Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541535
30 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Winter 2026 We innovated adding a secondary diaphragm, a latex membrane to absorb pressure and shield the capsule. Placement had to be perfect to prevent turning the helmet microphonic, so Ben constantly made small modifications to ensure everything worked as we needed. The Lectrosonics WM transmitters were also tested to their limits in terms of the depth they were taken to and the punishment they endured. They performed way beyond the limits of what they were designed for. For delicate surface scenes, ADR was off the table. Jim was adamant. "We're using production sound." The plastic balls were too noisy. I spent quite some time trying to find a solution to this issue, and it came to me from my son, who was playing with his NERF gun at the time. The projectiles were foam balls. When one hit me in the head, I had my Eureka moment, they were soft, silent, and exactly the right size. I decided to take them to work to test out. They degraded quickly in chlorinated water, so we decided to only use them for specific and intimate moments. It took time to set up when we used them but the difference in dialog quality was everything. I was in constant contact with Gwen Whittle, Supervising Sound Editor, throughout the whole process, and she did incredible work cleaning up what we recorded, and you hear the results in the film. We also developed waterproof mic cases for live underwater recording—depth proof and timecode stamped. Live-action diving masks allowed us to hard line to the surface or record onboard. After each take, we'd swap the packs, off-load the SD cards, and send audio directly to editorial. The whole process, from water to QTAKE to Avid, took under two minutes. It was tight, intense coordination across departments. Everyone knew what needed to happen; everyone delivered. Sound and communications on the tank served many purposes. We had speakers surrounding the tank, including underwater and floating units. Jim could speak directly to actors in real time so that he could give notes and adjust moods. During the tank work, Jim would wear a PTT mic. The speaker system served as VOG for instructions, but also as a means of playback for music and atmos. We used immersive audio environments to set scenes: swamp ambiences, open ocean. We played music cues for festivals or underwater dances. Simon and Dick were, again, there with us, ready to adapt to anything Jim wanted. All playback was controlled through our Pro Tools rig. The comms system was also piggybacked to our dive supervision and safety team. They had to perform countdowns for breath holds, communications to underwater rigging and safety teams and should the situation arise (which it didn't, thank goodness), coordinate rescue procedures. The Avatar family was our fortress. It protected us, uplifted us, and challenged us to go further than we thought possible. The scale was massive. The expectations even bigger. Working on Avatar felt less like making a film and more like building a world with a family. To make something of this scale work, you have to be completely integrated with other departments: Editorial, Virtual Production, Video Playback, Environment Design, Production Design, Motion Builder (the system that controls all virtual aspects), Props, Costumes, and more. We relied on each other constantly, syncing our efforts to bring Jim's vision to life. That kind of collaboration creates bonds that go deeper than the usual set relationships. It becomes something personal, every team member worked tirelessly to support each other at work and at home. The family attitude is what made this film, cast, and crew alike. Over the years, I watched the younger cast grow into remarkable adults. We shared birthdays, breakthroughs, and plenty of long, exhausting days. I grew to love this Avatar family of mine. Producer Jon Landau embodied this spirit. He was always there, listening, encouraging, and setting the tone. He made the big machine human. I'll never forget when filming had paused during the pandemic in the U.S., and everyone was scattered, I got a call. "Julian, it's Jon. Are you okay? How's your family? Do you need anything?" He didn't have to call but he did. That's who he was. A leader not just with vision, but with heart. Jon passed away in July 2024. I miss him dearly, but in every frame, I still feel his presence. John Refoua and David Brenner, two brilliant Editors, passed during this journey. They shaped the world of Pandora in more ways than most people will ever know. They were artists. They were friends. Finally, what stays with me is the people.Their integrity, their spirit, their belief in the story we were telling. And that, in the end, is what sound really captures—not just what was said, but what was felt. Tony Johnson As Julian was completing the performance capture work in Los Angeles in 2019, I flew over to pick his brain and establish what I needed to prep for the live-action shoot in New Zealand. They were filming tests on Spider (Jack Champion) in Manhattan Beach, and it was a good time to get a sign-off on the placement of Spider's lavalier mic. Spider was bare-chested for the entire shoot, so the dreadlocked wig was the only place suitable. We had costume and hair help make a space for the Zaxcom ZMT3 in the back of the wig which was hidden by the dreadlocks. We then threaded a DPA 6061 through a dreadlock at the side of his