Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512183
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 37 of different ways of recording things and really experimenting with how to create sounds. I tend to think subjectively, I'm always thinking about what the character would be hearing here. I always start with that and then try to pull back and make something more commonplace from that sort of hyper real place. I look at every single scene and think, "What would the character be experiencing here?" I start with what is on screen then somewhat sneakily try to manipulate the sound that I have to further convey the mood of whatever the scene is trying to do. I think, "How can I make this more interesting?" Korey: For The Favourite and Nope, you were involved in selecting the production sound mixer. Is that something that happens on all your projects? Johnnie: Yeah, pretty much always. Directors come to me early on in a project because they often have a complicated script for sound and they'll want the reassurance of knowing how it is going to sound. Understanding who the production sound mixer is key to that. I just finished a project, The Zone of Interest, which is a film that premiered at Cannes and won the Cannes prize for the best artist technician for the sound. The whole narrative comes from the soundscape. It's a Holocaust movie set in Auschwitz, but it takes place entirely in the camp commander's house, so you never actually go into the camp. I know Jon Glazer, the director, very well. He wanted to construct the set and embed the microphones and the cameras into that set so the actors could just be free to roam and ad lib. This created an experience that felt natural. Choosing the production sound mixer on this film was important, and not least because it was a film where you never actually see the horror that was going on just off screen. It's something that's all in the soundscapes I created in post. Understanding where the sound is going to end up is key. Part of that is finding a production sound mixer who was going to help me get all the field recordings I needed, but also know how to record with that non- traditional setup. This was a really difficult shoot for Tarn Willers, the production sound mixer, because there were no booms. Korey: Congratulations on that win for The Zone of Interest! What advice do you have for supervisors that aren't given that liberty to select the production sound mixer? Johnnie: The simplest thing to do is just politely ask, "Who will be recording this?" I think the most significant thing is, it usually doesn't occur to the pre-production team to ask post-production. They're busy trying to hire a lot of people. If you can help on that, they're going to absolutely be delighted with that. No one wants a bad experience, so if you have a recommendation, then that's key. For me, it's kind of a byproduct of getting to work with the same filmmakers over and over again. You build that relationship where you are coming in earlier. Films are more sophisticated nowadays in their use of sound than they ever have been. It's totally normal to have a VFX supervisor on a film set. Having someone considering the sound design or the sound editorial on occasion throughout that process is just as important. Korey: Let's talk a bit more about Nope. That's a pretty big project with a lot of sound. Did your crew change from what you would do on other films? Johnnie: Initially, I had thought, "This will be easy and we'll just do it the same way as we always do a film." To be honest, when I landed the job, I was quite nervous. Then I just decided to trust my instincts and didn't let myself feel overwhelmed by the scale of the