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SPECIAL REPORT - SUNDANCE The Oldest Person in the World The Oldest Person in the World is a new documentary film from director Sam Green that chronicles the ever-changing list of world-record holders. The decade-long production begins as a portrait of longevity and later becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. Mark Mangini served as sound designer and re-recording sound mixer on the project. The feature represents a continued collaboration between the sound professional and the director, as they also worked together on Green's previous film, 32 Sounds. "I was honored that he had me back for The Oldest Person in the World," shares Mangini. "Our workflow mirrored the way we worked on 32 Sounds. Sam turned over early edits for my feedback — sonically as well as dramatically — long before locking picture. He's extraordinarily collaborative that way. Sam, to his credit, is the rare filmmaker who believes that picture lock is a sacred thing, not to be fooled with without dire consequences in post, so this time he did make changes after lock, but vital ones that really changed the way the audience took in the movie. We found a way to make it work." Mangini edited all the film's sound effects, with Fred Paragano editing the dialog. Music was delivered in stereo with stems and master mixes. "I final mixed for three days in my studio at the Formosa 66 facility in West Hollywood, with Sam by my side," shares Mangini. "The studio is a small 7.1.4 mix environment with a perf screen and video projection. All audio was mixed and recorded in one master Pro Tools session, including stems and print mas- ters. We ate Thai food everyday, as is mandated in our charter." Mangini points to a recurring scene in the film that shows a close-up of a pair of hands leafing through the "Guinness Book of World Records." "I love this repetition and Sam's desire to have it feel intimate without any embellishment other than the sounds of hands on book, leafing pages," he explains. "As on 32 Sounds, our Foley artist Joanna Fang did an amazing job bringing an ASMR-like quality to these shots. Simple and clean." Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story is a biography about the come- dian, who turns her mental health journey into material that's both funny and inspiring. The project was co-directed by Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley, who trace Bamford's path to comedy — from her childhood in Duluth, MN, to dis- covering stand-up in college and finding fame in Los Angeles. The film balanc- es Bamford's comedic voice with a thoughtful exploration of her mental-health journey and her relationships. In addition to co-directing, Neil Berkeley also served as cinematographer on the project, and says it was co-director Apatow who had the original idea. "He had seen my movies and wanted to find something to make together, so one night he called me to talk about Maria," Berkeley recalls. "I had been a fan of her stand up and a huge fan of Lady Dynamite, so I was definitely interested. The next thing he said was, 'Well, let's go over to her house — and bring your camera. We'll just start.' And that's what we did. We went to her house the next day and started making the movie." Berkeley captured original footage using a Canon camera. "While I do shoot most of my work, including interviews, I always give myself cinematography credit," he explains. "I think DP involves a level of skill and knowledge that I'm still trying to achieve. I do think I have decent abilities with verite, and have captured some incredible moments over my career because I was listening and looking for the story. Some have described my work as intimate. I think being behind the lens, and in a way that doesn't feel over- produced, adds to the comfort subjects have with me. Hopefully that's what they're describing." He points to a particular scene that he's very fond of in which Maria's father is describing an invention he made to help with night terrors. "It's not the most beautiful shot, but I'm proud of myself for holding as long as I did on the two-shot," Berkeley shares. "Seeing her stare blankly at him as he describes what he's created is hilarious." Austin Wilkin served as archival producer on the project, which was edited by James Leche. Zachariah Daly assisted with the edit. The Weight Director Padraic McKinley's The Weight is set in 1933 Oregon, where Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a work camp. Taking place at the height of The Great Depression, the desperate veteran is hired to help smuggle a fortune in gold across 100 miles of impenetrable wilderness. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash and Sam Hazeldine. It was shot by director of photography Matteo Cocco and features an original score by Latham and Shelby Gaines. McKinley edited the project with Matthew Woolley, and Martyn Zub served as the film's re-recording mixer. "This was Padraic McKinley's first feature as a director," shares Zub. "I've worked with him on multiple films in the past (Home Front, Pride Prejudice and Zombies) when he worked as a picture editor, so when I heard he was given the green light to shoot and direct The Weight, I knew I couldn't miss this mix." The film was shot in Munich, Germany, and mixed in Berlin. "I wasn't familiar with the mix stage, had never worked with the sound editorial crew, and had never been to Berlin," shares Zub. "What could go wrong? No pre-dubs, minimal sound editorial review time and a single-person mix. It was a crazy three-week mix where everybody worked their arse off to get it done! The Oldest Person in the World reunited director Green with mixer Mangini. The Weight was mixed in Berlin. Paralyzed by Hope mixes archival and newly-shot footage.