A COLLABORATIVE POST
WRITTEN BY BOOM BOX POST
We are honored to have been nominated for a 2023 Motion Picture Sound Editor’s Golden Reel Award!
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING – BROADCAST ANIMATION
Transformers: Earthspark: “Security Protocols”
Supervising Sound Editor: Brad Meyer, MPSE
Sound Effects Editor: Natalia Saavedra Brychcy, MPSE
Dialogue Editor: Christine Gamache
Foley Editor: Carol Ma, MPSE
We thought this would be a great opportunity to share a look “inside the sound” of this action packed show with the supervising sound editors and sound effects editor.
Transformers: Earthspark
A conversation with Supervising Sound Editor, Brad meyer and sound effects editor, Natalia Saavedra Brychcy
Can you give us some background on this episode of transformers: Earthspark?
This is a classic Transformers episode – all about cars, action, and good vs. bad. Since this episode is all about Bumblebee’s and Breakdown’s competitive relationship and past, both of their vehicles had to match each other in intensity, but feel much different from each other. Breakdown’s vehicle mode is an oldschool race car. It sounds throaty, loud and fast, made from a mix of Formula One race cars to get that whippy fast element, blended together with a pitched up Harley Davidson motorcycle to add that heft and throaty quality. To contrast, Bumblebee’s vehicle mode is a luxury sports car, made mostly from Lamborghini recordings, primarily from inside the engine compartment to capture that higher end European sports car whine.
In addition to vehicle sound design, this episode is packed with custom weapon design and bespoke slow-motion/real-time design elements. For weapons, we used custom electricity elements and synthesized laser sounds to create a sense of danger. For the slow-motion, we created custom whooshes, risers, and bass drops to help the transition from slow-motion to real-time flow with the action of the episode.
What do you feel is the heart of this show?
I think the heart of Transformers: EarthSpark lies heavily with the concepts of family and identity. EarthSpark introduces the first ever Earth-born Transformers called Terrans. A big part of the series is the Terrans discovering who they are and who they want to be, and the bond they form with their human counterparts. The characters in EarthSpark are so relatable because the audience is right there with them, and in the end you can't help but fall in love with them as they experience the journey of self love and growth.
What was the most challenging design in this episode?
I think the most challenging design was to give individuality to Bumblebee and Breakdown through their vehicle sound design, making them very signature to each character but have the same level of power and speed so they feel competitive against each other.
WHAT WAS MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT MIXING THIS PROJECT?
With the amount of robots in each episode, there’s a TONS of metal in this show. Making the metal footsteps, impacts, scrapes, movements, etc. work with each other can be challenging at times. The dialogue mixing is also a unique challenge in this show. Each bot is mixed to make it feel like their voice is coming out of a hollow metallic chest cavity, rather than cliche, cheesy robotic vocal processing. This dialogue processing is different according to the size and materials of each bot, which helps to give each bot their own sonic personality. Lastly, the score for this series tends to be very driving and synth-focused. Balancing the relentless action with the driving score, all while maintaining dialogue clarity takes a keen ear and strong creative instincts.
What does being nominated for a show like this mean to you?
It’s a great honor to be nominated for a Golden Reel Award. This is an award chosen by peers that appreciate and see the work, effort and creativity in the sound editorial of a show like this.
TAKE A LISTEN!
Designing the sound of car engines helps to give each car it's own personality, but how you cut those sounds into a scene, and the sweetening you do in the SFX Edit really helps to sell the realism and action of those cars. Below, take a listen to the individual car components that we designed:
Now, hear how these car engine components were edited to make them work with the visuals of the episode:
Now, hear how these cars are sweetened with tire screeches. Tire screeches, along with other car components like suspension, metal, and road texture help to ground the cars in realism and bring them to life:
Once we get our cars fully edited to the scene, we cut the rest of the SFX for all of the other action happening in this high energy scene. Listen to how the cars come together with the rest of the SFX edit:
The final step is to add it all together with the music! We hope you enjoyed this vehicle build example, and check out the different Transformer’s vehicle designs in the show!
Congratulations to everyone who was nominated. We are excited to be along for the ride this awards season!
DID YOU get nominated for a Golden reel THIS YEAR? Share your good news in the comments!
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