Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500716
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S U M M E R 2 0 2 3 27 MT: Because I'm a borderline misanthrope, my favorite part was that we could get to and from work without seeing too many people. I'll be honest, I love the quiet. I loved that we had all this wonderful catering laid on and that it was just... It was a proper team effort, in that nobody knew what on earth this thing (COVID) was. It was like, okay, well, don't go too close to one another, wash your hands properly, and just continue doing what you're doing and (very clean) fingers crossed, we'll get through it. And, of course, so happy how this amazing mix turned out! SL: I don't know about any of you, but it always gets me over my whole career, this thing of nitpicking and doing little things and then finishing, and suddenly it's global. So from this little thimble, it becomes a global thing. And it has always got me, I find it's quite emotional. I built this room at the top of the house. It's very small, and I mixed it here. I mix loads of movies up here, and from here to this big world stage is a very emotional transition. CB: I don't think I've ever had something where the symmetry of what was discussed and hoped for in the whole creative process was mirrored in the audience's response. I've never ever seen that in terms of each sequence, each emotional scene or action scene, where you're meant to be physically gripped [and] seeing the audience grip their seats with excitement. And the visceral and physical nature of what Mark was able to do, sound effects-wise, low-end-wise, technically, emotionally, and creatively achieved that. To have discussed this with the biggest movie star in the world, in the room, and then getting notes from Jerry Bruckheimer and Joseph through to us. And then starting to see the reviews and thinking, they're saying exactly what we intended. You know, they're just responding, and they're crying at the right bits. The emotion was there. And then there is the last act, which keeps elevating. I remember the first time I watched it in a small room, thinking, "Oh my God." It goes again and it goes again. And then you hear the audience saying that. So, the symmetry of what we intended and then what the reaction was, is the most gratifying thing. Amazing. The team of Top Gun: Maverick, in many ways, mirrored the struggles of the film's characters in that they were pushed to the limit to innovate solutions, carry on their mission, and hold their work to the highest of standards. Cinema Audio Society congratulates these sonic masters on this "soundbreaking" achievement and well-deserved win. everything. So, between our two Foley crews, we covered every footstep, every hand pad, and every breath of clothes. So there wasn't really a direction as far as how it was overall going to sound [from our perspective]. I think those were just left to these gentlemen. MT: There was a consensus that the absence or presence of Foley and backgrounds be used as a device for an audio focus on Maverick. So, if we want the audience to concentrate on him, what's being said, his emotions, etcetera, we just back off. Some things ordinarily would have been a little hotter, but it was decided not to impede on him as such [which was] a subtle but very effective mechanism I think. BC: I was surprised by some of the dogfighting scenes. When we covered the Foley of the yolk and the hard banks, I was thinking we'll never hear it. This is going to be all covered by effects. This is never going to be a Foley moment. But that's like some of the big moments [of] hero Foley. I know some Foley was enhanced with effects and sound design, but I was very surprised to hear that, and I was like, well, this is something I never thought we'd hear, and it was great! MT: Well, the canyon run is a classic example. It's breaths, Foley, and quiet jet for the interiors, and again it's just to pull focus. We know what a jet does. So, we're just listening to the guy trying to steer this jet through this canyon without crashing it into a wall at 800 miles an hour! What is your favorite part of this project for each of you? And yeah, how do you feel about the success of this mix? MW: I don't know. It was a fun shoot to do. Joe, the director, is so nice, kind, appreciative, prepared, and smart … a nice person to be around. And Tom turned out to be cool; I had never met him before, but I liked him. Scott Robertson, one of my all-time favorite first AD's, was our first AD, whom I'd done many movies with starting with K-PAX. So, it was all love and happiness on set, pretty much all the time. AC: For me, as far as the music side of it goes, I think it's amazing we got away with it, to be honest. SL: Yeah. But also, another interesting thing about lockdown was—and I think I'm right in saying—we had longer than usual. Because post-production seemed just to go on and on because they knew they weren't releasing movies. BC: I loved doing the Foley on it. I love that whole aspect of it, but the ADR, I think, was my favorite. Just getting to work with Tom and Joe. But you know, getting to work with Tom and see his work ethic and see his passion for everything and his intensity, he's at 200%. And he has got the final say on everything.