Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521235
88 M PS E . O R G from servers these days, so I'll coordinate with IT for server space, contact engineering about software versions, what plug-ins we'll need, etc. Ideally, Richard and I like to start a week before the crew so we can put materials and plans in place. This also gives Richard time to spot the film and determine how he will approach the track. Some schedules call for temp mixes and previews while others do not, so we will discuss the schedule and make some decisions about how best to proceed. That schedule also has to allow time for recording unique sound FX. In your role on Richard's team, I know you are involved in these recording trips. Can you give us an insight into the opportunities this creates for the final soundtrack and some of the challenges it poses? Richard is always keen to record new sound effects for every film Sound post get together, Wonder Woman 1984, (l-r) Andrew Bock, Timeri Duplat, Richard King, George Riley, Rowan Watson, Buster Flaws, Kevin Penney, Jimmy Boyle, Gary Rizzo, 2019. Photo courtesy of Gary Rizzo. Recording sound FX, Wonder Woman 1984, DeLane Lea, London, 2019. Photo by Tim Grover. and, fortunately for me, I often get to join these field expeditions. Since he reads the script very early on, he will usually have a good idea if new ambiences, vehicles, or equipment will be needed for a film. Or he may spot the film with the director and prepare a list. Sometimes it's just a hot-rodded car or evocative atmosphere that is needed. However, the truck chase in The Dark Knight would prove to be our most ambitious project for field recording. The movie had numerous weapons, vehicles, and gadgets which all had to be recorded or created. Richard needed to hire heavy trucks, stunt drivers, chase vehicles, and a track on which to race them. He needed armorers licensed to handle military-grade automatic weapons using live ammunition and a firing range to safely operate them. And he wanted Batman's Batpod to sound totally unique, unlike anything audiences had heard before. So, he turned to two of the best sound effect recordists in the business—John Fasal and Eric Potter—who bring a wealth of knowledge about locations and recording techniques that all this would require. Several semi- trucks and heavy vehicles were rented, and we spent a couple days racing them up and down a decommissioned runway while John, Eric, and Richard recorded them from every conceivable position. Similarly, Richard hired a professional armorer who brought a variety of Uzi's, M16's, automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns to a secure firing range in Burbank where we spent two days firing magazine after magazine of live ammunition. Many other vehicles and weapons would follow until we had gathered all the needed material. One of my responsibilities within our crew is to be the sound effects "These are moments I remember long after a show is over; a group of really talented people coming together for a common purpose."