Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535806
C I N E M A A U D I O S O C I E T Y. O R G 45 script and we're like, oh, actually they wouldn't have said that then, you know? We had a great dialect coach, Brett Tyne, with us as well, who really helped direct the actors in that sense. Then there were the combat moments. We really wanted to pay tribute to the intensity of it and really have that come out in the actors' lines and their performance, which was something that the actors themselves really brought to the table almost instantly. They were so dedicated to that. Any interesting miking techniques or workflows? SM: As far as miking techniques go, it was pretty standard. We used an MKH 60 for the boom microphone, and for the lavaliere microphone, we used a COS-11. It came down to the effects and stuff we used after the fact. We used Accentize Chameleon a lot for reverbs and stuff like that. We also recorded Anthony Boyle, who plays Harry Crosby, with a U87 to record his narration. What was it like recording the actors when they were wearing masks and trying to make it sound as natural as possible? SM: It was kind of a blessing and a curse in a way with the masks, because it meant that we were able to change lines very easily if needed. There were a lot of line changes for the plane sequences. Since they were wearing masks, we had to filter them as much as we could to make it sound like they were speaking through a mask without covering them. For that, we used a few different tools like McDSP FutzBox and some EQ filters, which worked really well. Before starting the ADR sessions, we worked with the dialogue team and the edit team to come up with the closest match we could get. It was tweaked more in the mix, but we were able to get it pretty close in ADR so they could get an accurate sound when we played it back. We really needed to bring out the intensity when all the VFX was done, like when the plane was flying through the air and dodging flack all while the score was playing at the same time. We had that challenge to bring the intensity here with the actors' performances. Using the futzes and being able to play it back in space really helped the actors feel much more comfortable about their performance and they were able to grasp what it was actually going to sound like and how they would need to adjust anything for the scene they were recording. Michael, being on the receiving end of the ADR, what were some techniques to help blend it against the dialogue recorded on set? MM: Well, there's a huge amount of ADR, and it's not to put down in anyway the quality of the production mix. The quality of the production sound was pretty darn good. They had the masks they would wear, and they said all their lines with those masks on, but we didn't have enough control of the quality of them or the distinction of their speech, so we just went ahead and looped every time somebody was wearing a mask. That's not to say that they were terrible recordings by any means, but for what we wanted, we wanted total control. Clarity was obviously a huge thing. They're telling stories with all that dialogue and not just saying you know, "Here he comes, shoot!" You know? It all has to do with the depiction of the story that we're watching. Especially in the later part when they get to the prisoner-of- war camps. There's multiple nationalities of prisoners, so we probably had eight languages of group and background voices, and some were foreground at times. The group recordings themselves took about three weeks inside the recording studio. What was the approach for Foley going into this show to help create this world authentically for both domestic and international audiences? RS: We really wanted to bring the Foley to life as part of the story. It was just an awesome opportunity to have Mike and Jack come and sit with us and run scenes throughout the show and just be specific on what they needed. They would listen to stuff and maybe make a couple changes here and there or add this or that. The last time that I remember having a director sit with the whole team and run the reel and stop and talk about it was when I worked on Titanic back in 1997. It's just so effective because you really have more skin in the game. You want to do an outstanding job because you see that everybody really cares about the project, and it brings it to another level. Foley enhances everything and gives it that real organic feel that you sometimes just can't get in production. We had to really think about what makes sense in that world. It's not just "grab a random plate" or "use this new backpack." We listen to things and if the artist finds something that may not sound quite right, we regroup and find the right sound that does end up working seamlessly.