Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1530210
Winter 2025 – LOCAL695.COM 31 PREP I was one hundred percent onboard with this plan from the get-go. It just so happened that the Music Supervisor I was working with currently on Snow White, Maggie Rodford, was also going to be joining me on Wicked, so we started to formulate a plan. Maggie's background is in the music industry, so she sourced contacts who could supply specs for the studio build at Elstree. I made a suggestion: My longtime 2nd Unit Sound Mixer Tom Barrow, who has been with me across many musical films, also comes from a studio engineering background in the music industry, so he was brought into liase between Maggie, the construction department that would build the studio to music industry specs, and Greg Wells, who would be the Music Producer. Maggie and Tom sourced the equipment that Greg likes to use, and Tom worked with the construction department. While building the studio, Tom was cabling it up. It was quite an incredible feat and after a couple of months, we had a world- class fully functioning music recording studio built to Greg Well's exact specs which Cynthia, Ariana, and Jon M. Chu could visit whenever they wanted. PREP During prep, we started to have a lot of Zoom meetings with the music & sound department. When I mix a musical, I try to create a workflow that puts the music & sound departments together into one collaborative team. We all have the same overall goals and responsibilities; delivering the best soundtrack for the movie possible: Wicked was no exception. I was introduced to the Broadway Musical Director and Arranger Stephen Oremus, who would be joining us on the movie as Executive Music Producer and one of his team, Dominick Amendum, who would be the Music Supervisor. My longtime colleague Ben Holder, Music Associate, also joined us, as well as Supervising Music Editor Jack Dolman and Music Engineer Robin Baynton, who would be working alongside Tom Barrow and Greg Wells in the music studio. Jon Chu was present in most of the meetings to guide us and describe how he envisioned each number. Three booms on Wicked