SoundStorm was an independent audio post-production and sound editorial company based in Burbank, California. It provided post-production sound design, sound editing and ADR in Hollywood. The editors recorded their sound effect library from 1984 to 2004, worked on more than eighty feature films, and earned a number of awards and nominations from the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

British Academy Film Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

and Golden Reel Awards. In 2004, the company was dissolved and sold its assets; Soundogs.com Inc. acquired the trademark and complete archive of the SoundStorm sound effects library.

History

SoundStorm was founded in 1984 by Gordon Ecker as Walla Works Productions, a sound editorial house and post-production facility in Los Angeles for feature films and television projects. It was owned and operated by practicing sound professionals. In the 1990s the company moved to

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

from Hollywood after several corporate transitions and name changes. Ecker who was the CEO, retired in 1998 and sold the company to six of the firm's original employees;

Bruce Stambler Bruce Stambler is a sound editor. He won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing for the drama thriller film ''The Ghost and the Darkness'' (1996). This marked both his first win and fifth consecutive nomination in the category, after being re ...

John Leveque John Leveque (born March 12, 1944) is a sound editor. He has won two BAFTAs for sound and has been nominated by the Motion Picture Sound Editors for sound. He has worked on over 70 films. Oscar history All four nominations are for Best Sound E ...

, Gary Blufer, John Fanaris,

Becky Sullivan Becky Sullivan is a Supervising Sound Editor. She won the BAFTA for her work on the film '' The Fugitive.'' Sullivan was nominated at the 87th Academy Awards in the category of Best Sound Editing for her work on the film ''Unbroken''. Her nomi ...

, and Richard Yawn. Four of the six owners were sound editors. The company developed relationships with off-site editorial and mixing facilities to handle re-recording duties on SoundStorm projects. In 2002, it employed about sixty sound professionals, including ten supervising sound editors. The company also recruited

Alan Robert Murray Alan Robert Murray (July 30, 1954 – February 24, 2021) was an American sound editor. Murray was nominated for ten Academy Awards. In 2007, Murray won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing for his work on ''Letters from Iwo Jima'' (2005). I ...

who supervised the sound on twenty-eight Clint Eastwood films. The SoundStorm team worked on more than eighty feature films and television projects. It has contributed to the success of notable films as ''

Under Siege ''Under Siege'' is a 1992 action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and written by J. F. Lawton. It stars Steven Seagal (who also produced the film), Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, and Erika Eleniak. Seagal plays Casey Ryback, a former ...

'' (1992), '' The Fugitive'' (1993), ''

Clear and Present Danger ''Clear and Present Danger'' is a political thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and published on August 17, 1989. A sequel to '' The Cardinal of the Kremlin'' (1988), main character Jack Ryan becomes acting Deputy Director of Intelligence i ...

'' (1994), ''

Batman Forever ''Batman Forever'' is a 1995 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. It is the third installment of the ''Batman'' film series, acting as a standalone sequel to ''Batman Returns''. Directe ...

'' (1995), ''

The Ghost and the Darkness ''The Ghost and the Darkness'' is a 1996 American historical adventure film directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. The screenplay, written by William Goldman, is a fictionalized account of the Tsavo man-eater ...

'' (1996), ''

L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by American writer James Ellroy, the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickso ...

'' (1997) and ''

The Fast and the Furious ''Fast & Furious'', also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'', is an American action media franchise centered on a series of films revolving around street racing, heists, and spies. The franchise also includes short films, a television se ...

'' (2001) Besides the action-adventure work, SoundStorm provided sound editorial for independent dramas like '' Frailty'' (2001), comedies like '' Blast from the Past'' (1999), and prestigious pictures like '' Pleasantville'' (1998) The leading supervising sound editors John Leveque and Bruce Stambler paired together on several projects and achieved a number of awards for sound designing and editing. Stambler was nominated for five in a row for the Academy Award and won with ''Ghost and the Darkness'' (1995) for Best Sound Effects Editing. He also won a BAFTA for '' The Fugitive'' (1993), an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...

