[ LeslieAnnJones - 12 - 11:01:36 ]
I'm here and all set

[ LeslieAnnJones - 20 - 11:08:23 ]
RE: [Debbie/KnollwoodSchool] Exactly what does a scoring manager do? Do you watch the movie while you are working? Do you start to work before or after filming has finished. Do you work with the musicians or do you just work with the recordings when they are done?
In my job as Scoring Manager I book and staff the Scoring Stage, as well as am responsible for the technical updates we do. As a mixer, I record the music for the movie we are working on. We do watch the movie, but just each scene that has the music written for it. We usually start after the film is done, but if it is an animated feature like Lion King, songs are recorded first, then the animation is done after.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 21 - 11:09:55 ]
RE: [Jan/ChapinElementarySchool] The sound track for the "Titantic" was superb! What education helped you the most in your work?
For me, my music education helped. I didn't go to graduate school or anything like that, but I was a guitar player and singer in my teenage years. That helped a lot.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 24 - 11:12:27 ]
RE: [AmyMahler/Bellcore] Are the movies you mentioned in your biography the only movies you did sound for?
I don't recall the movies mention in my bio, but there are movies I mixed the music for, or movies our staff here at Skywalker mixed all the sound for. These would include TITANIC, CONTACT, HERCULES, WAG THE DOG, and many others.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 26 - 11:16:29 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] Hi Leslie! Did anyone or anything influence you to be what you are right now?
That's a great question. There are so many people... I've been fortunate to have had several mentors during my career as a mixer starting with Phil Kaye who was the first person to take a chance on hiring me. I was one of the first women recording engineers, so he wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Fortunately for both of us, it turned out well. Next was Roy Hallee, the engineer and producer most known for his work with Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkle. I was Roy's assistant for several years. Then David Rubinson, a famous record producer and manager in San Francisco who taught me so much about the record business and gave me many great engineering opportunities. I've been very lucky.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 27 - 11:19:05 ]
RE: [AnnaSky/ExeterCollege] Hi, I live in England and would really like to get into the music business, in your opinion, what is the best way? I'm hoping to go to university this Autumn
That's a tough question. The first thing you need to think about is what you want to do! In other words, there are many jobs available "in the music business". Do you want to perform as an instrumentalist, singer, pop, rock, manage artists, book talent, run a record company....see what I mean? Get a little closer to what excites you about music. College will definately help.

[ OHaraPark/OakleyCA - 31 - 11:23:40 ]
Which film took the longest? What was the most challenging film you did?

[ LeslieAnnJones - 33 - 11:25:16 ]
RE: [OHaraPark/OakleyCA] This is S.,F., & C. Do you still like to play the Guitar? What do you do in your spare time?
S,F&C????? No, I gave up playing guitar. I always enjoyed playing but I was self taught. I realized in order to be the great player I wanted to be I would have to become a music major, and really learn what I was doing. By then I was already interested in sound.I still have a guitar amp, but I let other people use it. In my spare time, I cook, ride my bicycle, and try to relax. I also enjoy playing softball. We have several teams here at Lucas.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 34 - 11:28:26 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Hi, is working for Skywalker Sound easy?
Working at Skywalker is pretty fantastic. Our building looks like a winery, in the middle of 2,200 acre ranch. The surroundings are beautiful, which helps quite a bit as the work can get very intense...deadlines, technical challenges, etc. Also the people here are wonderful to work with. My job is very challenging, but I'm enjoying it.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 37 - 11:31:48 ]
RE: [Holly/CalStateLongBeach] Congratulations on being a female pioneer in your field! Do you think the fact that you were one of the first females in your area helped you to advance so far so fast?
Wow, I've thought alot about that over the last few years. I do think being one of the first has helped me "stick out" more, but at the same time I've had to be better than my male counterparts. Working as a recording engineer is as much about the technical side as the personality side. I would say that I tried not to think about it when I was starting out. I just jumped at every opportunity and worked very hard. I knew just being a woman in the room on a recording session was unusual...I just did my work and fortunately for me, people liked it

