The Oscar®-Winning Sound and Picture Post Team from Bohemian Rhapsody
Despite having faced many obstacles and an uncertain future, the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody went on to become a global hit at the box office and achieve widespread critical acclaim; evidenced by the fact that the sound and picture post team members each walked away with an Oscar® in their respective categories. Just two months after the Oscars®, the team joined Avid for a special live presentation of their work at the NAB 2019 convention in Las Vegas.
EDITOR – JOHN OTTMAN ACE
Not only an accomplished, award-winning editor, John Ottman ACE is also a composer and writer. Among his many credits are his frequent collaborations with director Brian Singer on the films The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns, Valkyrie and X2: X-Men United.
SUPERVISING DIALOGUE and ADR EDITOR – NINA HARTSTONE
In her role as Supervising Dialogue and ADR editor for Bohemian Rhapsody, Nina Hartstone had the enviable yet daunting task of bringing the voice of Freddie Mercury back to life. Her impressive skills as a sound post pro have been on display in such films as Gravity, The Hours, Bridget Jones’s Baby and Enola Holmes.
SUPERVISING SOUND EDITOR – JOHN WARHURST
Coming into Bohemian Rhapsody, John Warhurst had already racked up some impressive credits as both a music and sound editor, honing his craft on 127 Hours, Edge of Tomorrow, Les Misérables and One Direction: This is Us.
MUSIC MIXER and RE-RECORDING MIXER – PAUL MASSEY
With a phenomenal career that spans almost forty years, music and re-recording mixer Paul Massey has lent his talents to films like Boyz N the Hood, Clueless, Jerry Maguire and Ford v Ferrari. Including his Oscar® win for Bohemian Rhapsody, Massey has been nominated for the Academy’s top sound prize a total of nine times.
Editing and Mixing Bohemian Rhapsody
In our discussion with the Bohemian Rhapsody post team, we talk about:
- Making montages that drive the narrative
- Using hi-res footage and VFX to turn a three-shot into a two-shot
- Combining three different vocals to make the “voice” of Freddie Mercury
- How many guitar tracks are enough to reinvent the Fox Studios anthem
- Recording live reverb instead of using plug-ins
The Credits
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