(1984) and a Golden Reel Award shared with Leveque for ''

'' (1992). John Leveque received Oscar nominations four years in a row and won two BAFTAs for ''

'' (1997) and '' The Fugitive'' (1993) He was also nominated for five Golden Reel Awards. In 2003, SoundStorm digitized its sound effects library, opened a new sound transfer room featuring Pro Tools HD systems and digital workstations replacing 35mm platforms with a view to coping with the rival firms. In 2004, SoundStorm opened Cloud 9, a sound mixer feature equipped with two dbx Quantum II compressors, two dbx 160SL dual/mono stereo compressor/limiters and a dbx 786 mic pre unit.

Acquisition

SoundStorm was one of the most recognized independent sound editorial companies in Hollywood when it filed for bankruptcy and sold its assets in 2004. Bruce Stambler, one of its co-founders, left SoundStorm for Soundelux in August 2004 with eight members of his creative team and three studio projects. Stambler was CEO of SoundStorm and lead supervising sound editor at the firm before relocating to Soundelux. In 2004, John Leveque also left SoundStorm for Soundelux and started working for

Soundelux Soundelux is an American audio post production company based in California, a previous member of the Todd Soundelux group of sound companies. The Soundelux library and trademark was bought in 2014 by Sounddogs. In 2021, original founders Lon Ben ...

' London office. Soundelux has also brought on Sound Supervisor/ADR supervisor

. In 2004 Rob Nokes of Sounddogs.com Inc. acquired the trademark and complete archive of the SoundStorm sound effects library when the company decided to dissolve its sell its assets and partnerships with other sound facilities.

Aftermath

In 2008, Stambler and Leveque left

and opened a sound editorial and mixing facility called Studio 8 Sound in Los Angeles with offices also in New York.

Staff

; Former staffs: * Gordon Ecker, Co-founder, Supervising sound editor (1984–1998) * John Fanaris, President. * John Switzer, Vice President * Charles Meister, former CEO *

, Co-CEO, Supervising sound editor *

, Supervising sound editor *

, Co-CEO owner Supervising Sound Editor * Richard E. Yawn, Sound editor * Gary Blufer, Sound effects recordist, editor *

, Supervising sound editor * Tim Walston, Sound designer * Terry Rodman, Supervising sound editor * Jay Nierenberg, Supervising sound editor * Michael Olman, Sound mixer * Michael Payne, Sound effect editor * Steve Mann, Sound effect editor * William Dotson, Supervising sound editor * Cathie Speakman, Supervising sound editor * Bernard Weiser, Supervising sound editor * Lee Lemont, Supervising sound editor * Glenn Hoskinson, Sound effect editor

Filmography

* '' Life of the Party'' (2005) ... Sound Editing Services * ''

Noel Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community *Noel Park, a suburb in Greater London, Engla ...

'' (2004) ... Sound Editing * '' Collateral'' (2004) ... Sound Effects Editing * ''

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

'' (2004) ... Mixed At * '' The Girl Next Door'' (2004) ... Sound Post-production * ''

Club Dread ''Club Dread'' (also known as ''Broken Lizard's Club Dread'') is a 2004 comedy slasher film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by and starring the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter ...

'' (2004) ... Sound Editing And Re-recording * ''

Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

'' (2004) ... Sound Editing * ''

Torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

'' (2004) ... Sound Post-production * ''

Eloise at Christmastime ''Eloise at Christmastime'' is a 2003 American Christmas comedy television film based on the 1958 book written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight. The film stars Sofia Vassilieva as Eloise, a six-year-old girl who lives in the ...

'' (2003) (TV series) ... Post Production Sound * ''American Valor'' (2003) (TV series) ... Sound Editing * ''

Elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...

