Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1057466
30 From my very first meeting, it was obvious that Bradley Cooper knew he wanted A Star Is Born to feel real and immersive. He certainly achieved that in this film, with handheld camera work and live vocals, he leads us into a world that feels simultaneously epic and intimately authentic. As a director, Cooper cultivated a great atmosphere on set that was familial and inspiring to work in. Communication and collaboration were paramount for him, which fostered an environment where every member of the cast and crew could perform at their best. There was never any doubt that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga would be singing live. Neither of them wanted the film to feel like a traditional musical and there would be no lip-syncing to playback. For me, this was a dream come true, recording a music-based film and capturing the performances live, with the production sound being the vocal track instead of a studio recording. For the next few months, I ran through different concept setups to figure out exactly how to get the best vocals and tracks possible for the various scenarios we would be shooting in. To ensure that we had the best system in place, we set up a mini-concert during prep to run through and test the concepts. We ultimately landed on having the band perform to playback with just the vocals being recorded live. Jason Ruder, Music Editor, and one of the re-recording by Steve Morrow A STAR IS BORN