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The Studio Sound Editor on Creating Organic Sound, Las Vegas & More

Supervising sound editor George Haddad (Gotham) spoke with Bleeding Cool about approaching sound organically in AppleTV+'s series The Studio.

George Haddad has been in sound editing for 20 years since his debut in the Universal syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. He has worked in several genres across film, television, animation, and live-action. Among the near-70 franchises and projects he's been involved with include The Crow, Universal Soldier, Special Unit 2, House of a Thousand Corpses (2003), Robotech, Jackass, Mad Men, CSI, Big Love, Nikita, Vice Principals, Gotham, Daisy Jones & The Six, Lawmen, Sweet Tooth, 1883, and 1923. Haddad spoke to Bleeding Cool about his latest as supervising sound editor for the AppleTV+ dramedy The Studio; working with creators Seth Rogen (who also stars), Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, and Frida Perez; his challenge filming a one-shot, and filming in Las Vegas. The Studio follows Matt Remick (Rogen), the newly appointed head of the floundering film production company Continental Studios, who struggles to balance the studio's corporate aims in an increasingly IP-driven entertainment landscape with his ambition to produce quality films.

The Studio: Supervising Sound Editor on Emphasizing Organic Sounds Over Music

Bleeding Cool: How did you get involved with 'The Studio?'

Mandy Price, who was the post-production producer, and I did a few shows beforehand, 'Daisy Jones & The Six' and 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves.' I knew her; she likes to work at Formosa (Group), and timing worked out perfectly, and we had a great relationship prior to that.

What's it like having creatives like Seth, Evan, Peter, Alex, and Frida?

They're very serious, even though they're comedic writers and actors. When it comes to putting together their show, they like to make it the best it could be. They're very detailed, which we love when it comes to sound, because we get to match that level of creativity in a lot of detail. It was a real pleasure to see that, as opposed to wanting to rush through it. They took advantage of what they could do with the sound for this show, which is on the Apple platform, and it was an Atmos mix, so there was a lot of fun in the creative process.

What are some of the biggest challenges of doing such a unique series like this as an insider view of the entertainment industry, and how does something like this compare to your other work?

Well, this particular show was a first for me, because they filmed it as a one-shot. Every scene was a one-shot. There was actually one episode called 'The Oner' where the entire episode was filmed as a one-shot, so for sound, we basically had to follow the camera every move it made, because it never stopped. There were never any cuts or breaks when Eri (Kissack), the picture editor, did his cuts. We had a lot of fun recording so much sound to fill up the room as the camera was panning all over the place, but at the same time, we had to be careful and not crowd the dialog, because this is a comedy, and the majority of the comedy comes from the dialog and their acting. The sound had to play a supporting role, not get in the way, but, at the time, make sure it was filmed, especially for an Atmos mix.

How do you balance the emphasis on providing an organic sound versus the moments where music is appropriate?

For the sound editorial process, we cover everything we see on camera, no matter what it is. In this case, it was pretty much mostly organic sounds. There weren't any really surreal moments or flashback sound design, anything like that, very little. We cover everything we see, and when we get to the mix stage, that's where we must break it apart. Sometimes, the less sound, the better approach.

We stay out of the way if there's heavy music playing. We don't want to crowd it or get in the way. We make sure we stay out of the way of dialogue, and every word is important. Just because it was a fast-paced show with the one-shot style and everything like that, we prepared as much as we could in the editorial, but when we got to the mix stage, we had plenty of time to mix. That's credit to our producers for giving us the time. We carve, craf,t and make sure the audience is not distracted, or we make sure they hear every single word. When there's no dialogue, we make sure we choose between sound effects and music what's going to drive the scene.

What was the most difficult sequence for you this season?

There are two episodes in Las Vegas, and it was frantic with the script. They were running and moving from one room to the next. As we know, Las Vegas, in a casino or even outside a casino, there is so much going on, whether it's the gambling machines or the crowds. We had to cover a lot of sound, and then we had, again in the mix, during the mix process, we had to decide what we should hear, what's going to support better? Music or sound effects, for those two episodes. There was a lot to do before, and there was a lot of decision-making on the mix stage once all the sound came together.

I've seen you work on so many different ones. I love your work in 'Gotham,' 'Nikita,' so many things. As an industry-related question, what kind of sequence in general was the hardest for you to do? I imagine it is second nature for you now, but was there one you kind of dread sometimes doing?

No, you know what? Every time we approach a show or even a scene, we start from the beginning. We don't say, "Oh, we've done this before, let's do it that way." We're trying to reinvent and recreate something new and different every time, so it's a fresh approach. It's not a recall a setting that we've used before on 'Gotham' or 'Nikita.' We want to bring something unique, so that's the approach I take to keep it interesting and fresh all the time.

What's the secret to success for all this time, and keeping it fresh?

To be honest, it's networking with good, smart, talented, and kind people. From that, you feed off their talents, you're influenced by them, and you're motivated. The enthusiasm around you is what makes going to work every day a blast. I still can't believe I get paid for creating sounds [laughs]. I'm working with the best talent in the industry, from colleagues to the stars and everything, so it is a blessing. You know what? However, I started in the business a long time ago with the right people, I continue that formula throughout, and it's always a pleasure.

The Studio, which also stars Catherine O'Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, and Kathryn Hahn, is available on AppleTV+.

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