Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512183
96 M PS E . O R G the future and they are the picture editor and the composer. Picture editing for me is the element that pushes visual storytelling into its own realm. The manner in which music, sound, and images are first put together by the editor and director in the cutting room is unique to cinema and TV. It is only from this point that I as a sound professional can move forward. It's when their work is presented to me that I can really begin to engage with a production and hopefully help them fully execute their intentions and design. I have never not learned something from an editor and I've been lucky to work with many talented editors over the years. As a non-musician, I am in awe of those who can compose and perform music, so it is always a special thing for me to be able to interact with the composer and score on a production. I always feel so lucky in the mix to be one of the first people to hear the fully realised score with picture. So, coming back to the question if there is anyone I would like to work with, I would say that I just like to work with collaboratively minded people who you hopefully get to build long-lasting working relationships with. CM: Do you find most of your work comes from previous clients or new filmmakers? Do you have much non- Irish film work come through your facility? NB: Because I've always worked in a facility, much of the work I do comes through the post deals made with the facility but I always feel very rewarded and gratified when a director comes back to me on another production or seeks me out. Very often on Irish productions, the director may not have final choice as to where they would like to post as this decision can often be driven by the deals producers make with the post facilities. I feel that I do get repeat work from producers and production companies and that is gratifying and helpful because ultimately, a producer will have a number of productions at various stages of development and production at any one time, whereas a director by their nature is consumed by their project over a 2- to 3- (maybe 5-) year cycle, so if you were dependent on one director, you would find yourself with quite an amount of downtime. The answer to the question regarding how much non-Irish work I do would be that ultimately, the majority of work I do could be considered Irish as the stories are mostly stories about Irish people or made by Irish people. It's so important for people to hear and see their own voice on screen. However, at the same time, the majority of the work I do could be considered as non-Irish work as the majority of film and TV drama produced in Ireland are co-productions. My most recent work this year has been a low/no-budget folk horror called All You Need Is Death (2023) which is a co-production with a company in the UK, to be distributed by the American distributor XYZ Films, and a six-part TV drama series called Obituary (2023), which is a co-production between Irish and French producers, Tua Films and APC Studios for the Irish state broadcaster RTÉ and the American streamer Hulu. CM: Is there anything you would like to add to the discussion that hasn't been covered in our conversation so far? NB: Just that I'm so thankful to the sound post community in general and those who share their knowledge, stories, and experiences through this magazine, in online articles, through social media and podcasts (big shout out to the producers of Tonebenders). I think all this sharing of knowledge and experience really does feed the community globally and allows us to speak in one voice as we advocate for the importance of sound to productions. Olwen Fouéré from All You Need Is Death, 2023. Photo by Ishmael Claxton.