Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475048
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I FA L L 2 0 2 2 37 "We all have our tastes, I like to get the sound of the voice fully. I like to get the space and then I like to control the space as much as I can. I like when I do my mix on set and my lavs and my booms and my plants all blend. Usually, nobody's breathing down the production sound mixer's shoulder going, 'What microphones are you using?' Most of the time on set, they're so focused on camera and performance, which is a little bit of freedom, but also, it's a lot of trust." I finished my inquiries by reaching out to two other mixers whose work I really admire on the recent Paramount+ show 1883, Diego Gat CAS and Sam Ejnes CAS. They have been keeping very busy on their next project, but were able to send their thoughts on the question of taste and what role it plays in terms of mixing sound. D I E G O G A T C A S Diego thinks of it like this: "I'll use 'taste' as a synonym of 'judgment' or 'discernment,' but also 'delicacy,' 'nicety,' or 'sensitivity.' For the first meaning, it can be about which of the sounds that have been edited survive in the final mix. Editors give us mixers a varied palette of options to play with. It's our call to decide which ones make it (and how) to the final mix in order to help move the soundscape in a distinct and coherent direction. Sounds are rarely right or wrong, but the implementation can be, and it's all about context. While the job of an editor is inherently additive, ours is mostly subtractive. Simplify as much as you need to more precisely catch the viewers' attention. Give them too much complexity, and you'll lose them. Give them too little, and you'll bore them. "The second meaning is the one sometimes achieved with masterful fingers on faders and knobs. Those musical fader-made volume rides that contour around beats and melodies so elegantly that you don't notice them. That gradual shift in the backgrounds that walk you through time and space. That reverb that really comes out of the walls that you see. If the first meaning is extremely subjective, the second is even more. I can barely define 'taste,' but I would find it impossible to quantify. Deep down, we all know what it is, and yet we don't." S A M E J N E S C A S And Sam concludes: "We definitely bring our own tastes and aesthetic to our work, but that isn't the only thing that guides our choices. Every show is a collaboration with the filmmakers and showrunners, and we have to think of their tastes as we work through the mix. Figuring this out can be a challenge when working with a new filmmaker, but through conversations at spotting or during mix reviews, we are able to come up with the sonic language of the show. That language informs the choices we make during the mix, keeping in mind the aesthetic and taste of the filmmaker and making sure that their creative vision is being supported while also bringing our own creative input to support the story being told. At the end of the day, it's all about working to support the narrative, heightening emotional impact, and guiding the viewers' attention to move through the world of the show."