Deep-Dive

When I seem to have a grasp on what production sound crews have to overcome on set, I sit in a theater watching a film like “The Dark Knight” and humbly remind myself I really have no idea. Production sound mixers have to battle everything from wind machines to air conditioners all while doing their best to capture performances that may not be able to be duplicated on an ADR stage. Sadly, in the case of “TDK” this scenario rang true with the untimely passing of Heath Ledger. Thankfully, with Ledger’s incredible performance on screen and Ed Novick’s hard work on set no looping was needed. Confirming with sound supervisor Richard King (his interview will be up this weekend) Novick’s mixing captured Ledger’s “Joker” well enough that everything you hear in the film is production. Moreover, King revealed that there is very little ADR in the mix, period. I don’t think there is a better compliment for a production mixer and thankfully this one took some time out to talk about his experience in Gotham City. ...

Albeit a slight bias toward the leaning tower of Pixar, I am always game for a great animated film regardless of the brand. “Kung Fu Panda” was just that - a well crafted story supported by some well crafted sounds. While Ethan Van Der Ryn, Erik Aadahl, and co. attack another Dreamworks animated film next year with “Monsters vs. Aliens”, I’d like to thank them for taking some time out to talk about their work on this one.. ...

It’s been almost a year since I posted about my last bad (and I mean bad) experience in a theater. When I saw the latest “Harry Potter”, the theater sounded crappy. When I went to see “The Strangers” this past weekend it was godawful. A 60Hz hum plagued the center channel, all but pooping on the hard work done on the mix stage. Of course I complained multiple times to the management - they assured me it was the speaker not the print(glory) and “there was nothing they could do about it, would you like a refund?” Man, did I want to storm out of there, cash in hand but alas, I had a job to do. It was a task using the notch filter in my head to tune out that terrible buzz and listen to the work re-recording mixer Marti D. Humphrey and the rest of the sound crew did. Luckily Marti took some time to talk about mixing “The Strangers” before I wasted your time just now complaining about my attempt to enjoy it! ...

Ben Burtt has one of the best answers to the my favorite reoccurring question, “What was your first gig like?” After graduating from USC with a masters in film production, he was hired to record some sounds for this sci-fi movie fellow USC alum George Lucas was putting together. Some 30 years later, Burtt is credited with designing the most memorable sounds for some of the most beloved films as well as helping to put film sound into the public consciousness. In the late 1970’a he was there when what was Sprocket Systems started and has been a cornerstone in its evolution into skywalker sound. He is now an employee of Pixar and adding to his ridiculous resume, he has two huge films releasing this summer. Thanks so much, Ben, for taking time out to talk about one of those films, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Check back next month for a discussion with Ben about the other film, Pixar’s “Wall-E”. ...

Thanks to sound supervisor Julian Slater for taking time out to do this Q and A! FSD: How did director Martin McDonagh’s theater background influence his thoughts on sound in this film? JS: Martin, more than many of the directors I have worked with is extremely focused on the dialogue in the film. Being a playwright, he is obviously a man who sees the sound effects and maybe even the music as secondary to the words in his film. As for looping, he will do everything he can to avoid looping dialogue or adding new dialogue for that matter. As far as he is concerned, what he captures on the day is what he wants to go out in the cinema. ...

Always on the hunt for a truly scary film, “The Orphanage” is now my prey. I haven’t been so terrified in a theater in a long time. Thanks so much to sound designer Oriol Tarragó for taking the time to talk about the work he and the crew on “The Orphanage” did to scare theater-goers everywhere. FSD: How did you get involved with the film? OT: Juan Antonio Bayona [director] and I have been friends since we were in college (ESCAC) and he has always counted on me to work on his projects. When he got the chance to make a feature movie he didn’t hesitate to show me the script, years before he started shooting. ...

“There Will Be Blood” started sound prep in Los Angeles with Richard King and Michael Babcock leading the editorial charge but the show ultimately ended up at Skywalker Sound where P.T. Anderson’s last, “Punch Drunk Love” was edited and mixed. I had a chance to sit with Sound Designer Chris Scarabosiso and Re-recording Mixer Mike Semanick for a brief discussion about their work on the film. Semanick has been with PT since 1997’s “Boogie Nights” where he temped the show but was ultimately unable to final it. He teamed up again with Anderson on 1999’s “Magnolia” and they have been rolling together since. Knowing that Semanick has been with P.T. on four films now, I was interested to hear how their sound relationship works. ...

I want to thank sound supervisor and re-recording mixerSkip Lievsay for taking time for this Q and A! FSD: It’s hard to imagine NYC without the specific sound staples like endless car honks and city drone that we’ve come to expect as the local sound. How was the landscape’s sound perceived after the plague hits? SL: During the research, Franics created a specific soundscape for the film. As you say, removing the city from the city - cars and people, changes the sound of the city completely. Aside from the physical structures, the research shows that when the electricity goes off the city rapidly looses much of what we think of as city and reverts back to nature. ...

Dewey Cox unwrapped a holiday treat this weekend stuffing our stockings with his own brand of top 40 hits. Making all those songs fill out the theaters for “Walk Hard” is re-recording music mixer Bill Benton. I wanted to thank him for taking the time for this Q and A, he wanted to… “First and foremost, tell you this show was one of the most enjoyable times I’ve had mixing. Everyone on the crew from the director on down was really passionate about the project, plus we all had a lot of fun together.”- Bill Benton. ...

I just wanted to thank Production Sound Mixer William Sarokinfor taking time for this Q and A. FSD: I read recently that Ridley Scott really shot from the hip on this one: fast moving, quick set ups, etc. How does this type of shoot effect the sound department, especially on a show that is set in such an aural jungle like NYC? WS: Ridley is a master at capturing every bit of energy there is in a scene. Nothing (well… except for thousands of feet of unused film…) goes to waste. As much as possible he would use multiple cameras in a scene. Often cameras would be hidden in the shot. He’d have set dressing find a piece of furniture or a car (or even a potted plant) to hide a camera and crew. And just in case, he’d often dress the camera operators in period wardrobe. Ridley is always thinking and looking for opportunities, so if he sets up a shot with 3 cameras looking in one direction, just before we’re about to shoot he might set up a 4th (or 5th or more) looking in the opposite direction. Every department had to be on their toes. At first I thought sound was the only dept that was out of the loop. I assumed the Director of Photography had planned all the alternative shots in advance with his gaffer and key grip, but eventually I realized we were all in the same boat. ...