Michaela Pentacoff has an ear for movie music. The Tucson native, a 2008 University of Arizona grad who splits time between Utah and Tucson, is only 25 but has a long résumé as a sound recordist, mixer and editor on indie films.
The Internet Movie Database lists 14 film credits for Pentacoff, including sound recordist on the upcoming "The Prometheus Project," a re-imagination of "Frankenstein" starring Tucsonan Tiffany Shepis.
Pentacoff attended the prestigious Sundance Institute's Directors Lab as a sound mixer.
Do you need to work a day job?
"Nope, I solely work in film. But I do both production and post-production audio."
What are your career aspirations?
"I want to be a production sound mixer for independent films in the $1-to-$5 million range."
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What's your proudest movie accomplishment?
"That's a good question. Most films provide great and unique learning experiences, but I have to say my proudest moment so far has been when I found out that I mixed production sound for a feature which required no ADR (additional dialogue recording), which almost never happens. It is a great feeling to find out that not only did I do my job right, but I did it right on a show that required a large amount of mixing down to two channels."
Where do you find your inspiration for music?
"It depends greatly on my mood, which drives what and how I write. In the past, it has been anything from being homesick while in L.A. to feeling mischievous while trying to accomplish what seems impossible."
What does Tucson offer as a filmmaking community?
"There are great locations in and around Tucson, and one of the best part of being on set is discovering those locations."
Which facet of movie sound is the least appreciated?
"Most everything when it comes to movie sound is second to picture, which I believe hurts many independent filmmakers as they shoot their films. The saying goes that you don't notice good sound. You notice bad sound."
And which has the most impact?
"The most impactful audio to the audience is the original sound/dialogue captured on set. It is the hardest to re-create well in post-production and often costs four times as much to do so. It serves many purposes other than providing the audience's ears with the voices of the characters."
Have you had any contact with film celebrities?
"Up at the Sundance Directors labs this year, I read a scene for a technical rehearsal with Ed Harris for director Sydney Freeland. My crew had to run a technical rehearsal because we had a car on a sound stage and had to make it look like it was out on the road with multiple lighting gags.
"All the crew except for myself, Sydney and the DP (director of photography) were operating the gags, so I hopped in the car to read through the script for which lines cued the lights. I read one character and Ed hopped into the car to read the other character, since he was on set advising."
If you're involved in filmmaking and would like to be featured in a Q&A, write to pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
