In building the world of Game of Thrones, there are several factors that go into making what we see on screen believable. Many times, we talk about the CGI the VFX, or the on-location shoots. But one aspect we don’t appreciate is the one we can’t see–the sound design. We’ve talked in this space before about the importance of the music and the soundtrack, or what is known as the “Foley,” the recreation of the everyday sounds we take for granted, like a troop of horses galloping past, the sound of cart wheels on the King’s Road, or steel meeting steel on the battlefield.
Paula Fairfield, who owns the company “Eargasm,” is responsible for the third type of sound–things like the cries of a baby dragon. She has been working on Game of Thrones for several seasons, focusing on the creation of the dragon’s sounds “ever since they were hatchlings” as she puts it. She and her team have been nominated for an Emmy for the last three years straight. This year, they finally took home the prize.
The irony is that, though her work has focused on the dragons over the course of the show, when she finally won, it wasn’t for the Dragons, but for the key White Walker bBttle of episode 8’s “Hardhome.” The Desert Sun (part of USA Today) sat down to talk to her while she’s hard at work in post production for the upcoming season.
When it comes to making sounds for dragons and white walkers, she says her inspiration comes from everything and anything. “When you’re geared for sound, everything you hear is potentially a tool,” she explains. “It can be the sound of a can clanging, certain car and bike mufflers, the way the wind whistles through objects. Every sound you hear has potential.”
She also reflects on how this business he’s in is one that’s very male dominated. “All of a sudden I looked around and realized I’m the only woman on stage. It was a pretty cool feeling.”
A pretty cool one especially because she doesn’t do her work in the bustling centers of LA or NYC. But then again, most post production doesn’t require a those with computers to live nearby. Still, it was a risk. “I had no idea if the TV and film industry would be willing to work with me from a distance,” she says. “It was a huge risk. I may have been done.”
Luckily, instead she landed work with the biggest show on the planet. But don’t ask her about Season 6. As far as this interview goes, she says nothing.
Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/01/12/game-of-thrones-sound-designer-on-making-dragons/
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