Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535806
34 S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y they're more likely to speak up and share ideas. We took the work seriously and set a high bar, aiming for a feature-level experience, but we also kept the atmosphere light. That balance of levity and professionalism made it a truly enjoyable and creatively open process for everyone involved. Michael, as the production sound mixer, you were on the front lines of capturing the essence of the story. How did that shape the way you approached challenges on set? Michael Williamson CAS: From the start, authenticity was everything. Hiro [Hiroyuki Sanada], our producer, really understood the importance of the language, so there were constant dialect adjustments, even with feedback from Akaku, our ADR mixer in Japan. The challenge for us on set was that none of the sound team spoke Japanese, and dialogue was often changed on the fly. Translators were around, but usually busy with other departments, so we had to be resourceful. Over time, we learned to follow the rhythm and musicality of the language —even without understanding the words. We started treating it like music. Listening for patterns in breaths, almost like instinct, to anticipate dialogue to guide boom placement. Fortunately, Japanese people rarely speak over one another since that's considered highly disrespectful. That's fascinating! So even without understanding the words, you could still feel your way through a scene? MW: Exactly. For every single master [wide shot that covers the entire scene from beginning to end] that I did on the show, I tried to keep as noisy as possible, so post had options. Everything on set was period-specific from the clothing to the footwear to the doors. I wanted the masters to sound like a mixed master with all of the movements a final scene would contain. Then for close-ups, I tried to get rid of it all and get it clean to allow the post team to put it all together. Arno Stephanian CAS MPSE: You did an amazing job Michael; I want to emphasize that. One of the first things we noticed while working on the show was how clean and detailed the production sound was; everything from the props to the lacquerware. They were handling authentic pieces like wooden cups or clay teapots, and even the smallest movements had a sonic presence. You could hear the subtle "sh sh sh" of footsteps, which helped us understand the rhythm and intensity of a character's walk—whether it was slow, deliberate, or tense. Those kinds of production sounds really helped us capture emotion. Like the difference between someone slamming a cup down in frustration versus setting it down gently in a calm moment. When that's recorded cleanly on set, we can match it more accurately in Foley, not just in timing, but in tone. For example, Japanese teapots have a very smooth, flawless pour. It's not like pouring from a regular coffee pot. So, we Michael Williamson CAS