Gary Rydstrom
Gary Roger Rydstrom is an American sound designer and film director. He has been nominated for twenty Academy Awards for his work in sound for movies, and has won seven times.
Life and career
Rydstrom was born in Chicago, raised in Elmhurst, Illinois where he attended public school K-12, graduating in 1977 from York High School. He graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in 1981. He began his career at Skywalker Sound in Northern California in 1983, having been offered the job by a college professor, which enabled him to work with his mentor, Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt.
After gaining invaluable experience as a sound technician in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Rydstrom went on to do sound design for the comedy Spaceballs. The sound design for Backdraft was created from scratch and later served as the foundation for his work on Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The original sound effects from Backdraft are constantly referenced and have been used for numerous other films including The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and Shrek.
He won an Academy Award for his work on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, for which he pioneered techniques still used today for creating realistic sound effects. Rydstrom also worked with Terminator 2 director James Cameron on a new 5.1 surround sound remix for the original Terminator.
His sound work on Jurassic Park led to further innovations, as he and his team set out to create dinosaur sounds by mixing together numerous different animal vocalizations to make the audience feel as though giant bellowing prehistoric beasts surrounded them. The Academy Award-winning film was the first motion picture to be presented in DTS. The T-Rex roar created by Gary was later re-used for Dim in A Bug's Life, Thanator in Avatar and the Hydra in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
He subsequently went on to work on sound for numerous films including Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report and Finding Nemo. He won an MPSE lifetime achievement award, and regularly speaks at various sound design forums sharing his extensive knowledge and enthusiasm with aspiring sound design artists.
He made his directorial debut with the Pixar short Lifted, earning his fourteenth Academy Award nomination. It was included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2006. His debut feature film, Newt, a story about two blue-footed newts learning to cooperate, was announced in 2008 and reportedly entered early production but was ultimately cancelled by Pixar in early 2011 due to story issues. He has also directed the Pixar short Hawaiian Vacation and the Lucasfilm animated feature Strange Magic.
Rydstrom has also served as English language director on Tales From Earthsea, Arrietty, From Up on Poppy Hill, and The Wind Rises, all of which were produced by the Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli.
Awards and nominations
Rydstrom has been nominated for 20 Academy Awards, 12 Golden Reel Awards, 5 C.A.S Awards, 5 BAFTA Awards, and 1 Grammy.
Filmography
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom audio technicianEwoks: The Battle for Endor audio technicianRemo Williams: The Adventure Begins foley artistLuxo Jr. sound designerRed's Dream sound designerSpaceballs sound designerCaptain EO sound designerColors sound designerTin Toy sound designerWillow foley artistAlways re-recording mixerKnick Knack sound designerThe Neon Empire re-recording mixerMars Navigator sound design/re-recording mixer F/X2 The Deadly Art Of Illusion sound designer/re-recording mixerBackdraft sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Terminator 2: Judgment Day sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Single White Female sound designer/re-recording mixerMrs. Doubtfire sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Jurassic Park sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Baby's Day Out sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Casper sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Strange Days sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Toy Story sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Jumanji sound designer/supervising sound editor James and the Giant Peach sound designerMission: Impossible re-recording mixerThe Lost World: Jurassic Park sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Hercules sound designerTitanic re-recording mixerSaving Private Ryan sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor A Bug's Life sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace re-recording mixerToy Story 2 sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor The Haunting sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor The Terminator sound designer consultant: sound restoration and re-mixingThe Legend of Bagger Vance sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editorA.I. Artificial Intelligence sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editorAtlantis: The Lost Empire sound supervisorMonsters, Inc. sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones re-recording mixerMinority Report sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editorPunch-Drunk Love sound designer consultant/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Finding Nemo sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editorHulk sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Peter Pan sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editorStarship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation special thanksLifted director/writer/soundTales from Earthsea director/ADR director Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation director, screenplayBully sound designerSuper 8 additional sound designerThe Adventures of Tintin sound designer consultantMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor War Horse sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Lincoln re-recording mixerThe Secret World of Arrietty director Brave sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Wreck-it Ralph sound designer/supervising sound editor The Lone Ranger sound designer/supervising sound editor From Up on Poppy Hill director The Wind Rises director The Face of Love sound design consultantStrange Magic director, screenplayTomorrowland re-recording mixerJurassic World sound designer consultantBridge of Spies re-recording mixerStar Wars: The Force Awakens re-recording mixerThe BFG re-recording mixerThe Post sound designer/re-recording mixerReady Player One sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editor Ralph Breaks the Internet sound designer/supervising sound editor Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom sound designer consultantAd Astra sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editorCome Away re-recording mixerWest Side Story sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editorTop Gun: Maverick sound design consultantThe Fabelmans sound designer/re-recording mixer/supervising sound editorLuck sound design consultantOnce Upon a Studio sound designer consultant