Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521235
90 M PS E . O R G June 19, 2023 – Five principal actors and two days of additional Group ADR scheduled this week —Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista), Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), Smuggler Pilot (Jordan Long) & "The Voice" actor (that speaks to Paul in his dreams). A busy week for ADR. June 26, 2023 – Another crazy week of ADR—this week, we have Lady Fenring (Léa Seydoux), Shishakli (Souhella Yacoub), Reverend Mother (Charlotte Rampling), Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), Harkonnen Commander (Anton Valensi), Fremen Guard (Jasper Ryan- Cater), Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), Harkonnen Master (Will Irvine), Stilgar (Javier Bardem), Chani (Zendaya), Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), Fremen Elder (Vic Zander), Fremen Onlooker (Tedroy Newell), Bashar (Steve Wall), Alia (Anya Taylor- Joy), and another session for "The Voice." Given the time difference with New Zealand, ADR supervisor Martin Kwok has had to attend these sessions in the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to the incredible organisation of our post supervisor, Tina Anderson, in two weeks we managed to record 21 actors on 12 stages in five countries, with as many as four actors a day! Most were recorded from remote stages in Dublin, Madrid, Marseilles, Paris, Santa Fe, Tampa, and four different stages in London, all linked together with Martin Kwok at Park Road Post in New Zealand, Denis Villeneuve in the cutting room in Hollywood, and our sound team at Warner Bros. Burbank. We also conducted three large Group ADR sessions during the same period. It was a monumental task but ultimately, proved wise when on July 1, the Screen Actors Guild announced a labour strike and the actors became unavailable for looping. When it comes to the mix, how does your role change? Once the mix begins, my role doesn't so much change as accelerate. If it's a busy film with lots of picture changes and visual effects updates, sessions begin moving rapidly back-and-forth between editorial and stage, and communication is key. This is when I will coordinate extensively with the stage mix tech and the editors to ensure we are all on the same page tracking sessions and picture versions and where the most current sessions reside. I take lots of notes and use a digital whiteboard to log the progress. Thankfully, our crew has been working together for years so everyone knows the drill and contributes to keeping things in order. The mix is an exciting time for me. I get to visit the mix stage quite a lot and it gives me a thrill to hear all our hard work finally come together. I get a kick out of having the director on stage, our tracks all playing together, hearing the score for the first time, and seeing everyone work toward making the film sound amazing. These are moments I remember long after a show is over; a group of really talented people coming together for a common purpose—and I get to be part of it! This is what I dreamed about doing when I embarked on this journey. I know what a gentleman you are, and how calm and composed you are under stress, but have you ever had to pull any punches in order to keep a film on track? That is really kind of you. Not only was I extremely fortunate to connect with Richard, but I have also been lucky never to have had any truly horrible film experiences. There have been big challenges for sure, but I have been blessed to work on films that never went completely off the rails. Several films have had their share of madness, but none Dressing up for the MPSE Awards, (l-r) Wayne Pashley, Libby Villa & Andrew, 2011. Photo courtesy of Andrew Bock.