Sonic Thrill Seeking: Mastering the Realism of Explosive Soundscapes
The sonic framework of a film is all too often taken for granted. Many viewers don’t realise that each sonic subtlety has been painstakingly picked out to enhance the narrative, that is, until they encounter a mix which fails to accurately convey the action unfolding on screen. It is on these unfortunate occasions that the true genius of cinematic sound design becomes clear.
During the mixing stage of post production, sound designers face the challenging job of aligning their auditory vision with that of the director’s, thus guaranteeing optimal resonance with the audience. Luckily for Mark Camperell, founder, creative director and sound designer at Empty Sea Audio, his ongoing partnership with commercial director, DP and pilot, Henry Behel, has resulted in a harmonious collaboration.
This is due to their mutual respect for the sound design craft, with both agreeing that “sound hits deeper in your heart than the picture does”, especially when it comes to the type of films Henry likes to make. Combining his lifelong passion for aviation with his love of motion pictures, the director and DP’s career has seen him working with the likes of the US Air Force, Audi, BMW, Sony, and Pepsi, to name a few.
Given his affinity for fast-paced filmmaking, Henry recognises that high-octane subject matter packs more of a punch when special attention is paid to the accompanying soundscape. With adrenaline-fuelled sound design a crucial aspect of the overall payoff, Mark’s role in the creative process has proven to be one of the utmost importance.
Following numerous collaborations over the last five years, the pair are currently working on the latest sound mix for Henry’s upcoming documentary about an aerobatic stunt pilot. Here, LBB’s April Summers sits down with the two of them to discuss the ways in which their crucial chemistry continues to result in high-powered cinematic symphonies.
LBB> When you start collaborating on a sound mix together, what are you both hoping to achieve?
Mark> We will usually have a chat about the general feeling of the piece and how it should sound. We delve into the emotional nuances of each section and explore how Henry wants the sound to complement the music for optimal resonance with the audience. Dissecting each moment of the spot allows us to begin to visualise the soundtrack in our minds. Then it’s our job to get what’s in our head into the cut to maximise the story’s potency.
Henry> Pre-mix, a piece has a fraction of its emotional potential. It feels like an engine that’s never been tuned. I trust Mark enough that we generally start with the tone of the piece and how I’m hoping for it to feel. Maybe there are a few moments I have something really specific in mind, but other times it’s a more elusive feeling I’m trying to capture. I come to Empty Sea Audio because I know the work will reach a new level I otherwise couldn't achieve. I remember the first time I sat down for a mix with Mark: suddenly, in my gut, I felt the film in a way it had never resonated before. Achieving that feeling has been the goal ever since.
LBB> Mark, where do you look for inspiration when working on the sound design of a new project?
Mark> It varies from project to project. Sometimes the direction is clear and obvious, other times it's more nuanced. I often start by watching movie trailers or recent commercials to get a feel for how the dynamic, editorial peaks and valleys of similar moments have been addressed. Since we often start without final music, I’ll also listen to movie soundtracks that are in a similar vein, in addition to the temp score. This exercise helps to put me into a mindset more sympathetic to creative exploration. Another thing I’ll do is audition lots of material in my sound library and tag the types of sounds that myself, or the team, should try to work into the spot. All this allows the sonic palette for the piece to come together and we can begin constructing the sonic framework of the spot.
LBB> You two have worked together on a number of projects in recent years – what shorthand work flow have you developed and how does that help the process?
Mark> When Henry sent us the first Central Coast AirFest piece we did, he said something to the effect of, “I want it to feel like an epic movie trailer.” Obviously, I knew exactly what he meant by that. With other pieces, it wasn’t that simple. He’ll start talking about certain types of aircraft that make specific types of sounds. Afterwards, I’ll have to do my research and educate myself on the specifics, because I’m not a pilot! But when you work with people for any significant length of time, you develop a shorthand of sorts. With Henry, it’s a lot of adjectives, metaphors, and referential material. Being able to understand one another is important, but feeling comfortable enough to ask questions when you don’t understand each other is paramount. Having that dialogue and being able to riff, creatively, before beginning work is massively beneficial to the process because you gain all kinds of clues about what the director is looking for.
