Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1259912
54 S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y be interested in recording ADR and I, of course, said yes! One of the assistant mixers was leaving and so they needed someone to help out with recording ADR, so I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. How did you get involved with this project? As an in-house ADR mixer, I get to work on all the projects that come into our facility in some capacity, which is great. We try to do as much ADR for our own projects in our own studios, so I knew I'd get to work on it a fair amount. I'd heard that Boom was going to be doing full audio post on Chernobyl, but I knew little, aside from some basic historical facts, about what the series would be like. How was the schedule for your portion of work? The schedule for the show was generous overall but particularly so from an ADR point of view. Often, productions will be tight with ADR schedules to cut costs, or block book to cover multiple episodes, etc. On Chernobyl, there was none of that. We always had time allotted and often had time to try out different ideas so that there were options in the mix to choose from. Can you talk to me about your team? The person I worked most closely with on the Chernobyl team was Harry Barnes, a brilliant freelance sound editor who was acting as ADR supervisor on this project. A couple weeks before we started shooting ADR, Harry came in for a brief chat to introduce himself and to discuss some of the challenges involved and some exciting ideas about the ADR for the show. Harry was present at every ADR session, and was incredibly helpful and thoughtful throughout. What were some of the more memorable challenges you faced working on this? One memorable session was when we recorded the divers at the end of episode two. In the scene, three divers descend into the depths of the facility to attempt to drain the basement of water to prevent a huge explosion. The divers are wearing gas masks, breathing heavily throughout, and so we needed to try and recreate this in the ADR. The trouble with mask ADR is that without using the real thing, it's difficult to get a sound that feels right. This sound is then "baked in" to the recordings, removing options in the mix. Boom has a Foley studio on our premises in Soho. Hence, not only did we have lots of original prop masks from the set (generously provided by production) but we also had access to our own stash that our Foley artists use. Harry and I tested out a couple and found a rubber one which had a particularly nice sound to it because it created a proper air seal. In addition to the normal ADR mic setup, we experimented with taping a DPA 4061 with a wind shield to the inside of the mask and when you heard the sound against picture, it just worked—which is always an exciting thing to achieve. What is your equipment setup? For a DAW, we use Pro Tools Ultimate with an Avid S6 desk to run our sessions. The S6 is great for flexibility, meaning I can switch between different recording setups/templates quickly and easily. As for mic preamps, we use a Neve 4081 Quad Mic Preamp in each studio, with typically a Schoeps CMIT 5U for the boom mic and a DPA 4061 for the clip mic. We have a Sanken COS-11D available, too, as the sound of that clip mic is quite particular and different to the DPA clip mics. We sometimes hire in mics too if we have to match into a very specific mic that was used on set. What are you working on right now? Like most of the world, COVID-19 has put a pause on things so, unsurprisingly, I'm not working on anything right now! However, I've just finished working on White Lines for Netflix, which was great fun, and Boom has done the audio post for every season of The Crown so far. So, I'm looking forward to doing some ADR for that in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future. Who are your mentors? Rory de Carteret (re-recording mixer at Boom) and James Ridgway (re-recording mixer at Technicolor London) were instrumental in training me up. From the technical aspects through to how to run a session and read a room. Dialogue editors that I've worked alongside, people like Jeff Richardson and Tim Hands, whose experience and expertise have really honed my ear and skills to make me a better mixer. Did you attend the CAS Awards in February? I sadly couldn't attend the awards but my colleagues Philip Clements (Foley recordist/editor) and Anna Wright (Foley artist/recordist) did and had a brilliant time by all accounts. I was glad there was someone from the team to represent us on the night. What was your reaction to winning? I got the word quite late at night because of the time difference, so I didn't really get to celebrate but I would have given the chance. Not all awards include ADR mixers as part of the audio team, so it's a real privilege and honor to have been included in this one where the mix was such an important part of the show. What do you like to do with your free time? Like a lot of people in sound post, I have a musical background. I play guitar, violin, and a bit of piano. I'm involved in a few different musical projects which are all a joy to be involved in and I try to give my free time to them as much as I can. Living in London and working at a company where people like to socialize, there's never any shortage of things to see and do (or eat and drink!), so I enjoy socializing with colleagues and friends.