Summary
The audio post-production team behind the animated feature "Wildwood" shares insights into their creative process while still mixing the film. The team, comprising supervising sound editors, re-recording mixers, and sound effects designers, discusses the collaborative atmosphere on the mix stage at Goldcrest in London. They emphasize the importance of communication and teamwork, noting that their previous experience working together has fostered a strong rapport that enhances their creative output.
The conversation delves into the challenges of sound design for stop-motion animation, particularly in crafting a massive battle sequence without music, which aims to heighten the intensity of the scene. The team highlights the meticulous attention to detail required to balance sound effects, dialogue, and music, ensuring that each element contributes to the film's emotional impact. They also touch on the film's darker themes and the necessity of making the sound design relatable for younger audiences while maintaining a sense of realism.
Additionally, the sound team discusses the unique sonic landscape of "Wildwood," which transitions from the real world into a fantastical forest. They describe how they create an immersive experience for viewers by carefully selecting sounds that reflect the film's narrative and emotional tone. The interview concludes with the team expressing their excitement about the project and the collaborative effort that has gone into bringing "Wildwood" to life.
Show Notes
This episode takes a new approach! We talk with the sound team behind the new Laika Studios, stop motion animated film, Wildwood.... while they are still in the process of mixing the film!? All their decisions are fresh in their minds as they have been mixing the climatic battle sequence leading right up our conversation. Re-recording Mixers Mike Prestwood Smith and Gilbert Lake are joined by supervising sound editors Luke Gentry and Ben Meechan, as well as Dialog/ADR editor Danny Sheehan, Sound Designer Chris Howard and Supervising Music Editor Mark Wilsher. They all sit around the the mixing console with me, at Goldcrest's Theatre One in London, to discuss the challenges this extremely complicated film presented. ______ Come out to Audio Post MX in Mexico City on Oct 29th! For Full details and to register to attend go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSK9dYGm0rfAxP9cHGCNdkkiTdZEm7s-UmumDE9vNkw1mBjQ/viewform ______ Check out the full schedule at this year's, completely free to attend, SonicDays Conference in Denmark https://sonicdays.com/ _______ Register for The Tonebenders/ Film Sound Sweden / MPSE event in Stockholm here: https://mpse.org/event-6887830 ________ SPONSORS: The Sound Ideas Black Friday sale is coming back this November, with some of the biggest offers of the year on the way. Expect incredible sound savings, plus new weekly specials featuring select libraries at some of their best prices yet. It all starts November 2nd, so keep an eye on Sound Ideas, you won’t want to miss what’s coming. Episode Notes: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/382-wildwood/ Podcast Homepage: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/ This episode is hosted by Timothy Muirhead
More from Tonebenders Podcast
Crystal Lake is the hit new prequel series to the Friday The 13th franchise. The sound team had tricky tightrope walk, to find the tone of the original series but also make it something new as well. The show is a great mix of drama, horror and comedy and the audio post team was tasked with guiding the viewer through all this with sound design that is both over the top and extremely subtle. Supervising Sound Editors/ Re-Reording Mixers Steve "Major" Giammaria and Nicholas Renbeck walk us through their fantastic work on Crystal Lake. ______ Come out to Audio Post MX in Mexico City on Oct 29th! For Full details and to register to attend go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSK9dYGm0rfAxP9cHGCNdkkiTdZEm7s-UmumDE9vNkw1mBjQ/viewform _______ Check out the full schedule at this year's, completely free to attend, SonicDays Conference in Denmark. https://sonicdays.com/ ________ Register for The Tonebenders/ Film Sound Sweden / MPSE event in Stockholm here: https://mpse.org/event-6887830 ________ SPONSORS: The Sound Ideas Black Friday sale is coming back this November, with some of the biggest offers of the year on the way. Expect incredible sound savings, plus new weekly specials featuring select libraries at some of their best prices yet. It all starts November 2nd, so keep an eye on Sound Ideas, you won’t want to miss what’s coming. Episode Notes: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/381-crystal-lake/ Podcast Homepage: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/ This episode is hosted by Timothy Muirhead
The conversation continues about what is expected when working in audio post on high level films and series. Where is the line between an sound editor and sound mixer? Greg King, Jon Greasley, Brittany Ellis, Nikola Simikic and Ben Cook all share their vast experience and thoughts on where things are going. Make sure you go back, to catch part one of this roundtable talk in episode 379. _______ Register for the Inside NYC Audio Post Event coming up on Oct 15th at Sound Lounge here: https://www.mpse.org/event-6844200 ______ Come out to Audio Post MX in Mexico City on Oct 29th! For Full details and to register to attend go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSK9dYGm0rfAxP9cHGCNdkkiTdZEm7s-UmumDE9vNkw1mBjQ/viewform _______ Check out the full schedule at this year's, completely free to attend, SonicDays Conference in Denmark. https://sonicdays.com/ ________ SPONSORS: Sound Ideas is heading to GameSoundCon 2026 at the Burbank Convention Center in Burbank, California, on October 20th–21st! The event features educational seminars and opportunities to connect with fellow industry professionals. Be sure to visit Sound Ideas at booth seven to meet the team and access exclusive offers available only at the show. Can’t make it in person? Contact Sound Ideas for some special offers. Episode Notes: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/380-sound-editors-that-mix-mixers-that-edit-part-2/ Podcast Homepage: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/ This episode is hosted by Timothy Muirhead