'' (2003) ... Sound Editing * ''

Miss Match ''Miss Match'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jeff Rake and Darren Star and produced by Imagine Television, Darren Star Productions, and 20th Century Fox Television. It aired in the United States on NBC from Septe ...

'' (2003) ... Sound Editorial * ''

Hollywood Homicide ''Hollywood Homicide'' is a 2003 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett, with a supporting cast including Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Isaiah Washington, Lolita Davidovich, Keith David, Gladys Kni ...

'' (2003) ... Sound Editing * '' Carolina'' (2003) ... Sound Editing, Sound Editorial And Re-recording * ''Top Speed'' (2003) ... Assistant Sound Effects Editing * ''

Bulletproof Monk ''Bulletproof Monk'' is a 2003 American action comedy film directed by Paul Hunter in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Seann William Scott, and Jaime King. The film is loosely based on the comic book written by ...

'' (2003) ... Sound Post-production * ''

Holes A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...

'' (2003) ... Sound Post-production * ''

The Core ''The Core'' is a 2003 American science fiction disaster film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, D. J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, Tcheky Karyo, Bruce Greenwood, and Alfre Woodard. ...

'' (2003) ... Sound Editing * '' Dark Blue'' (2002) ... Sound Editing * '' Star Trek: Nemesis'' (2002) ... Sound Editing * ''

Waking Up in Reno ''Waking Up in Reno'' is a 2002 American road comedy-drama film directed by Jordan Brady and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, Patrick Swayze, and Natasha Richardson. The screenplay by Brent Briscoe and Mark Fauser focuses on two ...

'' (2002) ... Sound Design * '' Trapped'' (2002) ... Sound Design & Editorial * ''

Ritual A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...

'' (2002) ... Sound Editing * ''

The Banger Sisters ''The Banger Sisters'' is a 2002 American comedy drama film written and directed by Bob Dolman, and produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The film stars Goldie Hawn as Suzette and Susan Sarandon as Vinnie, two women who were best friends, and fa ...

'' (2002) ... Sound Design & Editorial * ''

xXx XXX may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''XXX'' (film series), American action film series ** ''XXX'' (2002 film), an action film starring Vin Diesel ** '' XXX: State of the Union'', 2005 ** '' XXX: Return of Xander Cage' ...

'' (2002) ... Sound Editorial Services * '' Blood Work'' (2002) ... Sound Editing * '' No Good Deed'' (2002) ... Sound Editing * ''

Juwanna Mann ''Juwanna Mann'' is a 2002 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Jesse Vaughan, written by Bradley Allenstein, and produced by Bill Gerber. The film stars Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans ...

'' (2002) ... Sound Editing * ''

The Sum of All Fears ''The Sum of All Fears'' is a political thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and released on August 14, 1991, as the sequel to '' Clear and Present Danger'' (1989). Main character Jack Ryan, who is now the Deputy Director of Central Intellig ...

'' (2002) ... Digital Sound Editing * ''Papal Cab'' (2002) ... Audio Services * ''

One Hour Photo ''One Hour Photo'' is a 2002 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Mark Romanek. It stars Robin Williams as a photo technician who develops an unhealthy obsession with a family to whom he has long provided services. Conni ...

'' (2002) ... Digital Sound Design And Editing * ''

Queen of the Damned ''Queen of the Damned'' is a 2002 horror film directed by Michael Rymer from a screenplay by Scott Abbott and Michael Petroni, and based on the 1988 novel ''The Queen of the Damned'' by Anne Rice, the third novel of the book series ''The Vampi ...

'' (2002) ... Sound Editing * '' Frailty'' (2001) ... Sound Design And Editorial * ''

To End All Wars ''To End All Wars'' is a 2001 war film starring Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland and Sakae Kimura and was directed by David L. Cunningham. The film is based on '' Through the Valley of the Kwai'', an autobiography of Ernest Gordon, then a Scot ...

