Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521956
29 S U M M E R Q 2 I S S U E F E A T U R E By Kristin Marguerite Doidge F X's "Shōgun," an original adaptation of James Clavell's bestselling nov- el, is an epic saga set in Japan in the year 1600 at the dawn of a century-defin- ing civil war. The new 10-episode limited series premiered on FX and Hulu in Feb- ruary and features an acclaimed Japanese cast that is unprecedented for an Ameri- can production. Showrunner Justin Marks (who co-wrote with his wife Rachel Kondo) took painstaking efforts to deliver the look and sounds of the Japanese feudal era. The score (composed by Oscar-winner Atticus and Leopold Ross along with Nick Chuba) sets the tone, from scenes of deli- cate customs and rituals to bloody action. Re-recording mixer Steve Pederson, who won an Academy Award for "Apollo 13," and re-recording mixer Greg P. Russell along with sound supervisor Brian Armstrong collaborated with Marks to define the sound of that era in a precise and pristine fashion. CineMontage spoke with the sound team on Warner Bros. Dub Stage 12, where "Shōgun" was mixed, to find out more about how their symbiotic process helped them achieve the best soundtrack to match the formidable on-screen action. CineMontage: What was most important to Justin in terms of creating an authentic sound? Steve Pederson: Everything about this series strived to be authentic. That word has been used plenty in the description of the meticulous production values, and our goal for the sound in post was no different. I h a d t h e re s p o n s i b i l i t y o f m i x i n g t h e dialogue and music. When it came to the di- alogue, we frequently had Japanese actors speaking Japanese, and the script that was shot had gone through a vetting process to make sure it was period accurate in terms of the phrasing and inflection. However, after production, further study revealed that there were places where certain dialogue had been misspoken, even if it was just a word that was incorrectly said, with the inflection going up when it should have gone down. The average audience member wouldn't know the difference, but the filmmakers would, and in their zeal to deliver dialogue as accurately as possible, they'd record the ADR. Our intention, first in editorial and then on the mix stage, was to use as little of the revised dialogue ADR as possible. Brian and dialogue editor John Creed would cut only what was required, and my task was to fit in a word or syllable without the revealing bump. Other important facets of the dialogue mix for Justin were room verbs [emulation of an on-camera room's inher- ent reverb] and exterior slaps and echoes. Nearly all interiors had some treatment to give the dialogue a [sense of the on-screen] space. That added "color" would be ma- nipulated to subtly move the perspective. "Shōgun" dialogue required clarity and dynamics, and my philosophy was to give the dialogue its deference, whether in Jap- anese or English, and not use the subtitles as a crutch. Brian Armstrong: Just to go a little further into the dialogue side of things, in the effort to maintain period accuracy, the picture department would often use dia- logue from takes that were not used in the final cut, which created sync issues. We felt our job at that point was to investigate and figure out what exactly they were after, MOUNTED GLORY: "Everything about this series strived to be authentic," Pederson says. FACING PAGE: The sound team of "Shōgun": Greg Ortiz, Greg Russell, Steve Pederson, Brian Armstrong. P H O T O : F X