Kuching-born Sound Mixer Is The 1st M’sian To Win An Award in Hollywood For His Works In Encanto

To be able to do something you’re passionate about as your career and be recognised for your efforts is certainly one of the dreams come true.

For 34-year-old Alvin Wee, he had the moment of his life recently after winning the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) award as Best Scoring Mixer in Hollywood for his works in the recent Disney animation, Encanto. Back in February, Alvin was actually nominated for the category which makes him the very first Malaysian to be nominated and eventually won an award in Hollywood.

WORLD OF BUZZ congratulated Alvin for his achievement and he told us that despite the nomination back in February, he certainly did not see the victory coming as they had strong contenders when it comes to the animation category.

“It was a huge competition with another Disney animation, Raya and Sing 2, which are heavily based on sound & music, as well as Mitchell vs. The Machines. So I definitely did not see this coming!”

As the first Malaysian to win an award in Hollywood, Alvin revealed that he took the victory as a win for fellow Malaysians who are also pursuing the arts.

“It’s not an unreachable goal as it is a truly viable career path,” he added.

He also expressed his gratitude to Malaysian groundbreakers in Hollywood such as Dato Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding who were both in Crazy Rich Asians, as well as Ronny Chieng who appeared in Marvel’s Shang Chi & The Legend of Ten Rings last year.

“Being behind the scenes, people like me tend to get overlooked and I am proud to show people that our contributions make up a huge part of what the audience experience.”

Alvin is certainly not new in the Hollywood industry as he has been involved since 2014 and Encanto is definitely not his only credit. His other involvements (including non-Disney movies) in the past include,

• No Time To Die (which was also nominated for CAS)
• Disney’s Mulan
• The Kingsman movie franchise
• Kung Fu Panda 3
• The Meg
• Netflix’s The Defeated

When asked if he had any advice for people who want to make it in the filmmaking industry, Alvin said:

“Start now. Go online and post your art. Join forums or websites and social media. There are so many channels where you can pursue this. Be your own screenwriter, director, camera person, story teller and whatever else and put your vision out into the world.”

Most importantly, he said to collaborate with as many people as you can and pair your creations with a little passion as that is how the world will start giving the feedback you need for growth in your career.

In short, a score mixer takes what the composer gives him and makes sure it’s well presented by capturing, editing, formatting and eventually presenting it.

Alvin certainly has a lot of experience and achievements under his belt! Congratulations Alvin! It is definitely flattering to see more Malaysians making names abroad.

Also read: “My efforts paid off” – Penang-Born Youth Represented M’sia & Named Miss Teen Elegance in Dubai