There will be a lot of updates and extra postings about "Idiots and Angels." This probably represents one of the more complex and demanding projects I've worked on. I initially started work on "Idiots" in October of 2007. The final mix was completed in April of 2008 with some additional fixes done in May. I wasn't working on Idiots full-time, but rather splitting it between working on "Sita Sings the Blues", "Hose", and various other projects.
There are a number of things that made this project challenging - 1st and foremost, there is no dialog in the film at all. This created a huge challenge in terms of how much storytelling the sound design had to accomplish. Fortunately, animated projects are probably best suited for such a scenario.
I was able to utilize a great set of talented voice over actors to add an extra dimension to the film with all sorts of vocalizations. Carrie Keranen, Mike Juarez, Marc Dirason, Michael Sinterniklass, and Ariele Doneson are all colleagues of mine and fantastic VO talents.
2nd - when I started working on the film, maybe 1/3rd of it was colored. Otherwise I was dealing with pencil test footage, and some of it was rather rough looking. When trying to really achieve depth and meaning with the sounds you are creating and editing, the imagery is (of course) your first clue.
3rd - Story. No matter what, you have to embrace the story. You have to make it your own.
4th - I basically had to mix as I worked. I knew there wasn't going to be a lot of money to pay a dub stage mixer, so I had to deliver as good of a sound track as I could. I ended up working with Peter Levin from Splash Studios to basically test the film in a larger space, and to make adjustments to the mix within 2 days. Peter was great to work with and really was able to bring some fresh perspective to the film.
5th - Flying solo. I did a hell of a lot of different sound work on this film. I didn't just create and edit sounds, I also directed the voice actors, recorded and mixed some of the original score, created all the Foley elements, pre-mixed the film and dealt with multiple picture changes (conforms). The list goes on and on, but I really think that next time I take on a feature that I need to find an equal minded sound person to split the work with.
I'll be posting some more info on the making of Idiots soon.
Labels: Films, Idiots and Angels
