Behind the Seen Read online

  For each reel, the mixers will ultimately bring together 128 tracks of sound effects, 32 tracks of music, and 24 tracks of dialogue at the appropriate volume levels in relation to each other and to the picture. But there is more to it than just how loud, or how soft: the texture must be in the proper equalization of bass and treble (EQ); the right amount and quality of reverberation must be added to match the visuals; the sound needs to be “placed” in a three-dimensional environment to make the best use of surround speakers; and—especially important to Murch—the audio transitions between scenes must match the story appropriately, and propel it emotionally.

  The sound crew in Studio A at De Lane Lea. From left to right: Allan Jenkins, Simon Chase, Martin Cantwell, Tim Bricknell, Fer Bos, Anthony Minghella, Mark Levinson, Walter Murch, Michael Prestwood-Smith, Matthew Gough, and Eddy Joseph. Not pictured: Colin Ritchie.

  For Murch, to both edit a movie and mix its soundtrack is second nature. He’s held both these credits on 11 previous motion pictures, beginning with The Conversation in 1974. For The English Patient he took home two Oscars, one in each of those categories, the first person in film history to do so.

  Each of these jobs is a huge responsibility, a full-time commitment and a thorough-going artistic challenge. Doing them both may seem to overreach, a kind of grandiose ambition. While it requires a high degree of self-confidence, discipline, and physical stamina—all three of which Walter Murch has in full—it’s more a measure of his personality and disposition to handle picture and sound than any overblown sense of ego. Murch embodies a creative synthesis that often goes missing in filmmaking. These two seemingly disparate threads—image and sound—become more tightly bound up with each other when they emanate together from the start of the process. Says Robert Grahamjones, Murch’s former assistant: “Walter begins planning for the sound mix from the first day of editing.” The resulting film has a better chance of achieving a unity of purpose and affect because those elements are integrated from the beginning. Centrifugal forces that send many films flying apart are kept in check when someone with a strong vision occupies the center of gravity, be it the producer, director, or editor/mixer.

  June 13, 2003, Murch’s Journal

  Find the five or six places in the film that have the best quality dialogue recording and run them in the theater to tune your ears before you start premixing at DLL.

  JUNE 14, 2003—LONDON

  If, on this mid-June day, you open the heavy soundproof door into Studio A, the main De Lane Lea mixing theater, you see what looks like a movie playing up on the screen. The theater lights are turned down. The mix board’s controls and fader lights seem to brighten in the dark—all twinkly green and orange—sharp, like runway lights. What you hear is something quite peculiar: long periods of silence (the perfect silence of what audio engineers call a “dead room”) interrupted by Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger speaking, followed by more soundlessness until the characters speak again. This is a dialogue premix. For the moment Murch and the rest of the sound crew are working mixing on-camera dialogue tracks. They will continue, dialogue only, all the way through nine separate reels that constitute this three hour and four minute version of the film. When they are happy—or run out of time—they will begin premixing the sound effects.

  Mark Levinson, ADR supervisor.

  Beside Murch and Prestwood-Smith, at the far left-hand side of the mixing board, dialogue editor Colin Ritchie sits at a Pro Tools sound editing workstation ready to make adjustments to the dialogue tracks as problems arise. He might need to remove a click or a pop, for example, that hadn’t been audible until they entered this theatrical environment. Or he might need to cut in an alternate line reading should Minghella decide he wants to convey a slightly different meaning. Behind Murch, sitting one tier up on a blue couch, is Mark Levinson, the ADR supervisor, who leans forward paying close attention. Levinson, who favors pastel, Polo brand dress shirts and drives a vintage burgundy Triumph convertible back in Berkeley where he lives, has been in London since April, working with Minghella to record, select, and edit into place newly recorded dialogue. Levinson works closely with Minghella, even helping to conceptualize and draft new lines for the actors to read.

  * * *

  Lunch with a Dish of String Theory On the Side

  Mark Levinson, the ADR supervisor on Cold Mountain, appreciates new and better techniques of doing things, just like Murch. Beyond film, the two also share an interest in theoretical physics. Levinson first had contact with Murch while the two were working on separate films at the Zaentz Film Center in Berkeley: Murch on The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Levinson on Stacking. Murch’s assistants suggested he might enjoy meeting Levinson, who earlier migrated to film post production from the University of California where he earned a PhD in physics. They had lunch together, talked string theory, and subsequently worked on three movies together prior to Cold Mountain.

  * * *

  Today, some of the material Levinson just recorded with Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Natalie Portman, and Eileen Atkins is being mixed into the soundtrack for the first time. These were the first ADR sessions among the principals. But the process of adding and replacing dialogue will continue for the next six months, right up to the last minute, literally, when they mix in Nicole Kidman’s final ADR lines, turn off the mixing board, shut the lights, and close the door to Studio A.

