"BIX: AN INTERPRETATION OF A LEGEND" is a 1920's period film on the life of jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke. It stars Bryant Weeks and Emile Levisetti and was produced by Antonio and Pupi Avati (brothers) and directed by Pupi Avati through their Italian production company Duea Film. I missed the start of filming as I was working on another film. Steve Moes, who I had worked with on Field Of Dreams (he was a location manager on that film and now a still photographer on Bix) was part of the Bix crew and when the production realized they needed an assistant for the sound department I was recommended for the job. So I never applied for the position. I received a call one day and asked to visit the set and speak to the sound mixer Chat Gunter. I was on the set the next day working on the film. This was the first of five films I worked with the Avatis on as part of their sound department.
 
A lot of the crew were Italian but the language barrier was never a factor. The director and producer both could speak english and for the rest of the crew who didn't speak english, we had the common language of film so it was never a problem. Through the upcoming years, pretty much the same crew worked together on the next five films so we were very use to working with each other. The Avatis made the experience very enjoyable.

On Bix, my main responsibility was to assist the sound department in various ways including making the sound department reports (later to be used in editing), as well as setting up the playback equipment each day. The playback equipment was needed to get the 1920's music played back on the set so the actors could fake playing their instruments to it. All the playback equipment had to be strategically hidden on each set near the actors for every scene where music was required including all the cables which all had to be out of sight from the camera. Plus sometimes the equipment had to be rearranged during shooting as the camera would move or change angles. In a single day we might have 30 different set ups in two different locations where the equipment would have to be set up, rearranged, pulled, and then the process repeated in the second location.

The playback music would be brought up in volume and played loudly during a scene and just before the actors were to talk, the music would be dropped out completely so a clean recording of their voices could happen. Once any dialogue was finished, then the music was instantly brought back up in volume.  Later during editing, the music would be dubbed in using the playback music as a guide track. The music also helped the actors who were playing instruments to the music.




                                           
                                            The Duea Film Sound dept.  Raffaele DeLuca and
                                            Chat Gunter, Director Pupi Avati, and Jeff Carney
                                            with some of the sound/playback equipment on
                                            the set of  Bix.


                              
                              Jeff Carney and Raffaele DeLuca with the sound/playback equipment
                              that had to be on set and hidden from camera view during filming.
                     



   
Bix was an official selection at the                  Original 40x60 Italian movie poster for Bix.
Cannes Film Festival.


     
Original Cannes Ad for Bix from the                       Original limited edition program booklet
Hollywood Trade paper Variety.                               which contains information and photos
                                                                                        from the film.




                                            
                                           Jeff Carney with the boom mic and Raffaele DeLuca
                                           on the Bix set. Pupi Avati sits in his director chair 
                                           during a rare break in filming.


                                            
                                            Raffaelle DeLuca looks on as Jeff Carney fills
                                            out a sound report on set.


                                
                                
                                 Sometimes sound departments get stuck in unexpected places
                                 recording sounds - Here is the Duea Film sound department in a
                                corn field - Raffaele DeLuca, Jeff Carney, and Chat Gunter.


                               
                                Filming a scene from Bix at the Villa in Rock Island, Illinois.
                                Sadly a few years later the Villa would burn down.


                               
                                Even heavy rains couldn't keep our spirits down even if they did
                                stop filming - Far left, Director Pupi Avati, Raffaele DeLuca, and
                                Jeff Carney during filming of Bix.


                                            
                                                   Filming a scene from Bix at a farm.


                                           
                                           Jeff Carney with his lower leg in a cast on set
                                            - On the second to last day of filming I almost
                                            broke my ankle on the set.  The ankle 
                                            sprain was so severe that they had  to treat it
                                            as a broken ankle with a cast.  This photo was
                                            taken on the last day of filming when I 
                                            stopped by.  Everyone ended up signing my
                                            lower leg cast including the Avatis.


                                                         Continued on BIX Page 2