Interview by Jennifer Walden, photos by Max; David Forshey
SSome places are surprisingly beautiful, and Caddo Lake looks to be one of them. Directors/screenwriters Celine Held and Logan George capture this mysterious setting in their thriller caddo lake – Now streaming on MAX. The lake is home to paranormal phenomena and a place where time becomes fluid. Those who enter find their lives changed forever as events that occur at different times have a dramatic impact on others.
Emmy-winning sound editor and sound mixer David Forshee, who grew up in a small town near Caddo Lake, uses sounds of local insects and birds captured over the years, recordings he captured from set, and atmosphere. Design rich atmosphere.
Here, Forshee talks about changing ambient sounds to match different time periods, creating the sounds of “time portals” and how portals affect the environment, the challenges of mixing ship scenes, and more!
[WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS]
Caddo Lake | Official Trailer | Maximum
When did you start doing voice work? caddo lake? What were your initial conversations with the filmmakers about the role of sound in this film?
Logan George and David Forsey on the dub stage for “Caddo Lake”
David Forshey (DF): I like to think that my work on the film began in 2021 when I first read the script.
I’ve worked with directors Celine Held and Logan George before upper part At the beginning of 2020, we had a great creative relationship. That summer, I reached out to them during the pandemic. They mentioned that they lived near Caddo Lake and began writing a new script. We had an interesting realization, I’m actually from Shreveport, Louisiana, just a short drive from Caddo Lake. It was a big surprise for all of us to find out that their new project was based near my hometown!
Our early conversations about sound design started after I read the script, and by early 2022 I started sending in some preliminary sound experiments while they were producing the first cut. But most of the editing and mixing will happen in the summer of 2022.
Caddo Lake live recording
Set in a real location, Caddo Lake is an interesting lake bordering Texas and Louisiana. How did you create the sound for this location? Since you are familiar with the area, have you recorded sounds at this location?
DF: I collected recordings from northwest Louisiana (my hometown). On each visit I bring a voice recorder (Sony PCM-D100) and capture the local atmosphere as much as possible. Using this archive gave me a wealth of realistic insect and bird sounds to help shape the background atmosphere of the lake.
On each visit I bring a voice recorder (Sony PCM-D100) and capture the local atmosphere as much as possible.
I happened to be in Louisiana visiting family during filming, and I went on set to record additional sounds. Celine and Logan also captured the vibe while exploring and researching Caddo Lake, which we incorporated into the mix.
Find the location of “Caddo Lake” in Caddo Lake
The story takes place in the same place but unfolds at different times: 1952, 2003, 2005 and 2022.
DF: For every period, contrast is the key idea. Whenever we transition to a different era, we want the transition to feel unique, not just through the portal sounds themselves, but through subtle details in the background that reflect how the environment may have changed over the decades.
Whenever we transition to a different era, we want the transition to feel unique…
There’s even a brief scene where Ellie is transported to an almost prehistoric time. To do this, we look at some of the more bizarre and otherworldly insects and frogs to contrast with more modern times. This was a fun opportunity to do some experimentation with background sounds.
6 reasonable facts caddo lake:
Q: Who did the sound design and mixing? caddo lake?
one: this caddo lake The sound team is led by Emmy Award-winning supervising sound editor/mixer David Forshee. Forshee worked with dialogue editor Jon Flores, ADR editor John Bowen, ADR mixer Jerrell Suelto, assistant sound editor Nora Linde, re-recording mix technicians Sanghee Moon and Alex Uriati, and Dolby sound consultant Paul Capuano.
Q: Who composed the music? caddo lake?
one: The music score is caddo lake Created by David Baloche, who collaborated with caddo lakeDirector/Screenwriters Celine Held and Rogan George Talk Their Last Film upper part.
Q: Who handled the Foley sound? caddo lake?
one: Foley caddo lake It was done at Alchemy Post Sound with foley artists Leslie Bloome, Shaun Brennan, and Curtis Henderson, and foley mixers Ryan Collison and Connor Nagy. Foley is edited by Nick Seaman.