'' (2001) ... Sound Editorial * ''

'' (2001) ... Sound Editing * '' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' (2001) ... Sound Editing * ''

What's the Worst That Could Happen? ''What's the Worst That Could Happen?'' is a 2001 American crime comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito. Loosely based on a book by Donald E. Westlake, the film follows the misadventures of a skilled ...

'' (2001) ... Sound Editing Services * ''

The Caveman's Valentine ''The Caveman's Valentine'' is a 2001 American mystery-drama film directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Samuel L. Jackson based on George Dawes Green's 1994 novel of the same name. The film was released by Universal Focus, a subsidiary of Uni ...

'' (2001) ... Sound Editing * '' 24'' (2001–2010) ... Sound Editing * ''

Dude, Where's My Car? ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' is a 2000 American stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. The film stars Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott as two best friends who find themselves unable to remember where they parked their vehicle after a ...

'' (2000) ... Sound Editing * ''Bad Dog'' (2000) ... Sound Editing * ''

Dancing at the Blue Iguana ''Dancing at the Blue Iguana'' is a 2000 American erotic drama film, directed by Michael Radford, about the lives of strippers at a strip club in Los Angeles, California's San Fernando Valley. The film was based on an improvisational workshop in ...

'' (2000) ... Sound Design And Editorial * '' The Replacements'' (2000) ... Sound Editing * ''

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle may refer to: Television and film *'' The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'', an American animated television series 1959–1964 * ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle'' (film), a 2000 Americ ...

'' (2000) ... Sound Editing * ''

Scary Movie ''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon Wayans, Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon ...

'' (2000) ... Sound Editorial Services * ''

Nurse Betty ''Nurse Betty'' is a 2000 American black comedy film directed by Neil LaBute and starring Renée Zellweger as the title character, a small town, Kansas waitress who suffers a nervous breakdown after witnessing her husband's torture murder, and s ...

'' (2000) ... Sound Editing * ''

Where the Money Is ''Where the Money Is'' is a 2000 American crime comedy-drama film directed by Marek Kanievska, written by E. Max Frye, and starring Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino and Dermot Mulroney. The film, a box office failure, was Newman's second-to-last ...

'' (2000) ... Editing Facilities * ''

Son of the Beach ''Son of the Beach'' is an American sitcom that aired from March 14, 2000, to October 1, 2002, on FX. The series is a spoof of ''Baywatch'', with much of the comedy based on sexual double entendres, puns, innuendo and the like. A major running ...

'' (2000) ... Sound Post-production * ''

The Next Best Thing ''The Next Best Thing'' is a 2000 American comedy drama film directed by John Schlesinger and starring Madonna, Rupert Everett, and Benjamin Bratt. It follows a woman who has a one-night-stand with her gay best friend, which results in her givin ...

'' (2000) ... Sound Editing * ''The Magic of Marciano'' (2000) ... Sound Editing * ''

South of Heaven, West of Hell ''South of Heaven, West of Hell'' is a 2000 American western film starring Dwight Yoakam, who also co-wrote, directed, and scored the film. The film follows Valentine Casey (Yoakam), a Marshal in the Arizona territory when he receives a surpri ...

'' (2000) ... Sound Design And Editorial * '' Flawless'' (1999) ... Sound Editing * '' Durango Kids'' (1999) ... Sound Re-recording * ''

Three Kings In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...

'' (1999) ... Sound Editing * '' Simpatico'' (1999) ... Sound Editing By * ''

Dudley Do-Right Dudley Do-Right is a fictional character created by Alex Anderson, Chris Hayward, Allan Burns, Jay Ward, and Bill Scott, who appears as the main protagonist of "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties", a segment on ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullw ...

'' (1999) ... Sound Editing * ''

Twin Falls Idaho ''Twin Falls Idaho'' is a 1999 independent drama directed by Michael Polish, who co-wrote and co-stars in the film with Mark Polish. It premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, who gave the film a l ...

