A British sound engineer was the real toast of the Academy Awards after films he worked on scooped 17 Oscars.
Talented Mark Crabtree, 60, is responsible for the sound mixing equipment used on dozens of top Hollywood movies.
His company AMS Neve created ground-breaking audio consoles which are a key part in the sound production on most big screen blockbusters.
Mark, of Burnley, Lancashire, spent 40 years developing the equipment which this year was used to sound mix five Best Picture candidates including eventual winner Argo.
It was also used on Lincoln, Life of Pi and Les Miserables – which picked up a staggering 15 Oscars between them.
His equipment was also a key part in the sound work in films which won the Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score and Best Sound Mixing categories.
In total the films he helped make won 17 Oscars, out of a total of 20 categories they were nominated for – adding to the ten Golden Globes his movies won last month.
Mark said: “It is fair to say rather more people know about us in Hollywood now than they do in Burnley.
“Our congratulations go out to all the exceptional talent winning and being nominated for these glittering prizes.
“All our staff and engineers are really proud and excited to be able to feature in this internationally recognised festive arena and to see Britain and of course Burnley, playing such a dominant part in the creation of these iconic films.”
Mark spent 40 years developing his recording consoles which cost half-a-million pounds each.
He and his team also produced Adele’s smash hit Bond theme Skyfall, which gave the new mum her first gong for Best Original Song.
Mark reckons that in recent years, more than 80 per cent of Oscar-winning films have used Mark Crabtree’s advanced technology.
