Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

ft** 14. The loxtU. Aartl II. IKS
PROFILES.
Movie soundtracks
making noise
By Jonathan Alberts
In retrospect, the results or the last few Arafcmy
Awards ceremonies seem to indicate that the Bay
Am possess* • thriving movie soundtrack industry.
In fact, over the put several years. Bay Areaproduced
soundtracks have dominated Uie nominations
for the Sound Oscar.
Amadcus, which won eight Academy Awards
ovcnll. including one for sound, is an example of the
special work being done in the Bay Area
The film, including the soundtrack, was produced
a! the Saul Zaentz Film Center in Berkeley. The
sovadtnek's production was supervised by Bay Area
sound designers Mark Berger. Tom Scott, end Todd
:Roekelbeide.
Many more film soundtracks with Bay Area
backgrounds have achieved fame and recognition.
Tte Right Satf. for example, was last year's winner
of the O«car for Sound. This movie's soundtrack,
like that of Amadou, was produced at the Saul Zacntz
Film Center.
Never Cry Wotfil anothct movie whose soundtrack
was produced at this facility.
• The nuking of a movie soundtrack is often times a
tedious process. When a movie viewer sees a scene
where many different actions are taking place und
many different sounds are being generated and blended
together, he may be under the impression that the
sounds were simply recorded on the spot, h cannof be
done that way.
In this age of stereophonic sound, viewers demand
sound clarity and realism beyond what might actually
be heard in the "true" siluiuon. Film producers cannot
just record sound as they film.
The modem process of sound editing and producing
doesn't only involve the music to be played during
the movie. Of equal importance to the producers
are the less obvious, sometimes almost undctcctable.
sounds which increase realism or help create and control
the mood of a movie.
All sounds arc recorded individually and then spliced
into • reel at the appropriate moment of the movie.
One reel, for example, might contain all of the car
engine sounds for a movie. This reel would eventually
be played simultaneously with the cube: sound
reels for this movie to create a master rcct containing
all of the sound effects at precisely the right moment.
This time-consuming work requires patience and
skill. In producing Amadeus. over 70 reels of sound
effects were recorded for the market scenes alone.
Overall, the soundtrack for this movie required a
year's work on the part of Bergcr. Scott, and
Boekelheidc.
Besides the Saul Zacntz Film Center in Berkeley.
Lucasfilm is located in Sui Rafael and in San Francisco
there is Francis Ford Coppola's Zoctrope
Studios.
A publicity spokesperson for Uicaifilm commented.
"I don't know why wr'rc all up here. It's
just coincidence."
Making money in SF
By Jculca Leung
Ot* a Monday morning in 1848, a nun named John
Marshall flood ankle-deep ai the south forte of the
American River in Cilifomia and found pieces of a
yellow metal. The metal tuned out to be gold, and
thus began what historians consider "the greatest
adventure since the Crusades'* — the Gold Rush of
1849.
At (he onset, the gold seekers, or Forty-Niners as
they soon became known, were relatively few in
- number. In a few short years, however, the count
nearly doubled from 140.000 to a fourth of a million.
Men from all pans of the world with varying cultures
Cocked to this former Mexican province, bringing
with them universal ambitions and desires.
Meanwhile, the coinage situation in tic Weil was
one of chaotic heterogeneity. Many different kinds
circulated, among them French louisdors, Dutch
guilders. Indian rupees. Mexican reals, English shtllings,
and American prcccs. For commerce to grow, a
standardized form of currency was needed.
Nature, hu^.'ver, did not design raw gold for the
needs of commerce. To meet monetary requirements,
the gold must be fashiored into standard forms of
standard value and convenient size. In other words, it
had to be minted into coins.
In his final message to Congress in 1948. President
James K. Polk first proposed the building of a brsnt h
mint in California. On *uly 3. 1852. Congresi
authorized the establishment of a US mint in San
Francisco.
The first mint, the predecessor ot wSat U now
known as the Old Mint, was located in a gO-'oot
square buHdins on Comiaercial Street. The gold
coins produced the first year valued $4 million.
Merely two yean later, product totaled $25
million,
.As time went by. the relatively small mint could no
longer meet the growing demands. Thus, in 1874.
. operations moved to new quarters at Fifth and MUaiott
streets, a contemporary, nxrny factory often
called "one of the best appointed mints in the
-;; world."
To CaJifomlans who were separated from "the
• finer things" bade East, the mint, a fine example of
the architectural style known as Federal Cubical
Revival, was more than a coin-producing facory; it
was a laark or culture and progress. Its spacious
steps, backed by a sextet of Doric columns, became
• everyone's favorite spot for politics] and industrial
Not iy did the mint pov\cv» jcsthctk; beauty, hut
endurt.-ri strength as well. The San Francisco Cult
wrote of the building, "The fire department will have
little trouble quenching an> conflagration that may
arise within its walls, and unless an earthquake gives
it a subterranean quietus, it bids fair lo stand for
centuries."
