Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/756468
42 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 the pre-records, including a cocktail lounge band used for a couple of production songs, together with the musical score. "These stems were pretty wide," he says. "I received between 10 and a dozen 5.1-channel stems, although on some songs I received stems with separate vocals and vocal effects, plus separate ambiences. The big band numbers comprised drums, bass, piano, horns and backgrounds, plus ambient sources; we also had a small jazz trio. The orchestral cues were relatively simple — maybe up to 30 to 40 discrete tracks. Everything was recorded in the same room at Sony, including spot mics on the vibes, piano and drums, plus overheads, which helped to maintain a cohesive sound perspective." All music tracks were in perfect sync, which made Ruder's job a lot easier in post. "But with picture edits being made down to the final mix, I needed to tidy up the tracks to make them sound as seamless as we needed, and ensure transitions worked between the pre-records and the live vocals," he adds. "We re- recorded to 5.1-channel and, for the Dolby Atmos pass, pulled out elements for objects that would work in the surrounds and overhead ceiling speakers. We had extra mics put out on the Streisand Scoring Stage for those sources." The music editor considers his most difficult task on La La Land to be maintaining tight sync between sound and picture during the long song takes. "I spent a lot of time manipulating those tracks with quarter- frame accuracy, which can drive you crazy!" he concedes. "I also needed to accommodate Justin Hurwitz's vision of how music works within Damien's narrative arcs to create a convincing sonic environment." STRANGER THINGS The recent Netflix series Stranger Things from co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer, which dropped in mid-July, follows the intricate story of a young boy who has disappeared while his mother, a police chief and the child's friends face terrifying forces when they try to get him back. The eight-part sci-fi/horror miniseries, which stars Dacre Montgomery, Winona Ryder and David Harbour, and is scheduled to return early next year for a second season, features an eclectic score by Austin-based Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein. "I had an initial Skype call with Kyle and Michael in November 2015, right after I had been hired," remembers series music editor Klotz. "This was their first gig scoring a TV show and we had a discussion about how the process works — specifically what I would need from them for the final dub. During the call, I learned how they were working in their studio, using exclusively all-vintage analog synthesizers from the early 1980s. This was real hardware and not instrument plug-ins. And they were recording their cues into Apple Logic, while composing to digital picture, also being replayed from Logic. So I needed to develop a workflow to import their timecode-based cues into Pro Tools for my music editorial." Some of the composers' vintage synthesizers from the late '70s and early '80s lacked patch memories. "They mentioned that there was a possibility they might record something," Klotz continues, "and then never be able to re-create that exact same sound again if they had to go back to redo a cue or address a note. And sometimes Kyle and Michael would find cool sounds by accident on their synths. That's when I thought this was going to be a fun and challenging project!" For the first few months of production, the composers worked directly with the Duffer brothers. "They were writing ideas while the show was being filmed and sending MP3 files of their sketches," Klotz says. "By the time I started on the show in early 2016, the composers had amassed a library of music that the Duffers and picture editors began to use as they assembled the shows." The music editor came to the project through a previous connection with associate producer Rand Geiger, with whom he had worked on FX Network's The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. He also works as music editor on David Klotz. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40 CONTINUED ON PAGE 44