Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535806
32 S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y M E E T T H E W I N N E R S It was hard to miss the impact FX's Shōgun made on the industry last year. Based on James Clavell's 1975 novel, the limited series immersed audiences in feudal Japan through a blend of cinematic storytelling and meticulous historical detail. Among the many crafts recognized for their excellence, the sound team earned high praise and a CAS Award for their elegant and immersive approach to world-building through sound. I had the opportunity to connect with members of the award-winning sound team, including re-recording mixers Greg Russell CAS and Steve Pederson CAS, production sound mixer Michael Williamson CAS, Foley mixer Arno Stephanian CAS MPSE, and ADR mixer Takashi Akaku. One of the themes that stood out was how a commitment to authenticity was shared by everyone involved. First off, what an amazing show and achievement. Congrats to you all! How did a story set in such a specific historical period influence your approach to the mix? Steve Pederson CAS: The showrunners, Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, along with producer Hiroyuki Sanada and TELEVISION SERIES – ONE HOUR SHŌGUN S1 Ep. 5 "Broken to the Fist" by CAS Associate Sam Casas the rest of the filmmakers, were all deeply invested in making sure everything felt period-accurate. That went for the script, the performances, even the Foley. It also meant that on the mix stage, we had to honor and uphold that same standard. If a syllable in Japanese was misdelivered, even slightly, it was flagged. As a result, we were often replacing just a word or two in ADR to preserve the integrity of the old language that was spoken at the time. Our filmmakers could have let it go; I mean, who's really going to know? But they really strived for that authenticity, which was a word Greg and I heard frequently throughout the mix. Greg Russell CAS: The fact that they flagged those nuances and level of detail was extraordinary to this project. Everything was under a microscope. Once we saw that level of depth, we knew one of the most significant challenges would be to meet that level of authenticity. Can you walk us through your mix process, and how it helped you meet the demands of a project this detailed? SP: Sure. There's a "premix" process we developed working on the Amazon series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan that allows us