By
Vanessa Francis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Fine arts studies senior Lisa Fowle recalls internship at Skywalker Sound
By the time fine arts studies senior Lisa Fowle saw the film "Toy Story 2" in its entirety, she had already become familiar with the voice of the character Wheezy.
That is because last summer, Fowle worked on the sound for films like "Toy Story 2" as an intern at Skywalker Sound, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd., in San Rafael, Calif.
"This is the company Lucas began right after he made the first 'Star Wars' and invited those who worked with him on that film to join the company," Fowle said.
Fowle has been invited to sit on a panel at a career workshop hosted by the media arts department today, along with media arts senior Nicole Myden and University of Arizona alumni Carol Knorr and Steve Silverman. Knorr, a 1997 graduate, is the manager of film and video distribution services at Artisan Entertainment. Silverman, a 1992 graduate, currently writes and produces for the Warner Bros. Network on shows like "Charmed," "Popular" and others.
Fowle, like Myden, was invited onto the panel to share her experiences with media arts students and stress the importance internships hold within the film industry.
"This is an industry where you can't learn everything out of a book," she said. "Hands-on experiences are very important... as well as who you know."
Fowle, during her summer at the Skywalker Ranch, said she worked mostly on sound design and sound effects for Disney's "Toy Story 2." She said she helped to create the voice of Wheezy, a rubber-squeaky toy penguin which could only wheeze because he was sick.
Her work, she said, was not limited to the Disney move. Fowle was also able to work on the sound production of the film "Fight Club" toward the end of her internship, although it took some convincing, she said.
"I bugged enough people, and they finally let me," she said.
Working at the prestigious studio also gave Fowle the opportunity to meet actor-director Robert Redford.
"He was working on sound on the film 'The Legend of Bagger Vance'... so he wasn't able to talk," she said.
Fowle said that about 100 people are employed by the studio, where the work for numerous films projects is done simultaneously, including, during her stay, the post-production sound work for the films "The Haunting" and "Inspector Gadget."
Fowle said she greatly appreciated her experience at Skywalker Sound and promoted it as one of the best sound-engineering subsidiaries in the business.
"For the past seven years, Mix magazine has named the ranch the best post-production (studio)," she said.
Fowle will graduate in May. She is exploring her future options but plans to return eventually to Skywalker Sound.
