FSWL Exclusive: Colin Miller's James Bond Memoirs

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2013-05-24

After the release of Skyfall (2012) (2012) and for the 50th anniversary of James Bond on film, From Sweden with Love (Anders Frejdh) caught up with the multi-awarded Sound Designer Colin Miller to hear his stories from working on every Bond film 1977 to 1987. It all ended with his James Bond memoirs which Colin kindly accepted to be exclusively published on FSWL.

>READ COLIN MILLER'S JAMES BOND MEMOIRS (FSWL EXCLUSIVE)

About Colin Miller: (by Anders Frejdh)
Colin Miller was born in Hammersmith, London, in August 1940.The family then moved to Wales where Colin's father was stationed with the RAF. At the end of the war, the family returned to Barnes, a small town in the West of London. He attended a state primary school and then secondary school, leaving at the age of 15.

His first job was at a travel agency in London's Regent Street after which he got a position as runner for Alexander Korda's new animation company, first as trainee on trial for six months before being offered a permanent position. After three years with Korda he got a job at Anglo Scottish, a company based at Shepperton Studios, where he stayed for three years until he received a phone call from Sound Designer Don Deacon saying that he was about to start a film and was looking for an assistant, and if Colin was interested ...

"To get a call like that out of the blue took me by surprise. Up to that time I’d always been in permanent employment with all the safeguards that came with it. Here I was being offered the chance of a lifetime but having to contemplate being freelance/self employed and all it entailed. That one call changed my life.", Colin recalls.

The rest, as they say, is history and Colin has had a long and successful career in the film industry working on more than 80 films (see filmography below) in various capacities of the sound department.

Miller worked as sound editor on six consecutive James Bond films, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979) (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983) (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), and The Living Daylights (1987).

Besides working on five of Roger Moore's Bond films, Miller worked on two other films starring Sir Roger - The Wild Geese (1978) and The Sea Wolves (1980) - both directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Apart from Colin and Sir Roger, these two films involved three other key members from the 'James Bond family', John Glen (Film Editor), Syd Cain (Production Designer), and John Grover (Assembly Editor).

Among his awards are two Golden Reels from the MPSE (Motion Picture Sound Editors) in America for “Best Sound Editing” on a foreign feature film for both Octopussy and The Living Daylights.

Colin retired six years ago and now spends his time working on the house and garden, or out on his mountain bike cycling around the wonderful British countryside. From time to time, he joins a group of editors and meet up for lunch at a wine bar near Pinewood Studios, reflecting on the life in the 'good old, bad old days.'

Filmography:
1962: The Valiant (assistant editor)
1964: Do You Know This Voice? (assistant sound editor)
1964: The Earth Dies Screaming (assistant sound editor)
1964: Troubled Waters (assistant sound editor)
1965: Curse of the Fly (assistant editor)
1965: Spaceflight IC-1: An Adventure in Space (assistant editor)
1966: The Quiller Memorandum (second assistant editor)
1968: Carry On... Up the Khyber (dubbing editor)
1969: Carry on Again Doctor (dubbing editor)
1969: Carry on Camping (dubbing editor)
1969: Anne of the Thousand Days (sound editor)
1969: Land Raiders (dubbing editor)
1970: Carry on Up the Jungle (dubbing editor)
1971: Blind Terror (sound editor)
1971: Please Sir! (dubbing editor)
1971: 10 Rillington Place (sound editor)
1973: The Creeping Flesh (dubbing editor)
1973: Bequest to the Nation (sound editor)
1973: Psychomania (sound editor)
1973: Who? (sound editor)
1974: Soft Beds, Hard Battles (dubbing editor)
1974: The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (dubbing editor)
1975: The Wilby Conspiracy (sound editor)
1975: Man Friday (sound editor)
1976: The Sell Out (sound editor)
1976: The Man Who Fell to Earth (dubbing editor)
1977: Crossed Swords (sound editor)
1977: The Spy Who Loved Me
1978: The Wild Geese (sound editor)
1978: Let's Get Laid (sound editor)
1979: Ashanti (sound editor)
1979: The Human Factor (dubbing editor)
1979: Moonraker (1979) (dubbing editor)
1980: The Sea Wolves (dubbing editor)
1981: The Final Conflict - Omen III (dialogue editor)
1981: For Your Eyes Only (dubbing editor)
1982: A Shocking Accident (short) (sound editor)
1982: Who Dares Wins (dubbing editor)
1983: Octopussy (1983) (sound editor)
1984: Nineteen Eighty-Four (sound editor)
1984: Supergirl (dubbing editor)
1985: A View to a Kill (sound editor)
1985: Sweet Dreams (sound editor)
1986: King Kong Lives (sound editor)
1986: Labyrinth (dialogue editor)
1987: The Living Daylights (sound editor)
1987: White Mischief (sound effects editor)
1988: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (sound editor)
1988: Hawks (supervising sound editor)
1989: Black Rainbow (sound editor)
1989: The Return of the Musketeers (sound editor)
1990: Mister Johnson (sound editor)
1992: Frankenstein (TV movie) (sound editor)
1993: The Remains of the Day (sound editor)
1994: Frankenstein (sound effects editor)
1994: Princess Caraboo (dialogue editor)
1996: August (sound editor)
1996: Emma (supervising sound editor)
1996: Last Dance (foley editor)
1996: Element of Doubt (dubbing editor)
1997: Fierce Creatures (sound editor)
1998: A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (supervising sound editor: UK)
1998: Croupier (sound editor)
1998: Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence (supervising sound editor)
1999: Pushing Tin (sound effects editor)
1999: The Bone Collector (supervising sound editor: London)
1999: Women Talking Dirty (supervising sound editor)
2000: Maybe Baby (supervising sound editor)
2001: Endgame (supervising sound editor)
2001: Varian's War (TV movie) (supervising sound designer)
2002: Killing Me Softly (supervising sound editor)
2003: Ned Kelly (supervising sound editor)
2004: Chasing Liberty (supervising sound editor)
2004: Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (TV movie) (sound effects editor)
2004: Nouvelle-France (supervising sound editor)
2004: The Karate Dog (TV movie) (foley editor)
2005: Tara Road (supervising sound editor)
2005: Spirit Trap (supervising sound editor)
2008: 313 (sound editor)
2009: Book of Blood (supervising sound editor)
2010: Pusher (supervising sound editor)

Editor's note:
Read FSWL's review of SKYFALL or download it here.

Photo above:
Colin Miller's Golden Reel award from the MPSE (Motion Picture Sound Editors) in America for “Best Sound Editing” on a foreign feature film for Octopussy. © 2013 From Sweden with Love.

Read more about Sound Designer Colin Miller's successful career on IMDB:

www.imdb.com/name/nm0588124/

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FSWL Exclusive: Colin Miller's James Bond Memoirs

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