Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1259912
Who would you like to thank? I'd like to thank all the people at Boom [Post] who I work with for being a constant pleasure to work alongside. And, of course, the rest of the Chernobyl team for letting me be a part of it all! PHILIP CLEMENTS: Foley Mixer How did you get into Foley mixing? I started my career working on location as a sound assistant, but I didn't like it. My partner, Glenn, suggested I send my CV into audio post houses for work as a runner. Out of all the CV's I sent out, I got one interview at a place called Boom [Post]. It's where I still work 10 years later! I didn't know anything about sound when I started. I thought all the sound FX was recorded on set. Everything I've learned has been on the job. How did you get involved with this project? Through Stefan Henrix. We have worked together before on Black Mirror for Netflix, Gunpowder for the BBC, and Origin for YouTube. Can you talk to me about your team? I work with a Foley artist called Anna Wright. We have a similar point of view in how Foley should sound. I first met her when she asked to sit in on Foley sessions to watch me and the Foley team work. We got on really well so I trained her up. She has a natural ability in performing Foley and a great ear for sound. The first professional work we did together was a drama called Hooten & the Lady. Now she is my go-to artist for the shows I mix Foley for. I couldn't imagine working with anyone else. We've worked together for about four years now. What were some of the more memorable challenges you faced working on this? On the whole, we got to really push our creativity. In the scene when divers go under the Chernobyl reactor, we did a few different layers for the diving suits. Then we added the movement for the oxygen tank on their backs and we had a separate metal jingle for all the buckles and straps. Then another track of the men knocking all the pipes as they push their way along the corridor. Who are your mentors? Lee Walpole and Alexander Ellerington. What's something you carry with you that your mentors taught you? I learned about layering frequencies to create interesting sounds and how to put detail into my work. An example of this in Chernobyl is with the hospital gowns and the plastic shoe covers people wear in episode two. In that episode, we spend a lot of time in the hospital with the characters who are looking after the radiation victims. We wanted cloth layers to complement each other and not crash into a plastic mess. So, we worked with several textures to get a good balance with the frequencies of cloths. You attended the CAS Awards. What was your reaction to winning? I was really shocked considering the competition. It was an honor to win knowing who voted. What do you like to do with your free time? At the moment, I'm renovating my home I bought a year ago. Any spare moment I have goes on that. I trained as a carpenter when I was a Royal Engineer in the British Army, so I'm doing all the carpentry work in the house. Who would you like to thank? My family, Glenn, Anna, and everyone at Boom [Post]. STUART HILLIKER: Re-recording Mixer How did you first get into the craft of sound mixing and specifically re-recording? When I was 6, my older brother left our sleepy hometown and went to the National Film & TV School. He used to come home with tales of rooms filled with mixing desks, speakers, and a big screen. It all sounded magical to me. Thanks to this insight, I have always wanted to be a re-recording mixer and have never regretted my decision! How did you get involved with this project? Foley mixer Philip Clements with Foley artist Anna Wright at the CAS Awards. Photo by ABImages Stuart Hilliker