Ron Bochar and Mathew Price (‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’) on creating a ‘multi-layer’ sound mix driven by music [Exclusive Video Interview]
“You basically have to follow the action…but there’s got to be something consistent all the way through it,” describes Ron Bochar of the infamous one takes in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Normally the re-recording mixer says the sound is guided by the signature rapid paced dialogue on the Amazon series. However, in their Emmy nominated episode “The Testi-Roastial,” Bochar and production mixer Mathew Price had the opportunity to play with music like never before for the show’s final season. Their creative efforts landed them a nomination for Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour). Watch the exclusive video interview above.
The opening sequence of “The Testi-Roastial” is a complex one-er. The camera glides through a busy kitchen, pans across reporters talking on the red carpet, and lands inside the Friar’s Club for the roast of Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein). All the while, Elton John’s “Susie (Drama)” underscores the action. “The way that one worked, it was mainly driven by the music, and our whole goal through that was to use the music as the story point throughout,” explains Bochar. He points out that the actions of the kitchen staff are “actually happening in rhythm with the music.” Every chop of a knife or pass of a tray is choreographed. “A lot of times they hire background people who are dancers, because they have a very specific sense of timing,” reveals Price, “and they’re always going for that flow that professional movers have.”
SEE Robin Urdang interview: ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ music supervisor
Music on the series normally “starts as a score piece, and then sits itself back down into a radio or a record player,” says Bochar. “But this episode was a complete change for us. We actually could play with music.” There was ample opportunity to experiment with music in the sound mix without worrying about finding a real-life source for the tunes in the show. He points to Susie’s three deals on the golf course as a prime example of this type of freedom and creativity. “We had a voiceover happening. We had what was actually being seen happening. We had the music playing. We had background people in that whole section as well. So it was multi-layer all the way through that, and it was the most fun to mix,” he gushes.
“Not to mention using contemporary music for a change,” adds Price. Since the golf scene was one of many flashforwards in the final season, the mix could incorporate songs from new eras. And that meant new rhythms. The golf course sequence alone utilizes tunes from Three Dog Night, Sugarloaf, Norman Greenbaum, and the grand orchestrations from “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The songs help define the tone of the final mix, which includes ample dialogue and narration, and helps the sequence build to a satisfying emotional conclusion as Susie clinches the final production deal.
SEE Thomas Mizer and Curtis Moore interview: ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ songwriters
Both sound artists admit to bittersweet feelings about the successful series coming to an end. “I’ve done the best on the best. What else is there?” asks Bochar. “I was pretty overwhelmed with just the sadness of the fact of: what should I do next?” Price concurs, noting that he would leap at the chance to work alongside the “wonderful” cast and crew again. “I’d be so ready to go back for more. I wouldn’t think twice,” he admits, “Nobody wanted to see it end.”
Ron Bochar and Mathew Price have earned four Emmy nominations for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” winning in 2020. Bochar picked up an additional Emmy win for “Angels in America” and was Oscar-nominated for “Moneyball.” Price has six additional Emmy nominations for his work on “The Sopranos.”
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