Lon Bender

Early life

Bender grew up in North Hollywood, California. He attended the Oakwood School, known for its progressive educational approach of process over product. While at the school, Bender was very engaged in the theater arts program, both as an actor and handling sound for many school productions. He was a member of The North Hollywood Wheelman and raced in the mid 1970's, scoring 18 wins in 22 races in 1973. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Bender developed a childhood fascination with Drag Racing, which led to his purchasing his first car, a 1953 Austin Healey, in which he began his auto racing career.

Career

In 1982, Bender teamed with Wylie Stateman to form Soundelux Entertainment Group. Bender and Statement explored numerous production, post-production and manufacturing opportunities. The company’s audio publishing division created more than 100 books on tape. Later, a theme park systems and software unit was created, which would eventually rival Disney’s Imagineering. The company produced and installed audio/video delivery and control systems to clients worldwide.

In 1995, Bender gained industry-wide recognition for his work as a supervising sound editor, receiving an Academy Award, and a British Academy Award for his efforts on Braveheart.

From 2000 through 2005 Bender served as President of Ascent Media’s Creative Sound Services Group.

In 2006, Bender returned exclusively to his creative roots, which started with the creation of a fully cinematic soundscape for the Broadway production of Tarzan.

Advanced Data Encoding System (ADE)

In 1994, Bender received an Academy Award for Scientific/Technical Achievement for the development of the Advanced Data Encoding System (ADE), a technology designed to bridge the gap between linear film editing and non-linear sound editing. ADE represented a significant leap ahead in post-production. The system created a computerized edit decision list from the picture editor’s workprint, which reduced the time and effort required to find the right sound take for the picture. Prior to ADE, sound editors would laboriously match a specific take of dialogue with the picture using a film code number and a code book containing the sound roll, scene and take number. The ADE matched an Apple computer with a modified audio film stock, which carried the traditional dialogue and sound magnetic stripe, plus a narrower stripe loaded with a SMPTE time code — the industry standard for tracking film or sound — and computer data.

Digital Foley System (DFS)

The Digital Foley System was conceived by Bender in 2002 as a result of his long-standing interest in expanding the art of Foley recording. The DFS system accepts input from the Foley Artist in the form of MIDI triggers, generated using pressure-sensitive foot controllers, integrating industry standard audio post-production tools with a custom software interface. This interface is one of two elements pivotal to the successful implementation of the device. The other element is an extensive sound library, recorded on a Foley stage with multiple shoe types and surfaces.

In development for two years, the DFS product was deployed for feature film work in 2004, first utilized on the feature films Johnson Family Vacation and Chronicles of Riddick. In 2006, the DFS product was used as part of the Academy Award-nominated sound editing work on Blood Diamond.

VocalStream

In 2007, Bender, along with Wylie Stateman, launched VocalStream, a technology solution for online delivery of customized content, which, when used in conjunction with AudioBlast, a client-branded Adobe Flash-based player, creates a delivery platform for multimedia content to web users.

Notable Credits

2015

2014

2013

2012

2008

2007

2006

2004

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1996

1995

1994

1991

1989

1987

1986

Videos

Bender on his Academy Award-nominated work on Drive

Bender on his work on The Hunger Games