'' (1999) ... Post Sound Editorial Facilities * ''

The 13th Warrior ''The 13th Warrior'' is a 1999 American historical fiction action film based on Michael Crichton's 1976 novel '' Eaters of the Dead'', which is a loose adaptation of the tale of ''Beowulf'' combined with Ahmad ibn Fadlan's historical account of ...

'' (1999) ... Sound Editing * ''

200 Cigarettes ''200 Cigarettes'' is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Risa Bramon Garcia and written by Shana Larsen. The film follows multiple characters in New York City on New Year's Eve 1981. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of brothers ...

'' (1999) ... Sound Editing * ''

8MM 8 mm may refer to: Film technology *8 mm film, a motion picture film format ** Super 8 film ** Single-8 film * 8 mm video format, three related videocassette formats Firearms * 8 mm caliber, firearmm cartridges ** 7.92×57mm Mauser, designated 8 ...

'' (1999) ... Sound Editing * '' Blast from the Past'' (1999) ... Sound Editing * ''Water and Power'' (1999) ... Sound Editorial * '' Pleasantville'' (1998) ... Sound Editing * ''

Quest for Camelot ''Quest for Camelot'' (released internationally as ''The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot'') is a 1998 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation, directed by Frederik Du Chau, and very loosely based on the ...

'' (1998) ... Sound Editing * '' U.S. Marshals'' (1998) ... Sound Editing * ''In Quiet Night'' (1998) ... Sound * ''Tina Gets Her Man'' (1998) ... Special Thanks * ''

The Postman ''The Postman'' is a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction novel by David Brin. It is about a man wandering the desolate Oregon countryside who finds a United States Postal Service uniform, which h ...

'' (1997) ... Sound Editing * '' Speed 2: Cruise Control'' (1997) ... Sound Editing * '' Batman & Robin'' (1997) ... Sound Editing * ''

'' (1997) ... Sound Editing (as Soundstorm) * '' Absolute Power'' (1997) ... Sound Editing * ''

Gridlock'd ''Gridlock'd'' is a 1997 American dark drama film written and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall (in his directorial debut film), and starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, Lucy Liu, and Thandiwe Newton. It follows two heroin addicts, who decide to kick ...

'' (1997) ... Sound Editing * ''

'' (1996) ... Sound Editing * '' A Time to Kill'' (1996) ... Sound Editing * ''

Carpool Carpooling is the sharing of Automobile, car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, and prevents the need for others to have to drive to a location themselves. Carpooling is considered a Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) serv ...

'' (1996) ... Sound Editing * ''

Four Rooms ''Four Rooms'' is a 1995 American anthology farce black comedy film co-written and co-directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino. The story is set in the fictional Hotel Mon Signor in Los Angeles o ...

'' (1995) ... Post-production Sound * ''

Dangerous Minds ''Dangerous Minds'' is a 1995 American drama film directed by John N. Smith, written by Ronald Bass, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It is based on the 1992 autobiography ''My Posse Don't Do Homework'' by retired U.S. Mar ...

'' (1995) ... Sound Editing * ''

'' (1994) ... Sound Effects Editing * ''

Dream Lover "Dream Lover" is a song written by American musician Bobby Darin. Darin recorded his composition on March 5, 1959 and released it as a single the following month. It was produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler and engineered by Tom Dowd. The ...

'' (1993) ... Sound Editing * '' The Program'' (1993) ... Sound Editing * '' Body Bags'' (1993) (TV series) ... Sound Editing * '' The Fugitive'' (1993) ... Sound Editing * ''

Posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

'' (1993) ... Sound Editing * ''

'' (1992) ... Sound Editing * ''

'' (1984) ... Sound Editing

Awards and recognitions

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://soundstorm.com/ Film sound production Sound archives in the United States Companies based in Los Angeles County, California Companies based in Burbank, California Companies established in 1984 Companies disestablished in 2004 Recording studios in California