If there's anything that pleased me more (apart from Moonlight winning Best Picture) as I watched the 89th Academy Awards was seeing Hacksaw Ridge win Best Sound Mixing.
Last year, I wrote about the technicalities of Mad Max: Fury Road, which won both awards in the Sound category of the Oscars. Going back, I realized that I never offered critical commentary or wrote about my own personal opinion--about how I, as a sound editor and designer thought of such work. That being said, I would like to do something different and guide you through my personal experience with the film.
I remember going to the movie theater last November, meticulously choosing my seat to study the sound mix in the best possible way I could. There was something about this war film set in the 1940s that really made me curious about the sound team's approach given the fact that you can't actually recreate such sounds, and only the wonders of magic are able to preserve clean production dialogue in a film like that. I held on to my seat tightly as we were taken into the first battle sequence; it even gave me anxiety. I was quick to notice that there wasn't a score playing at the time, just pure sonic detail. Every explosion, weapon, flying debris and bullet impact was designed so beautifully that I felt like I was on the battlefield with Desmond Doss and everyone else. It felt real--it's the type of film that you know great sound is crucial for the audience to be moved by the diegesis. But careful, don't overdo it. Hacksaw Ridge never took me out of that world, which is what a successful sound film is supposed to do. After that day I longed for Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright to win the Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing alongside Kevin O'Connell and Peter Grace. I think I've never hardcore rooted for anyone in the Sound category since I wanted Becky Sullivan to win for Unbroken back in 2015.
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At some point, I was inspired to write about Hacksaw Ridge's soundscape in general, not only the mix. I believe I took the awards as an excuse to actually sit down and write down my thoughts since a post-Oscar blog post is mandatory for my own satisfaction and for those that read me (I guess?). The reality is that award or not, this film is one to watch. Whether you work in the film industry or not we know that it's the score that which drives our emotions. To tell you the truth, it was the Dolby Atmos mix that really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. As I gain more and more experience, I find myself having to explain to people what I majored in and do for a living with great detail. I also find myself having to explain to them that a great film is not necessarily the best sounding film or vice versa. I've seen films that are beautifully edited and beautifully shot, but the soundscape is simply excruciating. Of course, I've also seen films that are the other way around. I used to have an instructor in college who is a foley artist and I remember when he told us that every time someone asked him what he did for a living he would reply with a simple: "I walk in heels for a living". I encourage you to sit down and appreciate the hard work us sound guys and gals put into your films and listen for detail. Every sound and the majority of the dialogue in Hacksaw Ridge was replaced, somewhat crafted, and blended to create its intense sequences. The picture was a "blank canvas" as Kevin O'Connell puts it, that soon blossomed into a masterpiece. Hacksaw Ridge is unlike any other film these engine ears have listened, no pun intended.
Congratulations to Sylvain Bellemare for winning Best Sound Editing for his work in Arrival and Kevin O'Connell, Peter Grace, Robert Mackenzie, and Andy Wright for winning Best Sound Mixing for their work in Hacksaw Ridge.
Sources:
Grobar, Matt. "‘Hacksaw Ridge’ Sound Mixer Kevin O’Connell On Producing A PTSD-Triggering Soundscape." Deadline. N.p., 15 Dec. 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.