  ADR, or “looping” as it’s also called, takes place in a special sound-recording studio that contains video projection and sound recording capabilities. If it’s dialogue that must be matched exactly—lip-synced—a video copy with scenes from the movie gets prepared ahead of time. The scene is played over and over without stopping while the actor stands before a microphone watching it play on the screen. (In the days before video, they made a film loop of the scene so it could easily be projected over and over for the actors, hence the term “looping.”) Cueing tones, which the ADR editor added to the video (“streamer track”), precede the specific sections needing new dialogue so the actor gets a running start before speaking his or her lines. Some actors are very good at ADR and have little difficulty finding their character and manner of speaking again many months after filming is finished, even when immersed in a role for another movie.

  * * *

  Eureka!

  Just before leaving California for England to begin working on Cold Mountain, Mark Levinson sends Murch an email reporting that he has had an initial phone conversation with sound supervisor Eddy Joseph, someone he would soon be working with quite closely: “Eddy called me this morning and seems to have a healthy spirit of adventure. As we talked about balancing on the edge of Final Cut Pro technology, he raised the specter of the entire crew ripping off their clothes and running naked through the streets crying ‘Eureka’ if it all works out. Decided to intensify my exercise regimen in the remaining time before departure in case this transpires...”

  * * *

  An ADR supervisor working with Minghella is by definition deeply involved with shaping the final version of the movie. Given his collegial approach to filmmaking, that means Levinson is in close touch with Minghella’s inner workings and deepest thoughts about how to improve the film as it moves toward completion. Minghella used Levinson as his ADR supervisor on The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley, and puts maximum trust in him. That’s good, since ADR also means working face-to-face with famous, often demanding, actors in re-recording sessions. By the time post production rolls around, actors are often on to their next films, squeezing ADR sessions into their off days or off hours. So a director and his ADR supervisor frequently travel far and wide just to get a few precious hours in the recording studio with an actor. Nowadays, ADR sessions are sometimes handled long distance via a high-speed ISDN link and video conferencing. Levinson might direct actors doing background voices—“loop groups”—in ADR sessions if Minghella can’t attend because of other pressing responsibilites. Levinson needs to fully u
nderstand what Minghella wants to accomplish in terms of story, character, and performance, while also being artistically astute and technically adept at editing that material into a pre-existing soundtrack. And like the rest of the sound editing team, an ADR supervisor needs to have a good ear.

  For example, during production, while still in Northern California, Levinson wrote Murch an email about the Cold Mountain screenplay: “One of the things that astonished me with the script was Ant’s ability to totally absorb the Southern feel of dialogue (particularly Ruby’s character, where Ant has given her literacy but retained the spirit of the character from the book).” Then, remembering that Murch is using Apple’s Final Cut Pro software, which may have implications for the entire sound department, Levinson adds, “Is Final Cut Pro living up to its title, or proving to be a misnomer?”

  It may seem that using Final Cut for picture editing should have little bearing on what Levinson does with ADR, since he works on the Pro Tools sound-editing platform (owned by Digidesign, which is part of Avid). However, Final Cut’s imprint on Cold Mountain post production is felt in all the departments, including Levinson’s. In fact, before arriving in London, Levinson anticipates advantages Final Cut might have for the tasks that lie ahead—such as quick trips to record ADR in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and elsewhere.

  “Are you working with OS X?” Levinson wrote to Murch back in March. “Wondering if I should explore one of the new PowerBooks to construct a sort of portable system that I could bring with me to be able to spot with Ant at the ‘Chapel’ or his house or hotel rooms. Have you pushed the limits of your PowerBook?”

  By building a portable system, that is, an Apple PowerBook with Pro Tools and Final Cut Pro installed, Levinson could be free to prepare for ADR sessions en route—and to incorporate last-minute script rewrites Minghella hands to him, or sends by email. After a recording session, Levinson can listen immediately to new takes, pick selects, and place them in his working version of the film. After a seven-hour plane ride back to London from New York, he will walk into a mix session at De Lane Lea with newly recorded dialogue from Nicole Kidman (the best takes already chosen and edited) and in a few moments transfer them into the Pro Tools workstation on the mix stage, which Murch accesses from the mixing board and mixes into the Cold Mountain soundtrack.

  Minghella also benefits from having Final Cut Pro on his PowerBook when he is planning for ADR sessions. “I’ve been able to travel with the movie,” he says later. “When we were doing ADR in New York and Los Angeles, I could have the cut of the film on my laptop. I could examine the film with fluency and ease, as opposed to when you have to use a videotape machine.”

  JUNE 14, 2003—LONDON

  It’s the second day of mixing at De Lane Lea. Murch is preparing the soundtrack for the private screenings of Cold Mountain, which are only six days away, first in London, then in New York for Miramax. Murch now knows the MetaFlow-Titan-OMF sound conversion workaround devised by Sean Cullen and the sound editors is performing. Sync is holding with the movie image Murch mixes to at DLL (a digital projection from videotape output from Final Cut Pro). There will be no meltdown. This is a moment to behold. From a couch at the back of Studio A, with his PowerBook hooked up to the house high-speed line, Murch dashes off an excited email to Will Stein, Bill Hudson, Brian Meaney, and Susan Marshall (FCP product marketing) at Apple:

  Murch mixing Cold Mountain.

