Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/501792
33 SPRING 2015 / CINEMONTAGE us remarkable coverage, including many separate mics which worked very well in the scene with the Wrecking Crew, or the Beach Boys in the recording studios. We were really able to spread out the actors/musicians in the recording studios and give them a space with lots of activity going on, not just on the screen, but in the surrounds as Brian moves through the room." Renbeck found Ross' music fun to work with. "The way he incorporated so many samples of so many Beach Boys songs into his score was impressive," he says. "His score gives us another way to experience the Beach Boys; the tracks were very well thought out with separation in his stems, which allowed us to make the most of the 7.1 mix." Working on The Beach Boy tracks was a "chance to pull back the curtain a bit and see exactly what was happening," says Renbeck. "We were able to have access to some of the stems of a number of the songs featured in the film," he says. "There's a great track from the recording of 'Good Vibrations' where Brian is talking from the booth, giving the band directions on how he wants them to play something. They do a pass, he gives them feedback, and they do it again. Then Brian starts plugging and unplugging a piece of gear that the audio is running through, causing the whole track to jump up in volume in kind of a startling way. When it came to the soundscape, Love & Mercy is, in many ways, "a quiet walk-and-talk film in terms of sound effects" — but not always. "Eugene was spot on with everything he brought in terms of sound effects and backgrounds," says Renbeck. "There are some moments that are full on; such as his design work during the underwater pool scene where Brian is hearing voices ping- ponging around with reverbs and delays that work fantastically with Atticus' music. And then the Foley he mixed along with his sound design in the quiet scenes is just right." Dialogue pre-dubs and the final-mix were done at Harbor Sound on two Avid System 5 consoles," Renbeck reports. "Eugene handled the sound effects and Foley, and Chris handled the dialogue, ADR and music. Ian Gaffney-Rosenfeld was our assistant re-recorder mix tech; he did a good job of knowing what we needed to keep the stage rolling. "And I'm the lucky guy who puts it all together," Renbeck concludes. "I am fortunate to be a part of this great crew." f