Oftentimes, we work on cool, inspiring, interesting projects, then they don't get released for years after we shoot them. By the time they come out, as location crew members, we're usually not informed. We just move onto the next project. As 2023 came to an end, I decided to do a search for some of the projects I've worked on in the last few years to see if they've been released and if there's any news on them. I'm happy to say that some of the amazing projects I've worked on have indeed premiered at festivals, on television, and have received reputable recognition in the past year.
Last Spring, I worked as an A2 on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Fernando Delgado, CAS of Stickman Sound in Las Vegas spearheaded our audio team on this show and leading up to the show's premiere on Fox in September 2023, Fernando was featured in an article by Zaxcom highlighting how we used Zaxcom audio gear to get great sound on the show. Fernando is an amazingly intelligent, widely versed, fun and humble Audio Supervisor. What I've learned from Fernando has propelled me into working on more recent similar productions. I'm honored to be a part of and proud of our team's public accomplishments and praises from executives. Check out the article here: Fernando Delgado Dials in the Aural Flavor of Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares".
October was a busy month for Film Festivals
Two films I worked on premiered in festivals in October. A comedy short film by Cristina Kinon and Alan Clary, of inHouse Productions, called Ladies Room was selected to two film festivals premiering in October, 2023:
Bread & Roses Film Festival in Asbury, NJ: and
LA Femme International Film Festival, in Los Angeles. Cheers to inHouse for helping get Cristina's story produced and into a series of festivals!
I mixed location sound on a powerful film about autism and neurodiversity
The year prior, I mixed location sound on a powerful film about autism, ADHD and neurodiversity. A feature length documentary by The Lincoln Lawyer's Scott Steindorff, and Zhara Astra, co-produced by Dylan Russell at Stone Village Television, Understanding Autism premiered at the Newport Beach Film Fest in October, 2023. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from and work with that amazing team, many of whom are autistic; from directors, to producers to talent. With that, Stone Village Television's ability to connect with and create a compatible environment for neurodiverse people is a unique and powerful tool in a world of so many different people who are just trying to fit in.
I was the NYC Unit Sound Mixer of another moving documentary, Free Money
Free Money by Amanda Pollack, Sam Soko, Lauren DeFilippo and Katie McHale at Insignia Films which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, continued its worldwide releases in 2023 becoming available in the UK and Ireland. This feature documentary film follows the effects of universal basic income in a Kenyan village. Insignia Films did an impressive job both acquiring access, crew, and notable talent from around the world in multiple languages to tell a story to people who wouldn't have understood otherwise.
A film I helped acquire funding for has been making its way through the festival circuit
Mariya Somova's I Want to Live on Mars was selected to the Center Film Fest 2023 and is currently playing at the New York No Limits film series in January, 2024. Mariya is a talented Ukranian writer and director. From my perspective, she and her team at AuraPyre Productions in Pennsylvania admirably found ways to get their story on film, on soundtrack and on screens despite the common and uncommon challenges of indie filmmaking.
I worked on quite a few other amazing and powerful documentaries, commercials and digital content in 2021-2023 which I still anticipate the release dates of and being able to share them with the world. But until then, on to the next project!
Brett Ainslie is a NYC based freelance non-union Production Sound Mixer owner/operator.
He has been mixing sound on location for Film & TV since 2010 for narrative feature films, TV commercials, corporate videos, musical and corporate event live streams and broadcasts, digital content, documentaries and network reality shows. Brett has mixed sound for TBS, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, Disney ABC, Discovery, Food Network, Fox, VH1, A&E, ESPN, MTV, National Geographic, Bloomberg, Vice and more.