Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541878
and a lot of experimentation to come up with a vocabulary." Gwi-Ma, the lord of the underworld, who appears as a large mouth made of flames, received similar treatment. While he speaks slowly and concisely in a low, clear tone, his voice is further affected when he becomes angry, with the tail ends of his dialog receiving a bit more processing. And beyond Gwi-Ma's voice, the underworld is filled with an ambience of whispers that support the idea that secrets are being hidden. "It's all story serving," Babcock explains. The film's animation is stylized, combining elements of 2D and 3D, and its songs and score are ever present, requiring the sound design to seamlessly support the soundtrack without calling unnecessary attention. "The biggest, biggest, biggest thing was those songs, and the score for that matter," says Babcock of the soundtrack's elements. "It's fantastic. There's a reason why those songs are huge. They're really well done, so you can't take away from them. But, they also wanted to have sound design supporting the songs in the movie, so every single thing you hear — even when there isn't music — everything you hear has gone through a pitch/mu- sic check to make sure it's working with music, and a rhythm check. That's how you get away with actually putting a lot of sound effects and design even in where songs are." One signature sound effect was ap- plied to the girls' respective weapons — a magical collection that includes a sword, ax and knives that glow. Babcock pur- chased traditional tuning forks, which he then recorded and manipulated, giving the weapons their own identities. "There's a lot of action, period. And it's all very fast paced. There are a lot of strategic moves in the music and in the sound effects, and even in the dialog, to make sure you're re-clocking all those things when you need to clock them. There was a lot of laborious (work), go- ing from event to event, even from shot to shot, to decide, 'Okay, this is the most important thing at this moment.'" Babcock has three scenes that he calls attention to as highlights of the film's Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The opening is important, as it sets the tone for the film, it's pacing and its theme. "The sound design is really cranking to the beat," he shares. "We're really playing with the music itself. We're making it dynamic. It's a rock concert." The second is fight sequence in which the girls are lured to a bathhouse by the Saja Boys, ultimately having to take on a group of demons. "There is a lot of sound in that scene," he shares. "You have to really pick up their dialog. We got away with doing more than you normally can, because you have to have the music driving through the entire time. And there's a lot sound design on top of that. It all went through the pitch check. It all went (through) the rhythm check. So keeping all their energy up, and their magic and their general badassery." Lastly, he points to the film's fina- le, where Huntr/x and the Saja Boys square off in a competition that has so much at stake — the souls of their collective fanbase. "Mixing the music of that, and making the music as immersive and dynamic as possible. Everything just firing on all cylinders. Every single time, the hair on my arms stands up. It's just emotionally so good!" DEPARTMENT www.postmagazine.com 31 POST NOV/DEC 2025 The film was mixed in Dolby Atmos. Tuning forks serve as the foundational sound for Huntr/x's weapons.