Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1545202
C I N E M A A U D I O S O C I E T Y. O R G 65 receivers so I could tap into the talents' wires mounted in the helmets and then send them back out with Lectrosonics M2T units to M2R belt packs. I had done a similar communications setup on First Man. With playback/monitor mixes, I created mix-minus feeds so any actor could hear the rest of the group but not have to listen to themselves in their earpieces. When James or Ed spoke, I had side-chained compressors to push down all the feeds so their directions were the only audio heard in the earpieces. We were called in well into shooting, so there wasn't going to be an opportunity to have a tech rehearsal with the sound team. We were given a day to set up with six stand-ins, but didn't have the mic packs, so I rented some Lectrosonics SMV units and mics and strapped them onto the belts for rehearsal. We had the VOG's set up into the helmet. We also sent the stand- ins' audio to a speaker to help with communication, something that wouldn't need to happen when filming, though. After the successful rehearsal, I coordinated frequencies with Matt, and using Wireless Designer, set up our frequencies. We threw every scenario we could think of to test the stability of the system. How quickly could we swap out batteries? What if we needed to change frequencies and how long would that take to incorporate into our mix-minus setup? We had everything timed so we could give good estimates in case something happened. We taped all the earpieces so they wouldn't come apart when tugged at. The actors would be doing some running and aggressive movement, so we needed to make sure our rigs could stand up to that. KURDICE NEAL: Utility Sound Technician When the opportunity arose to design the sound of the hazmat suits, it felt less like a technical assignment and more like stepping into the first moments of a story already in motion. The brief came with constraints—limited space, active cooling systems, fully enclosed helmets—but also with just enough creative latitude to turn those limitations into something intentional. The goal was clear: preserve performance, protect intelligibility, and make the technology disappear. Working alongside production sound mixer Matthew Nicolay, whose kit was as comprehensive as it was reliable, we began not with equipment, but with the physical reality of the suits themselves. Time spent with the costume department proved essential. Each helmet varied slightly in size and internal structure, and those differences would ultimately define our approach. We also prepared for contingencies—developing parallel strategies for moments when helmets were removed to ensure continuity in tone and clarity across transitions. MATTHEW NICOLAY CAS: Production Sound Mixer I had a meeting with costume designer Michael Crow before the helmet design was finalized. There would be a small air pump in the backpack each of the actors would wear. An air hose would run from the backpack to the helmet so the actor's face shield would not fog up. The costume department asked, "Do you want the air hose to enter the helmet at the chin of the helmet or the back of the helmet?" They liked it coming into the chin for design reasons, it just looked cooler. Running the air hose into the chin put the airflow right where I was going to put the mic. I did a test with both, and it was KURDICE NEAL MATTHEW NICOLAY CAS