Day Twenty Two (60 Megs)
Notice: This video is a “low res” version with the time code burnt into it.
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My experience as a Supervising Sound Editor on Nick Bryan’s film, Day Twenty Two, was a whirlwind of long hours, creativity, frustration, and ultimately satisfaction. Having only one month to fully realize the sound for the film I knew I had to act quickly. My co-supe, Bandele Prioleau, and I jumped on the film once we received it. We immediately had a spotting session with the director and talked about his vision of not only his film but also film in general. This spotting session proved valuable because I was able to feel out who Nick was and what he envisioned for the sound in his film even if he did not know it himself.
Nick’s film is about a young man struggling to find his path. This young man is constantly looking for clues and insights to life through anything possible. He keeps a detailed journal and never leaves any stone unturned for adventure and new experiences. After wandering streets and alleyways for the first few minutes of the film he steals some mail from a house and finds an invitation to a silent auction and dinner. He decides to go and there meets a lovely young woman with whom he spends the night. He awakens in the morning and has trouble deciding if he should stay or leave. During the rest of the film he battles with this issue and ultimately leaves the decision up to fate.
During the initial discussion with Nick, I began to formulate ideas about how this “silent” film could come to life through sound. I immediately remembered all the reading and studying I have done regarding Internal Diagetic sound in film, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and The Conversation, all works by Walter Murch. Early in Day Twenty Two, our young man waits and ponders as a train passes and I decided to use this sound as a recurring theme in the film as a symbol of his constant searching and need for a type of romantic adventure. This theme pops up from time to time as our young man is faced with a choice. I took the initial sound of the passing train and internalized it by putting it through a series of filters— a high pass EQ, then a crazy wide delay, followed by a suitable “internal reverb.” I believe this use of sound was beneficial in that it helped explain and tell the audience where we were going and what was happening in the mind of our main character.
After I got the main sound effects down, I began concentrating on what the film was missing. I thought it lacked a sense of “organicness” and verisimilitude. Foley was what I was missing. I was lucky enough to also be in the Sound Effects and Foley class offered this quarter and established a good relationship with a couple of great foley people— Anna Gramlich and Michael Imbriale. Anna acted as the foley recordist and editor while Michael was our primary foley artist. I also stepped in as an artist when we were pressed for time. I could not have asked for a better foley crew. Their professionalism, dedication to the art, and organization made our recording sessions run smoothly and go quickly. They realized they had a job to do and only a short time in which to do it. I enjoyed seeing them in action.
All in all, I enjoyed my experience as the supervising sound editor for Day Twenty Two. I learned about how to organize a sound crew, deal with sometimes abstract directors who do not have a clear image of what they want in their film, and also how to handle difficult partnerships. I look forward to expanding my knowledge about supervising and also how to bring my concepts to life. I realize this is just a beginning of what I hope to be a fully developed and artistic career.