Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1257029
29 Early in my career, my boss, Petur Hliddal, admonished me to be a fi lmmaker and not just a "sound guy." I do my best to apply that perspective every day. I'm convinced it provides the very best results when faced with the challenges of recording sound for a visual medium. Sometimes it means compromising sound because it represents a net gain for the show. An obvious example is to allow relatively poor sound on very wide shots, knowing the dialog can easily be replaced. Maybe less obvious would be allowing (and recording) overlaps, because it serves the scene and the performances best. Being able to anticipate dialog changes and ad-libs during a take, based on the cadence and intention of the scene and performances. Understanding when to insist that the very best possible sound is the best way to tell the story. This is another reason the fi lmmaker's perspective is so valuable. Knowing how to couch a request in terms of visual storytelling is far more persuasive to a director, whose job is to visualize the story we are trying to tell. I accept that many decisions are made based solely on what is best for picture. Hollywood had sets built with practical ceilings and walls that weren't made to fl y, costumes that were visually stunning but scratchy, and mechanically loud. There were exterior locations that were chosen because they suited the look of our time period, even though we wouldn't have ITC during rush hour and period-accurate props and cars that were distractingly noisy. Thankfully, this was when our crew would step in to work with us on solutions. When we were in a tight set with three cameras, which happened just about every week, Key Grip David Donoho, and his outstanding Grip Department would always create workable space for Ace and Kris. Set Costumers Ben Kaufher and Ric Spencer found ways to hide transmitters and tack down fabrics to keep them from rubbing together. They were also responsible for wiring many of the female cast in private, based only on our instructions. For the lack of ITC during rush hour, our production staff, led by 1st AD's Michelle LaBrucherie and Anastacia Nemec, suggested we shoot as much coverage as we can before we lost control of the street, which I readily agreed to. Loud props and vehicles were turned off when not seen, which was made more complex while shooting with three cameras. Ace and Kris worked with props to try to minimize prop noise wherever possible. DP Simon Dennis, another regular with RMTV and a great friend, was always willing to change the framing to either include or exclude noisy offenders. We often discussed the planned shots following a blocking rehearsal, and found ways to help each other. Sometimes we even agreed to put a boom in one or more of the camera frames and call it a VFX shot. The advent of this option has been a complete paradigm shift in what is possible for us. We did our best not to overuse it, but it sure was nice to have in our back pocket. I expect most sound crews are familiar with these kinds of issues, but I mention them because this show seemed to have an abundance of them every single day. It kept us on our toes while emphasizing how much we relied on our fellow crew members. Ace, Kris, and I are only partly responsible for the sound you'll hear when you watch Hollywood. We ran two full crews for the last several weeks, and I was thrilled to get Brian Robinson to mix. He brought along Glenn Young to Boom and Erik Alstadt as Utility. The perennially Emmy- nominated post sound team of Supervising Sound Editor, Gary Megregian, and Re-recording Mixers Joe Earle and Doug Andham, consistently elevate our production sound to the highest level. These are some of the fi nest engineers in this business, and I am so grateful that our hard work is in such capable hands. Hollywood is a story about individuals coming together and succeeding as a team in the face of seemingly insurmountable resistance. The story of Hollywood's Sound Department is really about the whole production and post production crew, and how much we depended on them for our success. I look forward to working with many of them again on American Crime Story: Impeachment. L-R: Ace Williams, John Bauman & Kris Wilcox L-R: Dylan McDermott as Ernie West, Jeremy Pope as Archie Coleman and David Corenswet as Jack Castello in Episode 106. Photo by Saeed Adyani/Netflix ©2020