Mel Lambert
When it comes to “completely unknown” music, the sound team must become a reality with The Times.
Initially, the plan was to record the song and have the actors, including Star Timothée Chalamet as music legend Bob Dylan, Mimic play. But production delays, including the 19th pandemic and industry strikes, changed that approach.
“Timothée became a skilled guitarist,” said overseeing music editor Ted Caplan. “Once he was on the spot, he was determined to perform live, rather than imitating pre-recorded tracks. This transformation makes the performance more realistic.”
Indeed, the sound team behind director James Mangold’s film drives creative limitations of sound design and mixing. The film, from arriving in New York in 1961 to an electric breakthrough at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 to a record of Dylan’s early career, included an Oscar-nominated work, overseeing voice editor Don Silvester ( Don Sylvester), supervising music editor Caplan, dialogue/music re-recording Mixer Mixer Paul Massey and Paul Massey and Paul Massey and Paul Massey and sound designer/SFX re-recording mixer David Giammarco.
In addition to nominating the Oscars in the Oscar category of Best Achievements, several participants were nominated for MPSE and CAS.
In addition to Chalamet, Edward Norton served as folk star Pete Seeger, Scoot McNairy as the groundbreaking Troubadour Woody Guthrie, Elle Fanning, Sylvie Russo (Composite) Roles) and Monica Barbaro and Dylan collaborator and sometimes rival Joan Baez. Based on the scripts by Mangold and Jay Cocks, the film adapted Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Going Electric! 》! The title comes from Dylan’s 1965 song “Like the Rolling Stones.”
Live broadcast
“Tim is more than just a parody. His live performance is different from pre-recording, so we have to be totally committed to this approach,” Sylvester said.
Shooting began in March 2024, sound editing began in July, and mixing in October. “We’ve worked with Jim before, so we know his workflow,” Kaplan said. “If they’re wrapping up on Thursday, by Monday, we’re ready.” Sylvester added: “Jim I don’t want to judge if there is no sound effect.”
Giammarco handled sound design and SFX mixing on John Ford Stage in Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles, and later joined. “I started when Jim shot back,” he said. “Ted sent me music to build it, and a month later we had a temporary group. Our first full temporary mix took place in the end of July and then it went on again Two screenings.”
Massey’s balanced work on “Gladiator II” began mixing “a totally unknown” on October 2. The team completed the IMAX mix by November 25, which was a quick seven-week turnaround. “We trust each other with Jim,” Messi said. “He gave it to me.” [the team] Free experimentation. ”
Kaplan says production tracks are used not only for music, but also for ambient sounds. “Even if it’s a musical movie, we have to blend crowd noise and the environment together. Image editors Scott Morris and Andrew Buckland need to direct the transition between performances. “A Rainy A-Gonna Fall” we performed different live shows throughout the time. “Dylan sang “Don’t think twice” in the studio with Joan Betz (Joan Baez) The transition to live performances is particularly complicated. ”
The final Newport Folk Festival sequence, Dylan plays an electric guitar to the boo, and they feel they have betrayed his folk roots, involving complex sound and picture editing. “They filmed three times without stopping,” Kaplan said. “The editors had three full shows to work, they weave them in dramas that unfolded on stage and on stage.”
Sylvester notes that cutting live performances is much more difficult than synchronizing pre-recorded tracks. “Because everything is real, the actors have different rhythms, tones and voice styles,” he said.
Navigation Sound Challenge
Massey explains the challenge of keeping pace without clicking the track. “When cutting between cuts, we adjust as needed to keep lips intact while retaining the on-site feel.”
For sound design, Giammarco aims to capture the energy of the Dylan world. “Jim wants sound everywhere,” he said. “New York has to feel energetic and alive. We make sure crowd scenes like Chinese restaurants feel immersive and authentic.”
Despite the dominance of music, Kaplan emphasizes that the film is not only related to the song, but also to Dylan’s world. “Every sequence has to feel like part of the living environment,” he said. “Even a quiet scene like Dylan and Baez, singing ‘blow’ in the wind, takes morning. The sound of the city makes it real.”
For Messi, capturing the feeling of a live show is crucial. “We don’t want it to sound too polished,” he said. “There has to be natural flaws – string squeaks, slight speed shifts, audience noise. It needs to feel like a real concert, not a recording room. recording. ”
The sound team must also be balanced with clear authenticity. “Dylan’s early recordings usually have original, unfiltered sound,” Sylvester said. “We had to recreate it without making a modern audience uncomfortable. The trick is to keep the texture while ensuring that Conversation and lyrics keep clarity.”
Go to Newport
For the electric Newport Folk Festival sequence, Messi focused on the audience’s point of view. “When we go on stage in Dylan, we adjust the sound – cut the reverb when approaching, add it when pulling back,” he explained.
As Dylan puts the crowd in confidence, Massey manipulates the sound level to match their reactions. “The first song needs to be the biggest sound in the movie,” he said. “It’s Dylan’s rebellion. But we not only make it bigger – we adjusted the delays of the PA and gradually increased the intensity, which reflects the increasing The tension of growth.”
When Dylan returns to the number of sounds, the tone moves. “At first, I sounded rough, like Dylan was still inspiring the crowd,” Messi said. “But Jim wanted it soft and pleasant. Dylan provided the audience with his conditions Their goals.”
Balancing live performances with film sound design requires continuous collaboration. “We have to keep pace with the picture editing,” Kaplan said. “Some songs transition from one shot to another. This means ensuring continuity of rhythm, pitch and atmosphere.”
Massey stressed that the project requires flexibility. “Jim might want to adjust the mix later in the process,” he said. “We have to be ready to adjust without losing the original, live feel of the movie.”
IMAX usage sounds more complicated. “The mixture has to work across multiple formats,” said Messi. “What sounds good in IMAX may need to be tweaked for standard theaters or streaming. We made multiple versions to optimize the experience.”
Despite the tight schedule, the team found a strong rhythm. “Initially, we shouldn’t have mixed until spring 2025,” Messi said. “But with the film merging, Jim and the studio saw it’s ready.”
The result is a rich and immersive experience that captures Dylan’s journey in the sound. “We built it together,” Messi said. “Jim trusts us to do it right, and I think we did it.”
