Skip Lievsay
Biography
Filmography
Notes
"These days, Lievsay uses state-of-the-art equipment, including four Synclavier computer synthesizers, which he calls `the future of sound editing.' At his workstation in a loft space in Manhattan's Chelsea, he demonstrates what the future sounds like, running a scene from the Coen brothers' "Barton Fink" in which Fink (John Turturro), a playwright struggling to write a screenplay, is shown the rushes from a wrestling movie as an example of what's expected of him.`What they shot here,' Lievsay says, `is supposed to be this accelerated steam roller of sensual input from the screen. But audiowise, that ain't doing it. So I'll show you what I added.' The sequence runs again. This time, there is the loud clatter of a projector. Bodies hit the canvas with giant booms. A rumble is followed by a high-pitched wail. Not only do you see the panic in Fink's face, you HEAR it." --From PREMIERE, October 1991
"As inventive as Lievsay is, wouldn't he like to get his hands on a big-budget feature with lots of special effects? `I would dearly love to do one of those,' he says, but as he talks, his loyalties become clear. `Spike and Joel and Marty are all basically more of a theater-type orientation,' he explains. `It ain't about spaceships; it's not about wild, bizarre stuff. To me, it's greater talent to make these little things that drive the sequence.'Sounds like the old Hollywood-New York dichotomy--and Lievsay has chosen the East Coast. `Everyone who wants to make that kind of movie is there,' he says, `and everyone who wants to make this kind of movie is here.'--From PREMIERE, October 1991
Biography
One of the leading sound designers in the industry, with an outstanding history of collaborating with major American filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, the Coen Brothers, and John Sayles. Lievsay served as sound editor for the Coens on "Blood Simple" (1984) and was their sound editor supervisor on "Raising Arizona" (1987), "Miller's Crossing" (1990), and "Barton Fink" (1991). For Spike Lee, he provided sound design for "Do the Right Thing" (1989), "Mo' Better Blues" (1990), and "Jungle Fever" (1991). Lievsay began an extensive collaboration with Martin Scorsese on "After Hours" (1985), continuing through "The Age of Innocence" (1993). For John Sayles, he worked on "Matewan" (1987) and "City of Hope" (1991).
Lievsay has modestly asserted that little of his sound work deserves the exalted title of "sound design," a credit first given to the highly acclaimed Walter Murch on Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" (1979). He admits, however, that the ominous soundtrack he created for Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs" (1992) was a good attempt.
Filmography
Producer (Feature Film)
Editing (Feature Film)
Visual Effects (Feature Film)
Sound (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Life Events
1980
First significant assignment as a sound editor on "No Nukes", a concert film documentary
1981
Worked as sound editor on "Polyester", director John Waters' first mainstream feature
1982
Served as sound consultant for Charles Musser's documentary feature, "Before the Nickelodeon: The Early Cinema of Edwin S. Porter"
1984
First collaboration with Joel and Ethan Coen on "Blood Simple"
1985
First assignment as sound editor supervisor for "After Hours" and first collaboration with director Martin Scorsese
1987
First collaboration with writer-director John Sayles as sound editor supervisor on "Matewan"
1989
First feature credit for sound design on "Do the Right Thing" and first collaboration with writer-director Spike Lee
Bibliography
Notes
"These days, Lievsay uses state-of-the-art equipment, including four Synclavier computer synthesizers, which he calls `the future of sound editing.' At his workstation in a loft space in Manhattan's Chelsea, he demonstrates what the future sounds like, running a scene from the Coen brothers' "Barton Fink" in which Fink (John Turturro), a playwright struggling to write a screenplay, is shown the rushes from a wrestling movie as an example of what's expected of him.`What they shot here,' Lievsay says, `is supposed to be this accelerated steam roller of sensual input from the screen. But audiowise, that ain't doing it. So I'll show you what I added.' The sequence runs again. This time, there is the loud clatter of a projector. Bodies hit the canvas with giant booms. A rumble is followed by a high-pitched wail. Not only do you see the panic in Fink's face, you HEAR it." --From PREMIERE, October 1991
"As inventive as Lievsay is, wouldn't he like to get his hands on a big-budget feature with lots of special effects? `I would dearly love to do one of those,' he says, but as he talks, his loyalties become clear. `Spike and Joel and Marty are all basically more of a theater-type orientation,' he explains. `It ain't about spaceships; it's not about wild, bizarre stuff. To me, it's greater talent to make these little things that drive the sequence.'Sounds like the old Hollywood-New York dichotomy--and Lievsay has chosen the East Coast. `Everyone who wants to make that kind of movie is there,' he says, `and everyone who wants to make this kind of movie is here.'--From PREMIERE, October 1991
