Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/889023
DEPARTMENT www.postmagazine.com 28 POST OCTOBER 2017 point of view. "That's something we've tried to do on other shows but we're more successful with this one because of the characters we have to work with," he explains. Sound-wise, Chicago P.D. stands out for its very specific use of sound effects. If you see it, you hear it, but in a concise and economical way. There ar- en't extraneous sounds, like phones ringing at the precinct or unnecessary traffic and car horns on exterior shots. There's even a conscious decision to not have sirens for the detectives, says Kaplan. "We actually build sound for everything that is going on but it really comes down to what drives each scene. Is it music, dialogue, effects or some combi- nation of all three?" A lot of decision-making happens on the dub stage and Kaplan is prepared with all the sounds they might need so that during the mix they have every option available. "It's a very big collabo- rative effort in terms of deciding what we use and when. We have an incredibly talented crew and that allows us to make all of those decisions throughout the process," says Kaplan. The precise use of music and sound effects allows the audience to focus on the dialogue. That actually poses a challenge from a sound perspec- tive. Without music or busy backgrounds, any flaw in the dialogue, no matter how slight, is exposed. Kaplan says, "The dialogue gets an immense amount of work. Editorially, we have three different people make a pass on the dialogue to clean it up — fixing overlaps, flubbed lines or cutting alternate lines to replace sound 'problems.'" Dialogue editor Joseph DiMarco and Kaplan make every effort to use as much production as possible. When a line or word is beyond repair, it gets replaced with ADR. The trick is to make those transitions happen imperceptibly because the dialogue is so exposed. It's a task they accomplish beautifully. "It's definitely a collaborative effort, from how the ADR gets recorded and cut by ADR supervisor Dhyana Carlton-Tims and ADR editor Sara Bencivenga, to how re-recording mixer Peter Reale handles it on the dub stage. Peter has the re- markable ability to make that feel quite seamless," says Kaplan. "Having only five days for editorial makes it tough. The way the dialogue sounds so good is by the collaboration of everyone involved. Hearing the dialogue clearly is the most important thing that keeps the story flowing. The fact that it cleans up so well makes all the time and effort we put into it worth it." HAWAII FIVE-0 The eighth season of Hawaii Five-0 is underway on CBS. New episodes air on Friday nights. The story centers around two crime-fighting buddies, Det. Steve McGarrett [Alex O'Loughlin] and Det. Danny "Danno" Williams [Scott Caan] and their colleagues on Hawaii's police force. Set in Oahu, Hawaii, Hawaii Five-0 is hands-down the most picturesque police show on TV. It's filmed on location, so as expected, all those beaches, boats, bikinis and island breezes pose problems for production dialogue, resulting inevitably in ADR. Fortunately, the actors are proficient loopers. "The actors know what they're up against so they fight to get their performance back in ADR and I think we end up with some really good material. They jump in with both feet to help us out," says supervising sound editor Kelly Cabral at Sony Pictures Post in Culver City, CA (www.sonypictures.com/studios). She has been on the show since it started in 2010. The location isn't just important visually. Like all cities, Honolulu has its own unique soundscape. Cabral says, "The show has a lot of unique cars, guns and gadgets. Also, the beaches in Hawaii don't have seagulls so you can't use general backgrounds. We also have to be very specific about the types of birds we hear in the jungles in Hawaii." Lucky for Cabral, all that sound specificity means field recording trips to Hawaii. "I've been there to record a few times, and we have our sound recordist capture things too, like Hawaiian Prayers or specific locations, because the show has been really great about being loyal to the Hawaiian culture and very respectful of the Hawaiian culture," she says. "One thing I'm most proud of about the show is that showrunner Peter Lenkov is very conscious. If we go into any kind of burial grounds or places like Chicago P.D. has a very specific use of sound effects. Hawaii Five-0 Hawaii Five-0 Hawaii is filmed on-location in Oahu. Chicago P.D. is grittier than other cop shows, says supervising sound editor Jeffrey Kaplan.