🎧 'Addition by Subtraction': TV's Art of Restraint in Sound Editing

Emmy nominees Brian J. Armstrong, MPSE ('Shogun') and Tim Kissel, MPSE ('3 Body Problem'; 'Avatar: The Last Airbender') chat with past nom Joel D. Catalan, CAS

SUPER SONIC From left: Tim Kimmel, MPSE, Joel D. Catalan, CAS, and Brian J. Armstrong, MPSE, at The Ankler’s Art & Crafts Live on Aug. 1. (Todd Williamson; photo illustrations by The Ankler)

Welcome to the latest episode of Art & Crafts, The Ankler’s podcast series dedicated to bringing audiences behind the scenes to examine the careers and contributions of the talented artisans who create and craft the movies and TV series that we love. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

To create the world of Shogun, set in Japan at the turn of the 17th century, sound supervisor Brian J. Armstrong, MPSE, says he relied heavily on “addition by subtraction.” From stripping the bird sounds out of the show’s Osaka enclave (to give it a “claustrophobic feel,” he says) to cutting all music during a powerful earthquake scene, Armstrong’s editing choices were all about getting more story out of less noise.

Tim Kimmel, MPSE, describes a similar dialing back on Netflix’s sci-fi epic 3 Body Problem, where much of the action takes place within a VR game. “It’s light years ahead of any games that you would have now, so we really played with all the fine detail and pushing it a little farther,” he recalls. “And they said, ‘You know what? No, no, that’s actually too high. It shouldn’t be hyperreal. It should actually just be real.”

SOUNDSCAPES The aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Shogun (top) and the journey through a virtual world in 3 Body Problem. (FX, Netflix)

Kimmel and Armstrong, both Emmy-nominated for outstanding sound editing (Kimmel scored a second nod for Netflix’s animated adventure Avatar: The Last Airbender), shared their career paths and creative processes with Joel D. Catalan, CAS (a past Emmy nominee for sound mixing on the NatGeo series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey). It’s the last of four special podcasts The Ankler recorded Aug. 1 during our Art & Crafts Live event at the American Society of Cinematographers Clubhouse. (Previous episodes explored cinematography, production design and costume design).

Cast and crew were all aligned on Shogun’s sonic restraint, Armstrong notes. Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Toronaga and is also a producer on the series, went so far as to brandish his own samurai sword on a Zoom call to demonstrate just how quiet the weapon can be, unlike the “shingy” and “clangy” sounds of typical cinematic blades. Even in some scenes where Armstrong’s instinct was to add voices — like when a huge army is on the move — the series’ creators were adamant about pulling back.

MAKING NOISE Armstrong and Kimmel both worked with past collaborators on their nominated series. (Todd Williamson)

“They’re soldiers. They’re samurai. They’re not chatting as they’re walking,” Armstrong concedes. “There’s no hot goss in the samurai world.”  

Transcript here.

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