Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1259912
windy sets, Morrow is still excited to go to work every day. The chance to be a part of the creative process of storytelling, and to work with good people, that's the payoff that Morrow finds incredibly satisfying. No strangers to a Mangold film, re-recording mixers Paul Massey and David Giammarco were more than excited to jump onto this project. As Massey puts it, "Kudos to Jim, he's been loyal to this [sound] team for quite some time, and he has trust in everyone in their various departments. He knows what to expect and he does give us the time and the respect to prep early on. So that if we do get into a whole new concept in the final mix—let's try this, let's try that—we're ready for it and we know where all the pieces are and we know how to construct it. He likes things to be fast and experimental, and it's wonderful because it's an instinctive gut reaction that he's wanting to explore, and it's truly exciting to work that way." Massey and Giammarco have worked together for quite some time—they both guess around 13 years. They 've developed a shorthand with each other, as well as a trust and understanding that allows them to work seamlessly together. Massey describes that partnership as "truly magical and priceless" and Giammarco attributes his ability to think ahead to where Massey will be "working-wise" to their long-standing relationship. Both will start working as soon as possible on a project. In this case, Massey, who mixed the dialogue and music, jumped in as soon as the editors had a cut to send his way. Giammarco was on board with editorial from very early on as well, cutting sound effects throughout the editorial process, and always talking to Massey to keep him informed of the upcoming workload, etc. While Mangold truly trusts the two mixers and allows them freedom in making choices before sitting down with them, Giammarco was very grateful for the first initial temp pass with Mangold, the editors, and sound supervisor Don Sylvester, as he feels "it really helped set the form and shape of where the film would ultimately go for the final mix." Massey started with a basic assembly of the dialogue. Due to his previous work on Mangold films, he already knew the composers and they gave him great flexibility when it came to doing the music pre-dubs. This allowed him to create a music pass that sat well with the dialogue he was assembling. Scoring mixer Tyson Lozensky knew exactly what Massey would want, having worked with the Mangold's longtime composers as well. "We did not mix any surround sound tracks for the film. Since they had so many sound effects to battle—Paul Massey and his team had their work cut out for them—we provided them with a full stereo score with only stereo stems. They moved it around the room and around the cars as they saw fit. They did an incredible job in the final film and I was blown away when I saw it in the theaters." According to Massey, "Jim doesn't like music to be locked in too early without the flexibility of being able to experiment later on the final stage. It's a wonderful way of working." Lozensky adds that the existing relationship that the composers had with Mangold also added to the overall gratifying experience of working on the film and he notices that Mangold's films "all have a very strong identity as well, which is a lot of fun to express in the music." The time period of the film lent itself to a nontraditional orchestra choice and Lozensky remarks that this film was unlike any project he'd worked on before. "Typically, an orchestra is used with strings, brass, woodwinds, etc. But this was more rock band-based with some muted brass, distorted fuzz guitars, a drum kit, piano, B3 organ, etc. We recorded everything at Capitol Records." Meanwhile, Giammarco was working on effects, backgrounds, Foley assemblies, and premixing on his own until he and Massey eventually got together on the same stage for the final mix. Both appreciated how "incredibly inventive [Mangold] is in the final mix" and expressed how enjoyable it is to work with him. Massey describes, "We always end up getting to a place where I feel none of us individually, him included, would have gotten to. But collaborating like that, together, we are elevating what we expect out of the reel. And, ultimately, the film." Giammarco agrees, saying the whole process of getting to work with Massey is "fluid and fun. And when Jim gets involved, it takes us to that next level. It's very rewarding." To add to what already sounds like a real career highlight of a show, the schedule was laid out in a way that allowed both mixers to take the time they wanted and needed, without too many long hours or stressful days. While the partnership with the director was clearly noticeable, this film's soundtrack came together due to the hard work and collaboration of the entire sound team. This film involved many scenes with very specific cars, and while the cars themselves were as authentic as they could be, the engines were modern to be able to withstand the rigors of all the driving that the film entailed. This meant every engine and car noise had to be replaced. Giammarco mentions how Paul Massey CAS David Giammarco CAS Tyson Lozensky