Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1259912
56 S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I was fortunate enough to be one of the mixers on HBO's Generation Kill a few years ago. I have also previously worked with two of Chernobyl's producers, Sister Pictures' Jane Featherstone and Sanne Wohlenberg. How was the schedule you were given? The schedule was rare and generous. HBO really wanted the show to be as accomplished as possible. We had plenty of time to mix, review, and address notes. Throughout the entire process, there was a commitment from all departments to strive for the best that we could do. The priority was never to make it quicker or cheaper, it was always to make it better. We still managed to use every available second! Can you talk to me about your team? I was blessed with an excellent crew. Stefan Henrix was sound supervisor. We've worked together a number of times over many years. We have a great creative and mutually supportive working relationship. We also manage to have some fun along the way. Joe Beal is an excellent sound editor with a maturity and approach way beyond his years. He and Stef made an excellent team. Michael Maroussas and Harry Barnes looked after originals and ADR, respectively. Vincent Piponnier did a fantastic job of location sound recording. He made great decisions about what to capture and how to offer the greatest flexibility in post. I would love to be on the receiving end of his recordings again in the future. Philip Clements and Anna Wright provided great Foley. What were some of the more memorable challenges you faced working on this? Authenticity was a big concern with everyone wanting to do the subject and show justice. Stefan spent a great deal of time tracking down authentic Eastern European fire engines with horns intact to record. Dynamo torches with just the right character were also a challenge. Old ones sounded too broken, new ones too modern. We bought and rejected many until finally finding the perfectly, imperfect one! We also bought a Russian cassette recorder of the period. My intention was to re-record Legasov's opening through this. It actually sounded terrible and I eventually rejected the idea and reached for Speakerphone and a couple of other plugins. What equipment do you use? No great surprises … Pro Tools, Avid S6. The FabFilter Pro-Q EQ is absolutely brilliant. iZotope RX De-noise… I'm fascinated by this facility, Boom Post, that has been mentioned to me by Gibran, Philip, and yourself. What I know so far is it's a sound post-production facility on Berwick Street in Soho, London. Please tell me more! I am in an extremely fortunate position to be a co-owner of Boom [Post]. I have been there for over 20 years and watched the company grow from a single studio with three employees to a facility with multiple studios and a staff of over 30. As the company has grown, so has our team. Lee Walpole and Martin Jensen, my fellow directors, have been with the company for many years. Together, we have been fortunate to work on some excellent projects. As we have total control over the company, we are able to make decisions that are beneficial to our creativity. Having in-house editors, Foley, and ADR really helps to maintain standards. I also have a studio at home in Sussex. This has been incredibly useful, particularly whilst dealing with the current lockdown situation. How are you dealing with the lockdown? And what are you working on right now? We have had to temporarily close the company and arrange for a skeleton staff to work from home. I have been premixing from home for a few years so little has changed—except I'm now busier than ever! Including The Crown [Season 4] and A Discovery of Witches. During lockdown, I am also finally finding time to edit some of my own sound effects recorded over the last few years and left on a drive! Who are your mentors? Re-recording mixer and boom originator Paul Hamblin. He was also the mixer my brother told stories of when I was a child. I was fortunate to assist Paul, Adrian Rhodes, and David Old at the start of my career. They were all extremely busy mixers and had quite different styles. To have the opportunity to share a studio with them was a fantastic education. What's something you carry with you that a mentor taught you? Paul has extremely high standards. When I assisted him, it was often a little nerve-wracking to present my premixes or allow him to hear my solo projects. He could always find ways to Foley artists Anna Wright and Catherine Thomas.