Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531981
24 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Spring 2025 create a layered soundscape by using a separate speaker outside the set for a police siren to pass by on cue. These sounds all ducked and dived around the on-camera dialog and were used as prompts for the actors. Soundplant allows for a sort of live performance that can also be recorded. This meant that once I got a timing that worked out, I was able to reproduce that exactly, every time. We actually did this a lot as we were aiming for "Live" in more than just vocal performances. We wanted a live(ly) immersive sound environment for the actors and for dailies. The sheer amount of music in this movie is daunting, with several scenes, including multiple layers of music going on at once. We were able to create different zones with different songs in each. When Bob storms out of the Kettle of Fish, and walks past multiple venues, each had a different wireless speaker playing different and overlapping music; there were also people singing, "Puff, the Magic Dragon," and a man playing a tabla and singing. We heard all of it on set, and recorded the people performing live. It's important to try to make as much of what's happening in the script possible on the day. It doesn't always work out, but that's the goal. I'm totally aware that much of this work won't be heard in the final mix. We're telling the story in more ways than the Dolby Atmos sources moving around a 3D space in the theater. We strive to open up and create depth in setting to help ground performances. Recording sound with Atmos in mind We built our current main cart for West Side Story (2021), and we've been loving and adding functionality to it for more than five years. The Shure wireless system and the SQ-5 have both been dreams to work with. I'm able to create a robust RF coordination that lasts us the day, and sometimes several blocks of reception from packs worn on an ankle. Tod's cart with the four AD4Q receivers (with two more on the truck) have allowed us to have a lot of fun singling out effects as they occur. On a period movie like this, we try to get as many tracks of cars and motorcycles as we can. So after we get through the critical work, we give post options, thinking about the Atmos mix while we're recording on the day. A Complete Unknown is a film we are immensely proud of, and one I'll remember for a very long time. I'm proud of our work as a team and the crew at large. We all worked very hard every day to make this movie an experience for you all to see. Tod Maitland and Script Supervisor Sheila G. Waldron enjoying some levity. Photo by Macall Polay