AudioMedia - March 2009 - (Page 28) Oscar-winning Sound Designer and Supervising Sound Editor Richard King talks to STROTHER BULLINS about his work on the monumental 2008 action film, The Dark Knight. irected by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight is a record-setting and award-garnering action film like no other in history. Despite the unique appeal of its star character Batman – the alluringly mysterious superhero that possesses no true ‘superpowers’ to speak of – The Dark Knight is a film with an almost supernaturally successful force behind it. It is only the fourth film in history to gross more than $1 billion, as its darkly enigmatic appeal burgeoned in cyberspace and spread like an audio-visual virus worldwide (in a notably positive way, of course). Further, its greatness was anchored in a firm foundation; casting was superb and D I n The B eginning King’s work on The Dark Knight started rather typically. “I first read a script, and then met with the Picture Editor before he was to go to the UK for a shoot,” he explains from his digs at Warner Bros Studios in Southern California. “There, he and I put our heads together and we came up with a list of sounds that we thought he might need for the picture editing process. [Director] Chris Nolan likes to cut with sound, having it as an integral part of the process and a part of his vision as the picture progresses. We came THE DARK KNIGHT the script (co-written by Nolan) was compelling, while its aesthetics complemented both the tastes of modern times and the timeless style of the established Batman legend. In other words, it was no surprise that Oscar, among other award-bearing characters, soon came calling for The Dark Knight. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently deemed The Dark Knight worthy of no less than eight nominations and a subsequent Academy Award for Achievement in Sound Editing for the affable Richard King. Here, King – the Sound Designer and Supervising Sound Editor for The Dark Knight – details his philosophy of feature film sound craft and, albeit indirectly, how his subtle approach ultimately directed an entire industry’s attention to his sonic efforts in this significant 2008 feature film. up with this long list, and I spent about a month or so creating these sounds before I had seen anything except some sketches and storyboards.” The first bit of actual footage witnessed by King was The Dark Knight’s prologue sequence, the initial bank heist. “This was released in IMAX,” explains King of the segment. “It was essentially a trailer at the head of I Am Legend. We went to the UK for the temp mix of that sequence with Chris. I came back here and worked on it some more, and then the prologue was released. By that time, I had seen some images of the Batpod, the Batmobile, and tiny bits from the film so I could create a palette of sounds to use.” After this introduction to the look and feel of the film, King was off and running. Building on his take of the script, those initial images King had seen led him to develop ideas into sounds, significantly supporting the still-unseen visuals of The Dark Knight. While each film requires its own unique sonic approach, King is always “on the lookout for interesting sounds,” he readily explains. “I carry a little digital recorder around with me just in case something interesting happens that I can record. In reading through any given script, I make lists of things that I think can be useful. They’re kind of more general sounds; I think there may be a way to make certain weapons sound, and I will collect sounds for that. Then the bulk of the recording takes place after I’ve seen the movie and am really able to be specific about what I record.” Building The Palette 28 AUDIO MEDIA MARCH 2009
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