  * * *

  Date: Monday, June 16, 2003, 12:43 PM

  Subject: Mixing Cold Mountain!

  From: Walter Murch

  Dear Apple FCP:

  We are two days into our six-day temp mix, and all is going splendidly. We have finished the dialogue premixes for the whole three-hour film, and all of the EDL-Titan interface between FCP and PT worked out perfectly.

  Naturally, I am interested in any advantages we can gain by using the emerging AAF - XML pathways, but I wanted to let you know that our workarounds are all functioning well.

  We are also in the middle of implementing changes to the conformed 35mm picture, and that is also flowing smoothly and frame-accurately.

  Best wishes,

  Walter M.

  * * *

  Getting permission from Apple for DigitalFilm Tree and Brooks Harris to customize the unfinished XML protocol is now moot. The mix will proceed without any hidden technical issues arising. There is no response from Apple.

  Ramy, back in Los Angeles, receives a similar email from Murch with the good news. He responds to Murch right away:

  * * *

  Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 22:26

  Subject: Re: Mixing!

  From: Ramy Katrib

  To: Walter Murch

  Good Day Walter,

  Thank you for the update. We are extremely happy and comforted about the workarounds working. As we have learned, FCP’s professional trajectory has been built on a bedrock of workarounds. We will continue to hunt down AAF/OMF - XML pathways with the hope that Apple’s resistance to that will lessen, or go away. I’ve confirmed a free pass for Brooks from one of our Apple contacts. I just spoke with him, and if all goes as planned, he’ll attend the developers conference next week, on all our behalf.

  all the best, ramy

  * * *

  While no outright conflict ever erupted between Apple, DFT, and Murch over XML, there was an undertone of tension and frustration running through their communications. Murch, Cullen, and DFT knew a better solution for their sound workflow was very close at hand. Apple is in the business of selling reliable computers and software applications that keep customers happy. The company could not put resources into providing a “special build,” as they call customized software, for a single customer, no matter how prominent and potentially useful Cold Mountain might be as a showcase project.

  Zed Saeed at DigitalFilm Tree remains philosophical about the XML tug-of-war: “Give them credit,” he says about Apple. “You know why? Look at their applications. DigitalFilm Tree is a direct descendent of that spirit. A lot of people say Apple creates an image by writing huge paychecks to ad agencies and for image campaigns,” Zed continues. “Yes, I’ll live with that. It allows me to use my brain, my talent, my outlook, to work on movies, help cut films, and work right next to one of my heroes.”

  JUNE 20, 2003—LONDON

  Today is the first full screening of Cold Mountain to be held outside either the Chapel or De Lane Lea. It’s an invited audience of 60: friends and associates of Minghella’s, other filmmakers, writers, and the London Mirage company staff. It will be held at the National Film Theatre. The NFT, part of the British Film Institute, is in the South Bank complex on the Thames River. For Minghella, having recently been appointed to the prestigious position of chairman of the BFI, showing a film here is like playing football on the home pitch—a good way to test the film before taking it across the Atlantic to show Miramax. One might think a hometown crowd would be the best way to make a transition onto the main stage. However, these sorts of audiences can prove to be the most troublesome for filmmakers, especially at this point. Friends and family rarely tell you the truth about how they feel. They care more about you and your feelings than they do about the work you produce. There’s a niggling sense that despite the praise, you may not hear what the audience truly believes.

  Afterwards, Murch first checks in with Ramy at DigitalFilm Tree.

  * * *

  Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2003

  Subject: Re: Screening

  From: Walter Murch

  To: Ramy Katrib

  Dear Ramy:

  Our screening at the NFT with the mixed track went without a hitch.

  Looked good and sounded good. Sean loaded the cut from FCP directly into the QuBit, and then we ran the mix from our Akai dubber. Everyone very happy.

  And the latest round of changes have been done to the 35mm film, so the change lists worked perfectly.

  So the final two hurdles—change lists and 24bit sound export to Pro Tools—have gone alon
g smoothly. Now all we have to do is concentrate on making the film!

  Congratulations to all of us, and thanks for your invaluable help.

  Best wishes and have a great time in Hawaii!

  Walter

  PS. Here is a link for a picture of the real Cold Mountain in NC

  * * *

  * * *

  Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2003

  Subject: Re: Screening

  From: Ramy Katrib

  To: Walter Murch

  Hello Walter,

  I was just about to leave the office for the final time before boarding a plane to Maui on Sunday. This is by far the best news of the year for us. I will pass along the wonderful developments to all. I never realized that mountain we’ve all been climbing was so beautiful.

  sunny regards,

  ramy

  * * *

  Then Murch gets right back to work by making some trims based on what he just saw on the screen. In an email to Debbie Ross, who will be designing the main title and end credit sequences at her studio in Los Angeles, Murch reports: “Our screening went very well—good digital projection and sound, and good response. We are still learning things, of course, and I just made changes to three reels, which shortened things by a minute.”