Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1470092
Tell us about post. Was it mainly remote? "Yes, and most of it was done in Montreal, and we had three editors — Annie Ilkow, Simon Webb and Hugh Ross. Hugh, who's LA-based, cut the pilot and really helped establish the tone of the show. Because of COVID there are so many tools now for working remote- ly, which is how we edited for the most part. We'd get the directors' cuts and then Joe and I'd make our notes and have the editor do a pass, and then we'd do Zoom sessions and go through it all, scene by scene. It's interesting because two of the editors — Annie and Simon — were based in Montreal, so at the start we'd go into Difuze, our post house up there, and do in-person sessions with them, which is always better. But after a while, it just seemed more efficient o do it all remotely. "Instead of commuting back and forth to Difuze, we could save an hour each day and spend it on-stage or with the writers. It was the same thing with all the mixing and final mix, which e did at Premium Sound. We did the fir t few mixes live, which is better, but then switched to doing it all remotely, and it went great. "And then for the DI at Difuze, we had online editor Francois Masse and colorist Belgin Kaplan. Most network comedies are very bright, with lots of color, and we went for a haunted-house feel and look, and we used a lot of smoke on the set for texture. The show is lit more like a moody movie than a TV sitcom, and I think that's part of its success. We went to all the initial DI sessions, but once we'd established the look, we left the DPs and colorist to work their magic." Do you like post and why? "We love it, especially in a single-camera show like this, where you can completely change the feel of an episode or the story. It's your final e-write, and even adding a look in a scene can change so much." What were the main editing challenges? "As well as all the usual ones, like tone and pacing, it's a network show and you have to hit the exact time length for broadcast, and usually you end up cutting and cutting to fit it. But as e shot just 10-hour days, we made sure our scripts didn't get too bloated, and our directors' cuts were com- ing in around a couple of minutes long, which was great. But trying to tell two or three stories with ten characters and guests in the allotted time is very challeng- ing, and often you end up cutting a second here, a look there, to make it all fit. And ou have to make sure it's funny too." The soundscape and music were obviously very important on this. Tell us about what was involved? "We had a great team, including re-re- cording mixer Dave Gertsman and supervising sound editor Paul Lucien Col over at Premium, and it was a process of discovery. Early on, we had some small sound effects when the ghosts walk through the walls, and then we began adding layers, but ultimately it all was too distracting, and we realized that trying to punch the comedy too much and heightening all the sound was just too much. So in the final mixing e just tried to make it as real and grounded as pos- sible, to match the visuals. And we had a great composer Jeff Ca doni, music editor Joe Deveau and music supervisor Billy Gottlieb. And music is another key element. Jeff eally nailed the tone right off or the pilot, and I've done several pi- lots and the music is always dinged and sent back and re-done. But everything he scored was perfect and it made the whole show better." There are quite a few VFX. What was involved? "Our VFX company in Montreal was Folks, and again, we had a great team, including VFX supervisor Simon Devault and VFX producer Maria Saade. We didn't have all the usual flo ty ghost VFX, but we actually had a lot more than I expected — and a lot of clean up and removal. With the ghosts, we tried not to overdo it. We defini ely picked our moments to have fun with it, like the scene where one character gets sucked down into hell, and another gets their hand chopped off and then it e-forms, so those were big effects, which we sprinkled in. For most shows, it's the ghosts walking through walls and the crew had it down. They'd get the green screen up and the lasers and were so fast. We also got into using split screens for combining characters in different takes, which we hadn't done before, and I loved that technique." What's next? "We're already starting Season 2, and as I said, it's such a portable idea that we think it should be done all over the world. There should be a Ghosts Mexico and Ghosts Australia and Ghosts China and so on, as each place has its own history and culture, and there are so many stories you could tell. It's just such a fl xible premise." Do you agree that streamers like Paramount+ are really changing the Hollywood landscape and taking creative risks that traditional studios seem less willing to take? "It's defini ely the trend, and streamers are here to stay, but then CBS deserve so much credit for getting behind this show and seeing the potential. They took a big risk on this." www.postmagazine.com 13 POST MAY/JUNE 2022 Three editors cut Season 1. The single-camera show shoots in Montreal. Folks in Montreal handles VFX for the show.