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Two Sound Nominations for BBC Post Production at RTS Craft and Design Awards 2007/2008
Criminal Justice & Natural World, Badgers-Secrets of the Sett
November 2008:
BBC Post Production has been nominated for an award in both sound categories at the annual Royal Television Society (RTS) Craft and Design Awards, which recognise the work of professionals behind the scenes in programme production.
BBC Post Production’s London sound team has been nominated in the drama category for its work on the critically acclaimed BBC One thriller Criminal Justice (episode two), which involved crafting an authentic prison soundscape and creating the sounds of hundreds of inmates out of a small cast.
In addition, BBC Post Production’s Bristol sound team has been nominated for an award in the entertainment and non-drama productions category, for its work on the pioneering BBC Two Natural World, Badgers-Secrets of the Sett, which recorded wild badgers in their natural environment for the first time ever.
BBC Post Production Sound Designer Kian Wong was responsible for the sound design and audio track lay on the second episode of Criminal Justice, whilst Dubbing Mixer Steve Hudson carried out the stereo mix, ensuring that the sound was balanced effectively and the production’s creative vision was achieved. In addition, BBC Post Production Dubbing Mixer Paul Batchelor researched the wild tracks and effects and also composed background music to give the impression of music being played in the prison cells.
In the second episode of Criminal Justice, the main character 21 year old Ben, enters prison. and Kian, Steve and Paul needed to create a prison soundscape, with many layers of background chatter, banging and shouting, to provide depth and disorientate the viewer in the same way that the main character was disorientated on entering the prison.
The production budget would not allow for a cast of hundreds, so it was important to give a sense that there were more prisoners than extras on the set. To achieve this, Kian created an off-camera narrative, strategically placing relevant dialogue recorded on location onto the prison scenes in the kitchen, mess hall, cells or games room. “These conversations, which came with natural reverb and acoustics, poked through the main dialogue to provide authenticity and give a sense of what was going on with the other prisoners,” he explains. “For example, in one scene you overhear a prison guard calling: 'Next one, please', 'this is your bag, this is your cell' and prisoners listening to music and being a bit rowdy, conveying the procedure of checking in to prison”.
Natural World, Badgers-Secrets of the Sett was produced by Andrew Cooper, who worked closely with BBC Post Production Bristol sound team right from the very start of the project. It was the first time that wild badgers have been filmed in a natural sett underground with synchronized sound and Andrew consulted the sound team in the pre-production stage, to ensure the best possible audio was acquired. A vacant badger sett on a farm in Devon was fitted out with cameras and microphones, located close to an existing sett the production team then waited for the badgers to move in.
Emmy award-winning BBC Post Production Bristol Dubbing Editor Paul Clark was responsible for the track lay, laying around 30 tracks in total. Paul, who is a natural history specialist, ensured that the natural sounds were accurate both seasonally and location-wise, whilst creating an imaginative underground world for the badgers, aided by location recordings and real synch badgers.
BBC Post Production Bristol Dubbing Mixer Martyn Harries was responsible for the foley and the overall stereo mix.
Martyn says, “Natural World, Badgers-Secrets of the Sett is a quintessentially English countryside diary piece showing a year in the life of one of our oldest inhabitants. It captured the underground world of the badger never before witnessed. The sounds recorded by Andrew were essential to creating these atmospheric scenes, helping the sound mix be artistic, accurate and revelatory.”
He continues, “The microphones were put down plastic pipes into chambers in the sett, so a key challenge was making the audio sound natural. There was a lot of reverb to begin with and a standing wave echo, similar to the effect of shouting down a drain pipe! We solved this problem by stuffing the pipes with foam.”
It is the fifth time that BAFTA award winning Martyn has been nominated for an RTS craft Award. He last won an award in December 2004 for BBC One’s Massive Nature: The Crossing, capturing the dangerous lives of Wildebeest.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on Monday 24 November 2008.
About BBC Post Production
BBC Post Production, a division of BBC Resources Ltd, is located in London, Bristol and Birmingham and offers award-winning creative solutions using the latest technology. Working in partnership with a variety of broadcasters and production companies, BBC Post Production’s extensive range of services include SD and HD editing across all platforms, 5.1 audio and telecine, as well as Media Solutions, its new consultancy service. The BBC Post Production team brings talent and experience to a vast range of productions, across all genres. Credits include: BAFTA Craft Award nominated Seven Ages of Rock, Strictly Come Dancing, Eastenders, Match of the Day, Ski Sunday, Gardeners World and the award winning Planet Earth.
For more information visit www.bbcresources.com/postproduction
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Criminal Justice
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