Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538144
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 49 premiere, we got a standing ovation after that scene played. Everything after the crash focused on sound deprivation and isolation. The only sound was a faint wind and a little piece of metal slowly squeaking, like something out of a Western ghost town. The story arc worked from an audio standpoint because of contrast. I also love collaborating with composers. To add to the drama after the crash, I asked James Newton Howard what key he was going to be in afterward. When he told me, I tuned the wind to that same key. It made it sound like the classical guitar emerged from the lonely wind. Frank commented, "What a beautiful accident." I replied that it wasn't an accident, but a great collaboration between music and sound design— which he loved to hear. I think like a musician, and I believe designed sounds and music are all part of the same emotional soundscape. Teaming up with the composer is everything to me. As an example, if the composer is going to use a low-frequency instrument like a contrabass within a scene, I'll approach my design using higher frequencies. If the composer is working in the higher registers using string runs and tightly clustered notes, then I'll focus my designs in the low frequencies. It's about using the full spectrum of frequencies over time to create clarity between the music and the sound design—while of course, supporting the dialogue. All three are driving the story and emotion of the scene. It's no different than arranging for an orchestra. You're just adding dialogue and sound effects as another instrument. As a designer and a mixer, I'm trying to create emotional and informational content in support of the scene or the gameplay. Designing Around Interactive Music in Games That thoughtful interplay between sound and music in linear storytelling is powerful. When it comes to games, where music is often dynamic and reactive, how do you ensure that sound design still fits with the score … in real time? Scott: I'm a big proponent of interactive music because it allows sound and music to complement each other in real time. Most of the composers I work with do not always know exactly how the score is going to play moment to moment in the game, and as a mixer/designer, I am always thinking about how to manipulate the energy and emotion across an interactive area or cinematic. Breaking the music into stems allows the percussive elements or rhythm to keep the scene or situation alive— also known as timing out a scene. Then another stem or stems carries the width and meat of the music, like strings, brass, and/or choirs. Lastly, there is the motif—the melody, the emotional hook that carries the feeling of the scene. Like in mixing for linear, if you have control over these stems, you can have the computer push and pull or mute the musical stems within a game to interactively complement the Scott at his remote studio, 2025. Photo by Cindy Gershin