2001 and then ''Dreamgirls'' in 2006. In 2009, he moved to the Todd-AO Hollywood facility and quickly earned an Academy Award nomination for ''Inglourious Basterds''.

Technical Advisor

In addition to his mixing credits, Minkler has been a sought after technical advisor for companies like Euphonix where he helped with the development of digital audio mixing technology, which is now an industry standard.

Minkler has always been considered an innovator of technology and technique.
On ''Inglourious Basterds'', Minkler utilized a new technology developed by Penteo, Penteo Surround that enables stereo music mixes to be converted and spread across a 5.1 surround sound field.

Appears on

While Minkler is regularly profiled in trades magazines like ''Variety'', ''Mix'' and ''Post'', he's also appeared on DVD featurettes discussing the sound of a particular film. ''The Sound of Miracle'' appears as an extra on the DVD release of the 2004 film ''Miracle''.

Awards and nominations

Michael Minkler has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards (three wins), six BAFTA Awards (three wins), eight Cinema Audio Society Awards (two wins), one Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards (one win), two Emmy Award (one win) and four Satellite Awards (three wins).

In 2006, Minkler received the Cinema Audio Society's Career Achievement Award at the 42nd annual CAS Awards Banquet. The event took place at the Millennium-Biltmore in Los Angeles. He was the president of the Cinema Audio Society in 1981.

; Academy Awards
* 2021: ''Greyhound (film), Greyhound'' (Academy Award for Best Sound, Best Sound) – Nominated
* 2020: ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Mixing) – Nominated
* 2010: ''Inglourious Basterds'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Mixing) – Nominated
* 2007: ''Dreamgirls'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Mixing) – Won
* 2003: ''Chicago'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Won
* 2002: '' Black Hawk Down'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Won
* 1994: ''Cliffhanger (film), Cliffhanger'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Nominated
* 1992: ''JFK'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Nominated
* 1990: ''Born on the Fourth of July (film), Born on the Fourth of July'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Nominated
* 1986: ''A Chorus Line (film), A Chorus Line'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Nominated
* 1983: ''Tron'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Nominated
* 1981: ''Altered States'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Nominated
* 1980: ''The Electric Horseman'' (Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound) – Nominated

; BAFTA Awards
* 2021: ''Greyhound'' (Best Sound) – Nominated
* 2005: ''Collateral'' (Best Sound) – Nominated
* 2004: ''Kill Bill: Vol. 1'' (Best Sound) – Nominated
* 2003: ''Chicago'' (Best Sound) – Won
* 2002: ''Black Hawk Down'' (Best Sound) – Nominated
* 1993: ''JFK'' (Best Sound) – Won
* 1979: ''Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'' (Best Sound) – Won

; Cinema Audio Society Awards
* 2021: ''Greyhound'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action) – Nominated
* 2009: ''John Adams'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series for episode Join or Die) – Won
* 2009: ''John Adams'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series for episode Independence) – Nominated
* 2008: ''Into the Wild'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Nominated
* 2007: ''Dreamgirls'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Won
* 2003: ''Chicago'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Nominated
* 2002: ''Black Hawk Down'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Nominated
* 1995: ''True Lies'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Nominated
* 1994: ''Cliffhanger'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film) – Nominated

; Motion Picture Sound Editors, Motion Picture Sound Editors - Golden Reel Award
* 2021: ''Greyhound'' (Best Sound Editing – Dialogue/ADR) – Nominated
* 2021: ''Greyhound'' (Best Sound Editing – Effects/Foley) – Nominated
* 1990: ''Born on the Fourth of July'' (Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects) – Won (Tied with The Abyss)

; Primetime Emmy Awards
* 2010: '' The Pacific'' (Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie for the episode Part Two) - Won
* 2008: ''John Adams'' (Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie for the episode Join or Die) – Nominated

; Satellite Awards
* 2010: ''The Town'' (Best Sound, Editing & Mixing) - Won
* 2006: ''Dreamgirls'' (Best Sound, Editing & Mixing) – Won
* 2005: ''Collateral'' (Best Sound, Editing & Mixing) – Won
* 2004: ''Kill Bill: Vol. 1'' (Best Sound) – Nominated

Controversy

After winning the Oscar in 2007 for his work on ''Dreamgirls'', Minkler exchanged the following dialogue with a reporter:

Several online publications found the comments to be controversial, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy. L.A. Times contributor Tom O'Neil reported on the event after contacting O'Connell, receiving the following response from him:

Minkler apologized to O'Connell within a few weeks of making his original remarks in an open letter, and by calling and speaking to him personally, as referenced in the letter. Minkler framed his apology with the statement, "A very unfortunate situation has developed because of my stupid answers to some inappropriate questions. I did not seek this spotlight—the press did, as they have in the past. It was wrong of them to ask the questions, and wrong, wrong, wrong of me to answer them the way that I did."

Writing on the controversy once again, Tom O'Neil characterized the apology in his LA Times blog as, "Minkler blames the media for his bashing of O'Connell."Los Angeles Times
/ref> As reported in the updated article, O'Connell accepted the apology cordially with the statement, "I think it is time for all of us to move on in the best interest of the sound community, and put this behind us."

References

External links

*

Moving Pictures Media Group

Michael Minkler Bio at Todd-AO website

A video profile of the work done on ''Inglourious Basterds'' by the SoundWorks Collection

Article at ''Mix'' magazine covering Minkler moving to Todd-AO Hollywood

CSS Studios Company Blog with Minkler news


* [http://en.wordpress.com/tag/michael-minkler/ WordPress Blog Entries covering Michael Minkler]

Story about Michael Minkler's CAS Award win for ''Dreamgirls''

Article about Michael Minkler's 2010 Oscar Nominations at ''ProSoundWeb''

Article at The Hollywood Reporter covering the work done on ''Inglourious Basterds'' written by Debra Kaufman

Michael Minkler Information at Freebase

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minkler, Michael
1952 births
Living people
American audio engineers
Best Sound BAFTA Award winners
Best Sound Mixing Academy Award winners
CAS Career Achievement Award honorees
Engineers from Los Angeles