Henry> The best part about working with someone again and again is that you begin to speak the same language, so the first pass with someone like Mark will often be so much closer to what I’m looking for. The communication is just so much faster. We’ll know when we’re on the same page and when we’re not. Past projects provide an immediate reference point: how it feels the same as the last one, how it feels different. The other thing that’s helpful is that there’s no tentativeness–no worrying about whether I’m going to hurt Mark’s feelings or whether he’s going to tell everyone I suck!
LBB> Henry, as a filmmaker, you’ve collaborated with numerous sound designers – how does your relationship with Mark feel different?
Henry> I’ve never seen Mark’s level of commitment to authenticity from another sound designer. I do so much work with aeroplanes and cars, and it's so important to get the engines to sound right. Most sound designers don't care about the difference between, say, a piston engine and a radial engine but the wrong engine and it'll be all they think about. This gets even more critical with cars and big clients. Mark really cares about nailing it every time. If something doesn't sound right he'll record new sounds, scour the internet for recordings he can licence… whatever the project needs. One time he hired an entire Foley team without telling me just because there was no other way to get an exotic aeroplane to sound right. His work is so good he'll often send me an export with just the sound effects, without music or dialogue, which can be as great an experience to watch as the final thing.
LBB> How significant is the role of sound and music? How do you view the role of sound designer in connection to creativity?
Mark> There’s a bunch of people that will tell you sound and music are 50% of the experience. I like to (somewhat tongue in cheek) argue that it's more than that. Why? You can’t have an offscreen image, but you CAN have an offscreen sound. So, lots of times, what we do extends the reality of a piece. We connect dots in peoples’ minds to allow them to believe what they’re seeing on screen, to enhance what they’re seeing, and to put them right there in the thick of the action.
It’s not always easy… I remember one of the most difficult parts of our work on the 2019 AirFest film was a static shot of two planes, where one was hovering over the other. There wasn’t much action on screen, but the challenge was to get the notes that the engines produced to mesh together without clashing with the music. I had to spend a lot of time tuning these engine notes to the music to get it all to sit well. This isn’t always easy or exciting but it's necessary.
Henry> Sound design has a transformational role in films like this.. It could be a high octane style replete with engines, wind, and the doppler effect or a more restrained design that plays against the intensity of the visuals. Making a strong choice is critical. A great sound design helps the shots punch harder, smoothes the cuts out, and has a huge impact on the tone. The truth is that sound hits deeper in your heart than the picture does. I've been completely depressed by a project in the edit only to discover an entirely new film in the mix.
LBB> Considering everything you have accomplished together so far, which project are you most proud of? And why does this specific collaborative process stand out?
Henry> I hate picking favourites, but if I had to, it would be the "Choose Your Adventure" watch project for Hodinkee and Unimatic where we raced the Z-car and the Luscombe plane out in the desert. That sound design experiments with extremes--a building cascade of sound which suddenly vanishes into nothing at the climax of the film, the sound sucked out of the world. It was such a dramatic effect to build together and it still takes my breath away
Mark> That’s such a tough one! I think, right now, it must be the short documentary that we’re working on together. It’s about an aerobatic stunt pilot who performs a dead-stick act. If you aren’t familiar with what that is, a dead-stick act is when a pilot performs aerobatic manoeuvres with the aircraft’s engine off. The doc has all the hallmarks of a classic short; it’s direct, it’s to the point, it has heart, and it’s beautifully shot. From an inspiration standpoint, it tickled my sound design senses in all the right places and I connected with it immediately. That is always a recipe for great success in my opinion, and I can’t wait until we can share it with the world.
