CAS Quarterly

20 S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y MOTION PICTURE – LIVE ACTION Sound of Metal by KAROL URBAN CAS MPSE Meet the Winners Sound of Metal was a mysterious sound titan this awards season, garnering BAFTA, AMPS, Oscar, and CAS Awards, celebrating its incredibly emotional and evocative sound. The story follows Ruben, the drummer in a traveling underground metal duo, who begins to experience spontaneous hearing loss that threatens his livelihood, relationships, and identity as a musician. As a recovering drug addict, Ruben is tested to remain sober while battling this catastrophic change in his perception of the world. His journey to find peace through this catastrophic life change invokes a kaleidoscope of sonic colors that powerfully juxtapose the hearing world, the deaf community, and the inner turmoil as he transitions beyond both. The film is a combination of intensely realistic, almost documentary-style scenes, intimate dramatic hyper-natural- sounding dialogue, and abstract POV sections that throw the viewer into the sonic experience of Ruben's progressively deteriorating hearing. To learn more about how the sound for this film was created, I met with the production mixer Phillip Bladh CAS, re-recording mixers Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés Navarrete, and Jaime Baksht, and Foley mixer Kari Vähäkuopus. So, tell me, when you first read the script or watched the screener, did you know this would be an incredibly well-received and impactful film for so many? Did you know then this was an Oscar-worthy film? Phillip Bladh CAS: Well, I figured that when you would work with Scorsese or James Cameron or someone [like that], then you would get [nominated for] an Oscar. Because those are the guys who I always saw winning the Oscar. So, Sound of Metal, to me, was another Tier 1 small movie. I knew it was incredible because of the way that we were shooting it. I shot it piece by piece, one scene, one problem at a time. When I saw the thing cut together, of course my mind was blown. I know we've said this, but I just cannot stop saying it, it was so great to work with such a great sound team. But I still didn't think, "Oh, this is gonna get an Oscar nomination." Because I've had movies that have been screened before, and I thought, "Oh, maybe this is the one," and then it just gets swept under the rug, and no one ever sees it. Sound of Metal was the complete opposite. It was nothing but good news and then better news. Then it's getting a Criterion release, and we're nominated for the BAFTA. Everything I heard about it from the get-go was just ... "No way!" But I still wouldn't let myself—I mean, even when we were on [the Oscar] stage, and Riz is announcing it, I still would not let myself believe it. I just couldn't. Jaime Baksht: Well, for me—well, no, for me, it was scary. Because the idea of going deaf was… PB: For sound people, it's definitely like a horror movie, for sure. JB: [Laughs] So, that's the only thing I knew at that time. But I never thought we would get into the Oscars or the CAS [Awards]. I told Michelle, "If we don't get into the CAS [Awards] and you get into the MPSE [Golden Reel Awards], I'm going to take a step back because then I'm going to applaud all my editors— Phillip and everybody, the guys from the Foley team." But I need to recognize that it was that. But when we got into the CAS [Awards], my heart started to jump like you cannot imagine. And Production mixer Phillip Bladh CAS

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