arts & entertainment

The
n
l
Behind The
Music

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Former Oak Parker
Curt Sobel helps set the tone for
some top-tier Hollywood films.

stayed on to work with the
composer',' Sobel says. "I
Suzanne Chessler
Curt Sobel uses his library to furnish temporary
helped
spot the places where
Contributing Writer
music that helps directors edit film sequences.
the music would start and
stop, assisted with recording
and edited what the com-
wo months before Curt Sobel
poser prepared."
decides whether to move to the
Sobel's interest in music
music at the 40th reunion of his
crystallized when he was
Oak Park High School graduating class,
15 years old and took up
musical choices he has made will move
a
the guitar. Although he had
audiences emotionally in movie theaters
Jewish actresses Kate Hudson and
taken piano lessons, he
around the country.
Ginnifer Goodwin star in the romantic
preferred working with the
Sobel, supervising music editor of
comedy Something Borrowed. Sobel is
smaller instrument more
Something Borrowed, collaborated on
supervising music editor on the film.
privately so he could com-
background melodies setting the mood
pose.
for each scene of the film being released
editor and/or supervisor,
"I was primarily a songwriter and not a
May 6.
also has worked on Nine,
performer, although I did play in Ferndale
Something Borrowed directed by
Love Happens, Wild Hogs The Beaver's Riley Thomas Stewart and actress-
and Ann Arbor clubs:' he recalls.
Luke Greenfield and starring Ginnifer
director Jodie Foster, who worked with Sobel at his
and Finding Neverland.
After starting out as a premed student
Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield
home studio to do the preview music.
"Being able to be in
at the University of Michigan, Sobel decid-
and John Krasinski — unfolds feelings
the studio with Ray
ed on a music career. He earned a general
confronted by characters in a romantic
Charles and Jamie Foxx
studies degree at U-M before earning an
triangle.
Sobel, married to Constance Clark, has
arranging and composition diploma at the as they played pianos next to each other
"There are wonderful scenes in
three
sons with their own twists on film
was a pretty remarkable experience,'
Berklee College of Music.
Something Borrowed enhanced by the
interests.
While Tommy is an assistant to
Sobel says. "I really enjoyed being in the
"I became an assistant in the film
director's visions of how music would help
Steven
Spielberg
and Jay completed an
studio for six or seven days with Ray as he
department at Berklee and was encour-
tell the story',' says Sobel, 54, whose varied
assignment
assisting
Kenneth Branagh,
aged to move to California," he says. "Seven recorded."
assignments can keep him at a digital
Brett
plans
to
be
a
photographer
and has
Risky
Business
Another favorite film was
months after that move, I met a music edi-
home studio in California or send him off
Los
Angeles
Times.
had
a
picture
in
the
with
Tom
Cruise
and
Rebecca
De
Mornay,
tor at a dubbing facility. His father owned
to distant centers of production.
"I get back to Michigan a couple of
which took him to Berlin for three weeks.
"There was a bar scene where the music a music editing company and hired me.
times
a year',' says Sobel, who had his bar
"There
are
challenges
in
some
films
"John Huston's Wise Blood was my first
was to express one character's expecta-
mitzvah
at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Bourne
that
are
very
unique
he
says.
"The
film, and I went on to do a lot of TV mov-
tions of being noticed, and I found a solo
Southfield.
"My sister, Margo Siegel, still
an
eight-month
project,
was
Ultimatum,
ies, including Sex and the Single Parent. A
piano piece to play in that part."
lives
in
the
area with her family.
the
only
film
in
which
most
of
the
temp
scheduling conflict at the office placed me
Sobel, as is common to so much of his
"I'm
really
looking forward to my next
music
I
was
cutting
actually
went
into
the
on the feature film Cutter's Way,"which led
film work, found temporary music after
Joyful Noise with Dolly
project,
the
film
final
version:'
to Sobel's permanent move to film work in
scenes were filmed for use in film edit-
Parton
and
Queen
Latifah. The storyline
Jodie
Foster,
who
directed
and
stars
the early '80s.
ing before the composer developed the
has
to
do
with
a
small
town choir, and that
about
The
Beaver,
with
Mel
Gibson
in
"I continued in features, met producer
original score for the film. Sourced from
reminds
me
of
all
the
joy
of writing the
a
troubled
husband
and
executive
who
Taylor Hackford and have worked with
his personal library, the temporary music
senior
class
song
at
Oak
Park
High."
adopts
a
beaver
hand
puppet
as
his
sole
him for 30 years:' including the Academy
helps set the tone as the director edits
means
of
communicating,
worked
with
scenes through a process involving cinema Award-winning Ray, with more than two
Something Borrowed opens in
Sobel at his home to do the preview music.
years as music supervisor and editor.
screenings.
theaters on Friday, May 6. The
Gibson
had
no
involvement
with
that
ele-
Ray, a biography of rhythm and blues
One of Sobel's first such projects was
Beaver opens on May 27.
ment
of
production.
The
film
opens
May
star Ray Charles, is among Sobel's favorite
the movie Airplane.
27.
ventures. The former Oak Parker, as music
"In the case of Something Borrowed, I

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