Learn How to Mix for Motion Picture

Learning how to mix for Motion Pictures is essential for aspiring sound engineers, producers, and mixers who want to pursue careers in Film and TV. Developing Audio Post-Production skills for Film and TV can be an intricate task. Whether recreating sound through Foley, re-conforming audio, or synchronising the sound and picture on set – there’s a range of techniques to explore when mixing and adding sound effects.

Sound has been a quintessential element in drawing on the narrative and story across Film and TV for decades. More specifically, since the former came to our screens in the early 1930s and the latter in the late 40s. Ensuring these sounds blend naturally with visual storytelling is essential to any audio engineer and post-production work. A prime example is Alfred Hitchcock, an accomplished filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Despite his fame for his work in silent pictures, Hitchcock effortlessly draws out the audience’s raw emotions with sound in his noted movies Psycho, The Birds and Vertigo.

We sat down with our Advanced Diploma in Audio Post Production for Film and TV course leader and lecturer, Justin Fraser, to discuss his top tips for learning how to mix for motion picture, using de facto industry standard tools and the secret behind good cinema sound.

ABOUT JUSTIN FRASER…

Justin is an independent audio engineer and technical consultant. He has a career spanning over 25 years. Throughout that period, Justin has worked internationally in music, film, and television post-production. He has received numerous industry accolades including GRAMMY, Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations and has won an EMMY award.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR MIXING FOR MOTION PICTURE?

A key tip for mixing motion picture is to try and remember that you’re always working on the bigger picture. Identifying where the difficult areas of this process and which areas will need more time from early in the process, will help you structure your efforts better.

When working with something as large and as complex as a feature film, the process can feel incredibly daunting and slow. Sometimes creative aspects such as the thought process, the workflow, etc. can easily ‘get lost in the cracks.’ Thus, another key point for me is to: Approach a mix instinctively. This is where a good high-end control surface such as the Avid S6 (that we have here), comes into its own. 

I often instruct students to envision mixing for motion picture like peeling an onion, rather than working linearly. In other words ask yourself, ‘Overall what’s the first thing I can do to this mix to make the biggest difference of what’s coming out of the speakers?’ Then what’s the next thing, and repeat this process from there onwards. This way you’re hopefully always working towards the bigger picture.

Lastly, I’m also a firm believer in the adage, particularly in a professional environment for broadcast and the fast turnaround that a mix is never finished, it’s only ever abandoned. Hopefully, it’s abandoned at the right point, but not always with the demands of schedules and clients. Thus, working with this approach, hopefully, means, given a reasonable amount of time you have something that is at least palatable in its entirety. 

WHAT TOOLS DO YOU USE?

I use Pro Tools, typically HDX because of the determinism of the system and latency can become an issue on larger mixes. For a control surface, my go-to is Avid S6 which you’ll find in pretty much any high-end commercial facility.

Since there’s been an increase in demand for Dolby Atmos, (not just for feature films but for home entertainment content streaming services), there would be some form of Dolby Atmos renderer. This could be internal, software-based, or in a high-end environment a hardware-based dedicated RMU – which, again, is something that we have here. We use the de facto industry standard tools and train our students with common approaches and workflows. This helps them gain the required knowledge and experience in 99% of the commercial environments I’ve had the pleasure of working in.

WHAT ARE THE PROS OF MIXING IN 5.1 SURROUND SOUND?

That can be a bit of a double-edged sword. The obvious pro is that you can spread the sound field around the room, and make it more immersive, where appropriate, since how immersive it is depends on the demands of the programming. 

“The secret behind good cinema sound (as painful as it is to say), is that it shouldn’t draw attention to itself.”

Justin Fraser

 

Abbey Road Studios: The Mix Stage

AND THE Challenges of mixing in 5.1?

That can be a lot more complicated because there are a lot of technical differences here. Especially with immersive music mixes. Approaches that mixers would’ve technically been accustomed to doing whilst working in stereo often don’t work in Atmos. I’ve revelled in the challenge of finding new and different ways of approaching things. Finding out what works and what doesn’t – there’s been a lot of frustrating finding of the latter, but you have to go through that process to find the gold!

HOW CAN STUDENTS LEARN TO MIX FOR MOTION PICTURE?

That’s tricky because there is no common route into this industry. Early on you need to gain as many strings to your bow as possible! It’s all about building experience, longevity and creating a reputation for yourself. I think it’s important to become perceived as a safe pair of hands for client’s projects. It’s also important to get the formative steps in that journey. That’s not just about learning things on an academic or technical level. A large part is about your etiquette, demeanour and personal skills – which can be extremely difficult to teach.

Curious To Know More?

Intrigued to know more about what Dolby Atmos is,  how it works and be immersed in the magic of this audio experience. Read our previous article Dolby Atmos | Everything You Needed to Know, to learn more!

Read more about our Audio Post Production lecturer in our Justin Fraser Interview.