[ Patricia/CottonwoodHighSchool - 38 - 11:32:00 ]
Your job seems to be the tops. Are there interns or openings somewhere down the line for less than experienced sound engineers. Also, what degree in college is needed for a position like yours? I teach a Senior Math class at a highschool in Utah and they are interested in their future.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 39 - 11:36:08 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] DO you find that your childhood and schooling played a large role in the development of your career?
My parents were both in the music businees. My father was Spike Jones, a musical comedy band leader. My mother was Helen Grayco, a singer in his band. That was a great education for me in that I was always surrounded by music. My father had very different tastes in music, from Elvis Presley to Duke Ellington. My mother always had some great singer's tape playing in the car or at home. That stuck with me my whole life. My favorite music to record is Big Band, trumpets, saxes, trombones, etc.And working with great singers is always a treat.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 41 - 11:38:50 ]
RE: [Hannah/Homeschooler] How long have you been scoring for movies? Do you ever meet any of the actors involved in the films?
I recorded the music for Apocalypse Now in 1982. That was the first movie I worked on. In my job I rarely meet the actors unless they are also the director or producer, like Robert Redford or Danny DeVito. The person working as the Dialogue editor, fixing words and stuff gets to work with actors the most.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 44 - 11:42:11 ]
RE: [Mrs.Kelley/InglenookElementary] In making the music respond to the activities on the screen, how much training with computers do you suggest one has, and how important is technology in this effort?
Working with computers is very helpful. Many composers still write with piano, pen, and paper, but several of the new composers write using computers. Even if you are not a composer, using computers is essential for film work. Almost everything we've done eventually has a computer attached to it: dialog, sound effects, music, are all edited on computer. HOWEVER, it is good to learn the old way too as it has some benefits to it.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 45 - 11:46:43 ]
RE: [AmyMahler/Bellcore] What do you mean by "mix the music"?
The music is recorded on many individual sections of tape, just like each thing you work on on your computer is stored on a different section of your hard or floppy drive. These sections are called tracks. After all the music is recorded, it has to be balanced, so the music is heard the way the composer intended. Maybe the drum has to be louder in a section, or the strings need to be softer. This is mixing. It is all combined to 12 tracks which are sent to the "dubbing stage". Here, the tracks of music, sound effects, and all the dialog (talking) are combined. 3 people sit at a large mixing console and work with the director on the final balance. That is what you hear in the theatre. I hope that explains it. If not, keep asking questions! :)

[ LeslieAnnJones - 47 - 11:50:03 ]
RE: [Mark/QuanterraEnvironmentalServices] What kind of sound did you use when the Titanic hit the iceberg in the movie?
I just called Chris Boyes, who won the Academy Award for Titanic. He says, an anchor hitting the side of a ship's hull, skiing on snow, and glass cracking. There were a few more, but those are the most important.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 51 - 11:56:54 ]
RE: [Teven/WhitwellMiddle] How long does it take you to get an idea of how you want your work to sound? Is it hard to get it to sound the way you want it to in your mind?
What a great question....in the beginning it was very hard. There is so much to know technically, that I couldn't spend too much time on how I wanted it to sound. I spent most of my time just getting it recorded properly and wishing it sounded better. After I became more comfortable with my work, I could spend time trying to record and mix music the way I think it should sound; I could experiment more. That's where my childhood came in handy, because I was surrounded by music. I also listen to alot of different music now. It's not too hard to get it to sound like it does in my mind, but the musicians are a part of that as well; how well they perform, the composer's arrangement, etc.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 52 - 11:58:29 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Do you have any advantages working for Skywalker Sound (like seeing a movie when it hasn't come out in theaters)?
Well, that's one advantage...although I must say I've been here over a year and have missed every screening so far!. The best advantage is working at a company that has such a high visibility and high standards. That keeps you on your toes.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 53 - 11:59:18 ]
RE: [Mark/QuanterraEnvironmentalServices] How did you take being the first woman Scoring Mixer/Manager, since it was supposedly a "man's job"?
I don't understand "how did you take". Could you expand your question a bit?

[ LeslieAnnJones - 55 - 12:04:01 ]
RE: [Lisa/UnitedSpaceAlliance] Is sound mixing a job you can learn or do you need to have a talent for knowing what will sound good?
I think you have to have a talent for understanding what sounds good, but that has many different elements. I deal with live musicians mostly, so that's my expertise. Other engineers like Mick Guzauski or Bob Clearmountain, spend all their time mixing...blending all the pieces together. Their talent is in their ability to create something different and exciting.Other engineers work exclusively with computers creating rhythms and sounds from scratch and never work with live players. That's what makes this job so interesting. There are however technical things one has to learn and there are several good schools all across the country to take classes from.

[ LeslieAnnJones - 56 - 12:06:46 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Does your job break up you family life (if you have a family)?
When I was spending all my time recording music it involved many hours in the studio. It does require having an understanding family. I think that's true of many jobs, if you want to build a career and succeed, its not 9-5. That seems to be more difficult for women, finding the balance between career and family. I hope it won't always be that hard.