What is expected of the modern crafts person working in Audio Post? A lot of mixing is done in the sound edit, and a lot of editing is done on the mix stage. After a long day of work, 5 busy Los Angeles sound professionals gathered in Stage 10 on the Warner Brothers lot, to hash out how their jobs have evolved in recent years. They hash out what is expected from the sound team on high level projects like prestige series and wide release films. Greg King, Jon Greasley, Brittany Ellis, Nikola Simikic and Ben Cook all share their vast experience and thoughts on where things are going. _______ Register for the Inside NYC Audio Post Event coming up on Oct 15th at Sound Lounge here: https://www.mpse.org/event-6844200 ______ Come out to Audio Post MX in Mexico City on Oct 29th! For Full details and to register to attend go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSK9dYGm0rfAxP9cHGCNdkkiTdZEm7s-UmumDE9vNkw1mBjQ/viewform SPONSORS: Sound Ideas is heading to GameSoundCon 2026 at the Burbank Convention Center in Burbank, California, on October 20th–21st! The event features educational seminars and opportunities to connect with fellow industry professionals. Be sure to visit Sound Ideas at booth seven to meet the team and access exclusive offers available only at the show. Can’t make it in person? Contact Sound Ideas for some special offers. ______ 87 sound designers from the Field Recording Slack have come together to release a new crowdsourced sound effects library that they’re making available for charity. Handheld Gadgets is an 18GB library with 929 unique sounds, including multiple variations of bicycle pumps, zippo lighters, hand cranked radios, gaming controllers, tools and much more. The library is UCS compliant, covering 21 sound categories. The way to purchase the library is simple: donate $50.00 or more directly to Doctors Without Borders, World Central Kitchen or The Water Project, then email that receipt to [email protected]. You will receive a reply email to pull down the library. You can read detailed purchasing instructions, have a look at the sound list, and hear an audio demo at https://www.frscharity.org/HandheldGadgets/ Episode Notes: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/379-sound-editors-that-mix-mixers-that-edit/ Podcast Homepage: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/ This episode is hosted by Timothy Muirhead
Lindsey Alvarez, Anna Behlmer, Laura Wiest & Karen Baker Landers recently gathered together in Formosa Hollywood's Stage 2, to share their paths while forging a career in audio post. The conversation is filled with stories of their experiences in Hollywood that range from horrible to hopeful. They discuss their early mentors, how they are managing being mentors themselves and ways things have changed over the course of their careers. Register at https://www.mpse.org/event-6844200 to come out to the Inside NYC Audio Post Event coming up on Oct 15th at Sound Lounge. ______ SPONSORS: Sound Ideas is heading to GameSoundCon 2026 at the Burbank Convention Center in Burbank, California, on October 20th–21st! The event features educational seminars and opportunities to connect with fellow industry professionals. Be sure to visit Sound Ideas at booth seven to meet the team and access exclusive offers available only at the show. Can’t make it in person? Contact Sound Ideas for some special offers. ______ 87 sound designers from the Field Recording Slack have come together to release a new crowdsourced sound effects library that they’re making available for charity. Handheld Gadgets is an 18GB library with 929 unique sounds, including multiple variations of bicycle pumps, zippo lighters, hand cranked radios, gaming controllers, tools and much more. The library is UCS compliant, covering 21 sound categories. The way to purchase the library is simple: donate $50.00 or more directly to Doctors Without Borders, World Central Kitchen or The Water Project, then email that receipt to [email protected]. You will receive a reply email to pull down the library. You can read detailed purchasing instructions, have a look at the sound list, and hear an audio demo at https://www.frscharity.org/HandheldGadgets/ Episode Notes: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/378-women-in-audio-post-roundtable/ ______ Make sure you are up to date with everything Tonebenders is doing, from upcoming events to the latest episodes by signing up for the once-a-month Tonebenders email newsletter: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/join-our-email-list/ Podcast Homepage: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/ This episode is hosted by Timothy Muirhead
James Mather, Tormod Ringnes and Kim Christensen join Tonebenders' host Tim Muirhead on Stage in front of a packed theatre as part of the 2025 Sonic Days Conference. They talk about their work on iconic franchises like Harry Potter, Tron, Dracula, Top Gun and more. ______ SPONSORS: If summer has your next project heating up, Sound Ideas is making it easier to build up the library you’ll need. During the Sound Ideas Mid Year Sale, you can save 50% on all proprietary items. From impacts and ambiences to vehicles, animals, machinery, production elements, and specialty effects, you can stock up on professional sounds before the next deadline hits. Get ahead of the edit with sounds ready for the scenes, transitions, textures, and surprises still to come. Shop the 50% off, Mid Year Sale now at https://sound-ideas.com/ ______ Make sure you are up to date with everything Tonebenders is doing, from upcoming events to the latest episodes by signing up for the once-a-month Tonebenders email newsletter: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/join-our-email-list/ Episode Notes: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/377-sonic-days-live-sound-design-for-franchise-ip/ Podcast Homepage: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/ This episode is hosted by Timothy Muirhead