R.I.P. - Chris Newman

[Jeff Wexler]

I just heard that Chris Newman has died, February 3rd. My father gave Chris one of his first jobs in sound on the movie "Medium Cool". Chris had done some documentary work and my father had already decided that "Medium Cool" would be shot very much in a documentary style during the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968. Chris was helpful in the beginning of my career in sound but I realized in hindsight that I learned a lot more about the politics of sound mixing than I did about actual sound mixing. In retirement Chris was a great teacher and was very generous, even throughout his working career, with his knowledge and experience (and opinions!).

[phenix]

On 2/7/2025 at 9:26 AM, Jeff Wexler said:

I just heard that Chris Newman has died, February 3rd. My father gave Chris one of his first jobs in sound on the movie "Medium Cool". Chris had done some documentary work and my father had already decided that "Medium Cool" would be shot very much in a documentary style during the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968. Chris was helpful in the beginning of my career in sound but I realized in hindsight that I learned a lot more about the politics of sound mixing than I did about actual sound mixing. In retirement Chris was a great teacher and was very generous, even throughout his working career, with his knowledge and experience (and opinions!).

 

[phenix]

Jeff,

I was on a film makers zoom meeting the other day and mentiond withv sadness the loss of Chris Newman.  I heard aboutvbit by chance when contsacting Gotham sound for some othervinfo.  Nobody in the zoom meeting hadc ever hesard about Chris Newman.  They started looking up info on hiom and came up with virtually nothing with a standard internet sesarch.  The search was somewhat garbled due to another film producer.   I know this is hard to believe.  I alerted the NY Times obituary editor, but they want input from people who actually knew the deceased throughout life, in depth, and I do not fill that requirement, although I consider Chris a mentor, who had started out about ten years prior to my entry into documentaries and who I heard about from Day One. 

 

I immediately thought that you would be the person to fill out the info on the Times obit suggestion page, to point them in the right direction.  Roger Phenix

Link: postanobit@legacy.com , or call 888-823-8554
 

[Philip Perkins]

One of the greats.  RIP

[Dejan Ceko]

RIP  

 

[Patrick Tresch]

Thanks for the link. Nice to listen to him.

Patrick

 

PS: soo many cameras and none recorded the sound of his mic....

[Joe Prout]

Boy this is sad news ; for hundreds and hundreds of us , but particularly for me personally ... he was a good friend to me , and like a lot of us in this community of audio people , a mentor too ... I hadn't seen or heard from him in quite a few years ; shame on me , I'm kicking myself that I didn't reach out to him ... I first met him in 1993 when going to work for the late Rich Topham at Professional Sound Services in Manhattan ; I didn't know XLR from XYZ at first , but he was kind and patient and he saw something in me worth nurturing and we got to be close with frequent contact ... once I went to work for Dale in 1995 , I saw him less frequently , but I did have one very memorable afternoon at his house down on Long Beach Island probably about 20 years ago [ I lived along the Jersey Shore about 45 mins north of LBI at the time ] where he and his wife hosted me for lunch , and we sat in beach chairs outside in the sand and enjoyed the beautiful view and breeze and salt water air of the Atlantic Ocean ...

He was a GIANT at his craft ... and he was such an intelligent and decent and funny man ... he will be very much missed ... Joe Prout