Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521956
C O V E R S T O R Y 35 S U M M E R Q 2 I S S U E CRIME TEAM: Selena Gomez, left, with Steve Martin and Martin Short in "Only Murders in the Building." P H O T O : H U L U Danika Wikke. SEE PAGE 52 CineMontage: You've created a library of sounds for some of the actors, right? Wikke: I've been doing this since Season 1. Marty has that snorting thing he does, which I call a "Marty original." I have a library of little sounds. If Steve makes a sound, or if anyone else does something t h a t 's k i n d o f n o n d e s c r i p t b u t t h a t I could use for something else, like a grunt or a snort, I'll export it out and save it. I have a ton of "Marty originals." I label them: "low snort," "low laugh," or "big laugh," or whatever. CineMontage: Mathew, how would you describe the overall sound world on the show? Waters: We have to make New York a character, and we have to make the apart- ment building a character. It's all done very subtly. We don't want to get in the way of anything. When I'm designing, I'm trying to enhance the story or to let the viewer know where they are, but I also want to stay as far away from the dialogue as I can while also making it feel layered and that you're not on a set. Every now and then we have a spotted [intended] effect, such as a car horn. But in the apartment complex, I don't like to have sirens because they live in an upscale neigh- borhood. I get that New York has sirens, but it's just something I chose not to do. There will be some car honks and some [pass-] bys, but you'll never hear a siren unless it's a story point. CineMontage: Danika, does the show feel more like a comedy or a mystery or its own particular thing? Wikke: I think it's its own thing, to be honest. It's such a unique piece of work. There are some episodes that feel way more mystery-driven, and then there are some that are a little bit more nostalgic, bringing out the old-school New York sound. CineMontage: Mathew, for mystery scenes, how do you use sound to create suspense without giving away secrets in the plot? Waters: Each season, there is usually something off- stage that's happening because they can never shoot the kill. One season it was somebody falling on top of the elevator and you don't find out who until the end. That sound you were hearing throughout the season was somebody — in this instance, Paul Rudd, who was falling on top of the elevator. Right now, I'm putting together a soundscape that was scripted that runs throughout the season that's supposed to confuse the audience. "What are we hearing?" To be honest, it's really fun because you kind of have to work backwards. CineMontage: It sounds like you don't want to tip the audience. Waters: A lot of these sounds have to