Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1122868
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 27 Asked about the challenges of mixing, Wayne replied, "The film has an island of trash, so we tried to make it interesting. For instance, at one point they are in a bottle cave, so we tried to have them walking on bottle caps, and every once in a while, we would have them kick trash around. There were a lot of little details to try and sell the different parts of the island." Wayne says his go-to plugins are FabFilter EQ, Altiverb, and Phoenix reverbs. Asked about mentors, Wayne replied, "My mentors would include my parents. They exposed me to music very early in life." Asked if there was anyone he would like to thank, he responded, "Susan Henderson, D'Arcy Gray, my wife, and Wes Anderson." CHRIS SCARABOSIO: Re-recording Mixer Re-recording mixer Chris Scarabosio is originally from San Francisco and graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor's degree in broadcast communication arts with an audio emphasis. "I was always fascinated by sound, primarily in the form of music. It was common for me to take apart radios and tape decks trying to figure out how they worked. I'm a musician and was in bands in the '80s and '90s and started my career recording music. "I've played guitar since my early teens and still dabble. I've done some singing or perhaps it should be classified as 'vocal styling.' Playing music with other people is a great way to learn how to listen. The more you do it, the more you start to play more efficiently and make your parts count. I look at sound design and mixing in the same way. What is the most important sound that should be playing at any moment? Is there too much sound happening at one time causing clutter? Most great sound moments have a rhythm and tonal balance that creates something memorable." I asked Chris how he became acquainted with sound for picture. "During an internship at a small post-production studio in San Francisco (Focused Audio), I discovered my passion for post-production sound. I was hired full time to work on the new Gumby series, editing sound effects. I was hooked. After taking a year off from San Franciso State to work on Gumby Adventures, I returned and got another internship at Skywalker Sound. I graduated and have been working as a freelancer out of Skywalker Sound ever since." Chris has worked with Wes Anderson since Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. "I was happy to get the callback on Isle of Dogs. I love working on Wes Anderson films as they lend themselves to a unique tone. Wes has such a distinct style, and the soundtrack goes along with it." Chris had previously worked on other major animated films, including Titan A.E., The Simpsons Movie, and Despicable Me 1 and 2. "Animation really gives you an opportunity to play with reality and have some fun. When the sound is working, it can really bring life to the animation. In this film, I'd say Trash Island, with its ever-changing surfaces and various types of trash blowing throughout the island, was a particular challenge." Chris and Wayne use an Avid S6 with Pro Tools HDX3. Asked about track delivery to the dub stage, Chris replied, "Music delivered roughly 70 tracks, some 5.1, some stereo, some mono. Some mixed cues, some raw tracks. Dialogue was pretty contained since it was all ADR. The dialogue was recorded at different studios at different times, so there was some tonal matching that had to be done. All in all, there were probably 20 to 30 tracks as we also recorded Japanese loop group." Chris added, "FabFilter ProQ and ProC are mainstays. Altiverb and Speakerphone, as well. The 5.0 reverbs in Altiverb are excellent. I still love the Massey DeEsser, it works well and sounds very natural. I like McDSP Futzbox, as well. "I've learned from some of the greats at Skywalker: Ben Burtt, Gary Rydstrom, Chris Boyes, Tom Johnson, David Parker, and Randy Thom to name a few. I've been very fortunate to learn and work at Skywalker Sound. I worked with and alongside those people and learned many helpful methods and techniques, as well as sage advice." Asked if there is anyone he would like to thank, Chris stated, "Wayne Lemmer, the sound designer, and [Chris Scarabosio] the other re-recording mixer was critical to the sound of the film. Yann McCullough, the music editor, played a key role in making the score work the way Wes wanted. Robbie Scott and Rachel Park kept the mix running smooth at Goldcrest. Thanks to Jeremy Dawson and Gisela Evert for making it all happen on schedule, and Andy Weisblum, and, of course, Wes Anderson for making Isle of Dogs the great film it is." All photos: The scoring session drum and microphone setup.