written by Jazz Tangcay, Jack Dunn, Emiliana Betancourt, Andrés Buenahora, Variety
From blockbusters to quirky indies, Variety’s 2024 Artisans to Watch cover makeup, hair, stunts, editing, sound and music. Many artisans will spend years working their way through various positions, building up an incredible catalog of work and experience as they do so.
Finally, they become department heads and find themselves in charge. 10 Artisans to Watch celebrates those who are breaking through this season, making an impact on their craft in recent movies and series.
Variety will salute the 2024 class at SCAD Savannah Film Festival on Oct. 29.
Devendra Cleary – Sound Mixer, ‘Twisters’
Cleary’s first experience on a film set was as a sound PA for the 1999 film “The Hungry Bachelors Club.” Cleary, who was still deciding between working in cinematography or audio, describes this time as a “defining era” that solidified his path as a sound mixer. After continuing to work through college, Cleary landed his big break in 2001 on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as a utility sound technician. That job led him to “Glee,” where he worked as a sound assistant, boom operator and music playback operator for 11 years. His recent credit is on the upcoming “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.” Having been a lifelong fan of legendary “Star Wars” sound designer Ben Burtt, Cleary says he is still “blown away” that he was able to work on a Lucasfilm production. “It’s unbelievable,” he says. “Needless to say, it was the most fun I’ve ever had on any project.” — Jack Dunn
Reps: Agency: Innovative Artists
Influences: SkyWalker Sound, Geoffrey Patterson, Ben Burtt
