Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/637797
38 CINEMONTAGE / Q1 2016 for Blood Diamond (2006) and Drive (2011), and won an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing for Braveheart (1995). Bender's sound team based at Formosa Group recorded a number of natural ambiences that would complement the filmmaker's vision. "I organized a week-long trip to Colorado, where sound recordist Charlie Campagna recorded a variety of outdoor Foley elements with Foley artist Katy Rose performing to picture played back on an iPad, including snow and ice footsteps. We also recorded separate sounds of falling snow and crawling and sliding on ice. We matched mic positions to the camera angles so that the recordings sounded more authentic." Bender readily acknowledges the work of his sound collaborators: "My co-supervisor Martin Hernandez handled a number of sound design vignettes; he oversaw a lot of sound sequences and mixed them to blend seamlessly with the musical score. Because I needed to concentrate on supervising more than two hours of soundtrack, we had Randy Thom from Skywalker Sound design the bear sequence. John Title from Formosa Group handled the bulk of the sound design chores, including backgrounds that placed the film action accurately into different environments — specifically the film's opening river hunting sequence." Canadian director Denis Villeneuve's film Sicario, which stars Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, tells the complex story of an idealistic FBI agent who is enlisted by a government task force to make a significant difference in the escalating war against drugs on the border between the US and Mexico. "Denis and picture editor Joe Walker had put together a blueprint that pretty much mapped out the film's action, and had me expand on it," recalls supervising sound editor Murray. Murray has been nominated for eight Academy Awards during his career, winning the Sound Editing category twice — for American Sniper (2014) and Letters From Iwo Jima (2006), both films by Clint Eastwood. "Denis is big on silence, then slowly builds in layers of sound to build tension — rather than hitting you over the head with it," he explains. "My biggest challenge was to develop different perspectives and personalities for the many guns used in the film, including Benicio Del Toro's shockingly visceral pistol shots. The street scenes need to sound both real and terrifying." But there were also occasions when Murray made suggestions that were not included in the director's blueprint. "For example, in the scene on the rooftops, I had recorded several guns with extra reverb to suggest distance; we tried it and it worked," he says. And for the subsequent return from Juarez and the ambush, he gave each of the cars and convoyed SUVs its "own level of edginess while stopped in traffic to set up additional tension." Murray cites the excellent job performed by his regular sound effects recordist John Fasal, and the "outstanding contribution made by our sound designer and effects re-recording mixer, Tom Ozanich. Other key crew members included sound effects editors Bub Asman, Chris Flick, Jason King, Kevin Murray and Roland Thai, in addition to supervising dialogue editor Curt Schulkey." "For me, less is more — until the final explosion of sound," Murray concludes. "Silence builds tension; it's all about the way we develop to the crescendos, and pay attention to the complex interplay of sound effects and the score. Get it right and you receive an Oscar nomination!" Alan Robert Murray. Lon Bender. Photo by Martin Cohen