This prediction proved to be true in (he Earthquake
of 1906. Of all the buildings in what was the business
district, the mint was the only one to emerge unscathed.
During the di*a»tcr. loyal employees risked their
lives and came to rescue the mint. Engulfed by domes
and melting glxu, they pumped water from the artesian
well below the central court to save the building
from subsequent fire.
Through the 1906 Calamity and three major wars
the Old Mint served. Ironically, it could not meet the
increasing demand of the changing times for coins.
To increase production, operations were moved once
again in 1937 — this time lo a square, marble edifice
overlooking the city at Duboce and Bucharun streets.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
On June 16, 1973, the Old Mint wns officially
opened to the public as a museum. The front of the
building serves as the museum, while the rear houses
the mint's rpecial coins and medals division. The
computer center within the mint permits the mint to
rapidly process orders for. the public. This service
generates millions of dollars a year, thus making
u^toration possible without tax fiinds.
K*tt the shop where souvenir ure sold and coins
a.t orc-anl by collectors, the public can see •otnc of
the scaltA used to weigh gold during the days of the
Cold Rui n. Some of them are Will sensitive enough to
detect m; weight of a pencil mark on a pit. e of paper.
At' -OM of one dollar, the visitor can press a but*
ton on a massive 1869 press and thus create his own
medal bearing the design of the mint building on its
• *ce, and an outline map of the United States
superimposed on an eagle with outstretched *ings on
the reverse side.
In addition, the visitor can see 4 stack of .999 pure
gold ban. which weighs over a ton and costs more
thanSt million.
These are but some of the many attractions at the
Old Mint* which is opea to the public on weeedxys
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. School tour* arc welcome.
For further information, call 974-0788.
business.
Anchor Steam Beer
Overflowing^
with taste
By Robert Kim
In an age when most breweries
aSt? 3*e of the art equipment, and
wxne nw artificial ingredients. Anchor
Brew\-ry Company adheres to a
novel approach in nuking Anchor
Stcim Beer: tradition and
authenticity.
"We're nuking a distinctive beer.
one with integrity and quality," says
nwncr and head brewmaster Friu.
Maytag. "I believe a brewer thouk!
know atom tradition. He thould hrrl
the ambition to maintain inter'jy."
Upon entering ihe brewery, one
can seme tradition. The reception
room or "'taproom" looks like a
muKum. Noitalgic beer tigns and
Urge repticu of old bottle capt hang
from the wallv A di«pliy catc cxhibiti
antique brewing tool*.
However, thi* union i* quickly
•titpellnl when one pcen through the -
huge panoramic windows of the
upruom. They rewal three Urge copper
vnscls Uut are actually nuking
One can see workers supervising
and regulating tlic gleaming vessels.
Ma) tag imported these vends from
Germany because they were traditional
brewing veuclt. This process
allows Anchor lo produce an authentic
styled beer uniquely dark,
dense, and slightly bitter.
"I struggled to do everything in the
brewery as traditionally as possible,"
uys Maytag.
Anchor is a "large
microbrewcry." a tiny drop in -Jie
barrel compsred.lo Anheuser Busch
and Miller, the industry leaders.
Because Anchor is relatively small.
il allows for a tcamlikc atmosphere
among the employees. Maytaj siys
that he nirts Anchor like a family,
with free di'xusuon and shared
respor-jbiliry.
"All the employees here feel that
they've got the whole company on
their ihoulders." explains general
manager Gordon MacDermotl.
Ttutt's the reason for our quality.'*
Also. "Anchor makes the product
for itself, not sacrificing quality for
gantity," says co-worker Bailey
While most modem breweries rely
oo artificial prescrvKrves to stop
""oobscterial growuX Anchor uses
only hops, a natural preservative.
Anchor relies oo a bmnflg process
thai combines oid-world quality and
state of the an technical knowledge
to produce its distinctive brew.
Anchor Steam Beer is made differently
than the major bonds.
While the common lager been are
brewed by slow fermentatfad and
alorcd In refrigerator cdhfi for '
maturing, steam beers are brewed at
higher fermentation tetspentores.
They were popuUrucd in 19tb century
mining camps which lacked
refrigeration facilities.
Produced in San Francnco since
1896. Anchor Steam Beer was not the
only steam beer around. In fact, there
were .'.cvcral hundred •steam
breweries, even before the Anchor
Brewing Company (then called
Golden City Brewery) exatai.
In 196$. Mayug (whost great
gnadfathaTT fouiuM ibr«M