Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/987065
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 41 two Audio Ltd. RK3 racks with seven 2040 radio mic receivers for the seven cast members who were wired every day. We filmed in some amazing places, like glaciers and mountaintops. When you are traveling for hours to a location facing the worst of the weather and temperature and having only a few hours of daylight to shoot, you need to be able to rely on your equipment. The Sound Devices 788T and Audio Ltd. radio mics performed very well. I had ordered several heavy duty DPA 4071s and they proved very reliable and sounded great. Richard Dyer: Well, of course, Dragon [unit] shot most, if not all, of "Beyond the Wall" in NI while we were away in Spain. Our 'biggest' sequence was the Loot Train Attack, filmed over a five-week period in a national park near Caceres in Spain. There was a very strong case for keeping things pretty much the same operationally to what we'd done on previous seasons. We did throw a couple of Zaxcom ZFR300 recorders with COS- 11 mics onto Dothraki riders and horses to get in amongst them as they galloped standing on their saddles screaming. A larger challenge sound-wise was the Dragon Pit, where many of the principal characters congregated for a long dialogue sequence requiring 13 radio mics and including a walk/talk approach sequence over quite a large area. Due to the necessity of having to use my sound cart working at close to max capacity, we had sourced a golf cart, which needed modifying in order to track silently within range of the artists. Also, I decided to split frequencies between VHF and two bands of UHF to reduce potential clashes between channels. Blank: McDSP SA-2, all Fab Filters, 480 complete reverb. Waters: I am using Fab Filter Pro-R verb now and, of course, Slapper like crazy. I still use the Lexicon plugin verbs for chambers and halls. I also started using McDSP ML8000. What about Foley, anything different? Voss: One thing we have tried to improve over the years is the jackhammered dirt pit surrounded by concrete. It never seems to matter how deep they are; almost always sound unnaturally thumpy to me. In our new stage, we opted for the "pitcher's mound" style of dirt pit. It requires slightly more maintenance, dealing with grit, and less time to sit. But after the work, it sounds more legitimate. We also built our wood floors above concrete. It gives us some access space under the wood floor to add or subtract desired wood floor tension. As far as gear, I added a Grace preamp to occasionally warm up a couple of specific interior things. Also, we made use of our PZM a bit more this season for some of designy moments. What does the CAS Award mean to you? Hill: This award means every bit as much as the first. Becoming a member of the CAS was a proud moment for me. My membership was accepted following my nomination for Game of Thrones Season 1 and I am immensely proud that my peers in the Society have nominated the show every season and bestowed us with wins for the last five seasons. I would like to thank my team which last year was James Atkinson, 1st assistant sound, Jonathan Riddell, 2nd assistant sound, and Andrew McNeill, sound trainee. The crew on Dragon Unit helps us on every scene and production to ensure our needs are met. We hand over to a fantastic team in post, and producer Greg Spence certifies the quality of sound and vision. Dyer: The CAS Award feels very special coming from like- minded professionals who share the same (or different but equally challenging) experiences as we have done. Only when you factor in all the elements, technical, practical, logistical, political, weather, and location of what it takes to produce high- quality production sound, not just for one set of circumstances but for many over the duration of a five-month shoot can one really understand our true role. To be acknowledged by the CAS brings a lot of pride and gratitude. Blank: Praise and recognition by your peers and people that truly understand our craft and what we do. People who hear our subtleties is nice. Waters: We have been on a great run, but being nominated and then winning a CAS Award never gets old. We feel very honored to be recognized by our peers. It means a great deal. Voss: Definitely being recognized by your peers in the industry is unequaled. To read more about the technical setups the Game of Thrones sound team has used, refer to our prior spring CAS Quarterly "Meet the Winners" articles. L-R: Boom op. James Atkinson, driver/helper Davíð Logi Gunnarsson, sound assistant Jonathan Riddell, & production sound mixer Ronan Hill. Photo by Helen Sloan SMPSP Ronan Hill on location in Iceland. Photo courtesy of HBO Photo courtesy of HBO