Q: What is the sound of the time portal/abnormality? caddo lake?
one: exist caddo lakethe sound in the time portal area requires several different “stages”. First, supervising sound editor/re-recording mixer David Forshee designed the initial sounds of the characters entering the portal, which reinforced the intentionally subtle visual cues. Next, he designed a “travel” sound that gave the impression of passing through the portal barrier. Once inside the portal, the sound is severely distorted and muffled, amplifying the feeling of being in a void. This portal can distort sound and affect how it travels, so Forshee and the directors developed a treatment that could convey this without compromising clarity.
Q: What’s the most surprising story behind the sound? caddo lake?
one: caddo lake Director of sound editing/mixing engineer David Forshee grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, just a short drive from Caddo Lake. Before making the film, Forsey had spent years collecting recordings of local insects and birds in the area. This is a valuable resource for designing rich atmospheres in films.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of mixing? caddo lake?
one: since caddo lake It is mainly located on the lake, and residents often travel by boat. The natural dialogue and overlapping performances combined with the revving of the ship’s engine were difficult to balance, requiring ADR to recreate the dialogue in these scenes. Supervising sound editor/re-recording mixer David Forshee notes that these scenes went through multiple iterations during the dubbing stage to get them right.
What sound did Anna, Ellie, and Paris make when they walked into the Time Gate? Can you talk about your process of discovering this sound design element?
DF: There are elements to the sounds of the portal (and the sounds surrounding the portal). First, when a character enters a portal, the sound interrupts at that moment to draw attention, as the visual cues are intentionally subtle.
… It has long been established that sound can and often does travel from one side of a portal to the other.
The next level is “travel” sound – the experience of walking through a portal. Inside, the sound is heavily distorted and muffled, amplifying the feeling of being in a void. That said, it has long been established that sound can and often does travel from one side of a portal to the other. Celine and Logan often use this as motivation for characters to enter portals – they hear other characters shouting at different times, helicopters, dam construction sites exploding, Ellie’s phone being left next to the portal, etc… If you There are some Easter eggs here if you listen carefully.
Some early design experiments revolved around how portals distort sound and how it travels to the other side. We ended up toning this effect down a bit for clarity, but hopefully you can still feel it’s a bit distorted.
How do you use sound to help the audience understand the story, especially when the timeline is confusing?
DF: It’s all about contrast, punctuation, and consistency in the portal. There’s a moment in the movie where, after going through the portal, Ellie relives a scene we saw earlier in the movie, and we were very careful to use the exact same sounds and the exact same timing as before. Subconsciously, I thought this attention to detail aided clarity and hopefully gained something upon rewatching.
What is the most challenging scene for sound editing? Why is it challenging?
DF: The portal scenes were probably the most challenging because they are the heart of the story. Important plot points were incorporated into the sound design of the portal and its impact on nearby sounds. Here, balancing style with clarity in the service of storytelling is crucial, and ensuring that the effects never overshadow the narrative can be challenging.
Now popular in Sound Effects – Article continues below:
Highlights:
BONUS: You might also be interested in these libraries: “sources=”default_product” layout=”horizontal” max_suggest=”5″ id=”isp-lated-widget-1″>
What was the most challenging scene to mix? Or, was there a scene that went through many iterations during the dubbing stage?
DF: The boat scene was the most challenging. With engines revving, naturalistic dialogue, and overlapping spoken word performances, balancing all these elements is difficult. This resulted in some tricky ADR moments that we went through multiple iterations in the dubbing stage to get right.
What did you learn in the process of making Caddo Lake Sounds? Now that it’s all over, what did you take away from the experience?
DF: Working with Celine and Logan is always a learning experience. They are very cerebral directors who put so many voices directly into the script. They push boundaries and create immersive, visceral soundscapes that transport you into the character’s headspace. They always questioned the “safe” choices, which pushed me to continue to evolve as a sound designer. Every time I work with them, I gain new insights and deepen my approach to sound design.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to my team who have done an incredible job in a very tight time frame. The full credits are as follows:
Big thanks to David Forshee for giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the sound caddo lake And ask Jennifer Walden for an interview!
