Crafting sound is so difficult. Doubly so when a project uses sound design to reflect the mental state of its lead character, which is certainly the case of Netflix's Ripley, a sexy noir adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's work starring Andrew Scott. Here, sound is at the forefront before anything else is seen on screen in the opening seconds of episode one. A ticking clock—then lots of them—then the ominous toll of a church bell. Before long, we're thrust into Tom Ripley's world, and to some it might be auditorily unnerving. Everything is crisp, heightened, on edge, much like the character.The talented sound team elevated this adaptation in a way that no other recent television project has done, and their process is fascinating. We were able to speak with Michael Feuser, supervising sound editor, Michael Barry, re-recording mixer, and production sound mixer Maurizio Argentieri to learn about their unique gear (tube microphones), their collaboration with Steven Zaillian, why they used wired booms, and more.Enjoy. Ripley | Official Trailer | Netflix www.youtube.com Editor's note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.No Film School: I want to start with the way the show starts itself. It opens with sound, this heavy focus on the environment. What was your process to establish the tone of Ripley?Michael Feuser: Larry Zipf, the other supervisor and the sound designer on this show, he was the main person who created the atmospheric sound in addition to Maurizio's beautiful production sound.It was important for Steve to...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Friday, 7 June, 2024