PRODUCTION/POST
AUDIO CRAFT
HOWARD BARGROFF
Re-recording mixer, Sonorouspost
CREDITS Men, A Very British Scandal, The Lost King, The Midwich Cuckoos, Devs
When I get involved in a production depends on the project. Sometimes it’s very early, between finished script and the start of the shoot. Sometimes it’s well into picture editing and the production is looking to get the sound post organised ready for when they lock. As the market is currently so busy, we’re getting approached earlier and earlier to make sure we’re available.
How much of a brief we get again varies from project to project. We tend to get a sound spotting session in prior to us working on the project, where we can talk to all the key stakeholders (directors, producers, picture editors) about the tone, the feel and then specific concepts. Meanwhile, in the dub the direction can vary pretty wildly from director to director. It can be as specific as talking volume changes on specific sounds or as vague as “This scene isn’t working - can you make it better - see you in an hour.” Part of the skill of the job is gauging how the main voice in the dub likes to direct. Depending on how much you’ve worked with a director,
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you do build up a bit of a shorthand, which can speed things up because you know their tastes and aesthetics.
Being a bit of a film and TV buff, I’ve probably got a library of references buried deep in my subconscious. All those hours in front of the TV when I was a kid have finally paid off because I suppose I have an instinct for where the sound should be going in certain scenes. My stint in the pop music world really helped as well. Understanding how to use compressors and make product appear to be loud whilst still hitting all the specs has been invaluable. With Devs, Sherlock and Luther, some of the very loose sound ‘rules’ had to be constructed as we were dubbing to get the correct mood for the story. Inspiration can also come as you go about life by subconsciously picking things up. I sometimes catch myself analysing what I’m listening to, such as the amazing sound of the Elizabeth Line with the trains running through those enclosed ‘tubes’. It’s very spooky and worth getting up early to get into a deserted station and record them.
We tend to work in Atmos templates most of the time and 75 percent of our work is in that format. Nowadays we don’t really approach the formats any differently. The only difference in approach comes from what style of show you’re working on. We’re very keen on not letting technical considerations colour any artistic process too much. The enhanced sound space of Atmos has the ability to help with some of the storytelling, which is fantastic. With fire scenes you can have the flames lapping up into the ceiling. Or you can put owls slightly above you for night scenes. Recently we’ve had a lot of fun filling the ceiling speakers with reverb when trying to establish a large location on the screen.
If I knew what made a good mix, I would have developed a plug-in to perform the task and be retired by now. I suppose it’s telling the story without getting in the way - unless the story requires the sound to get in the way! There is more ambition in film and TV now, with more reliance on sound to help tell the story, especially with the increasing amount of CGI in shows.
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