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Jaz Entertainment

Film and Television case study

Feature Film Production Credits

Three generations of Kaplan family production experience, from MGM through performance capture and modern feature filmmaking, shape how JAZ solves technical problems today.

Client
Selected productions
Location
United States and international
Customer type
Motion picture production
Primary discipline
Film and Television
Professional feature film production set

01 / Project brief

What the project required.

The challenge

Feature films demand technical excellence in difficult environments, from waterfalls and aircraft carriers to restaurants and performance-capture stages. Noise, weather, radio interference, machinery, crowds, and evolving technology can compromise dialogue and production quality.

The work also requires respectful coordination among actors, directors, producers, studios, corporate representatives, craftspeople, military contacts, and technical departments with competing priorities.

The approach

William Kaplan Sr. worked on MGM-era productions including The Ten Commandments, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago. His son, production sound mixer William B. Kaplan, contributed to more than 150 films, received seven Academy Award nominations, and earned the Cinema Audio Society Career Achievement Award.

William became a long-time collaborator of Robert Zemeckis and Tony Scott. Jesse Kaplan continued the third generation through production sound, video assist, camera support, and performance capture before applying that experience through JAZ.

The family worked on formative performance-capture films including The Polar Express, Beowulf, A Christmas Carol, and Avatar. These were collaborative productions, and the page does not claim sole credit for their innovations.

On Romancing the Stone, hog’s hair material reduced waterfall impact noise while preserving the shot. On Top Gun, respectful coordination with Navy command created a temporary operational window for clean dialogue aboard the USS Enterprise. That combination of technical judgment, diplomacy, and persistence continues to guide JAZ.

Original scope

  • Production sound mixing, boom, utility, location sound, wireless microphones, and dialogue recording
  • Camera support, video assist, performance capture, equipment coordination, and emerging workflows
  • Location evaluation, noise mitigation, RF troubleshooting, shielding, and equipment protection
  • Coordination and technical negotiation with creative teams, locations, government, and military representatives
  • Selected credits include Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Spider-Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future, Top Gun, National Treasure, The Polar Express, Coming to America, Super 8, Yes Man, The Conjuring 2, Contact, What Lies Beneath, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Flight, Romancing the Stone, Beowulf, and Lady Bird

02 / Execution

Three generations of production experience.

  1. 01

    Production sound, boom, utility, wireless, dialogue, camera support, video assist, and performance-capture work.

  2. 02

    Environmental noise, RF, equipment, location, and technical troubleshooting.

  3. 03

    Coordination with directors, producers, actors, locations, corporate representatives, military contacts, and emerging technologies.

  4. 04

    Practical problem solving that protected the story and production.

Project environments and finished systems.

03 / Outcome

What changed.

More than 150 feature-film contributions across the family.

  • Seven Academy Award nominations and a Cinema Audio Society Career Achievement Award for William B. Kaplan.
  • Production judgment carried into JAZ studios, AV systems, and live environments.

04 / Scope

Services delivered.

  • Film and television production
  • Production sound
  • Technical operations
  • Crew coordination

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