If there’s anyone who has their ear to the ground when it comes to Steven Spielberg projects, it’s British Sound Editor and Re-Recording Mixer Andy Nelson. This legendary sonic wizard has been a crucial creative element in 21 Spielberg films and has won multiple Academy Awards for best sound achievements in classics like “Schindler’s List” and “Les Misérables.” In fact, he’s been nominated for more Oscars (25) than any other living person, after the great John Williams.
For “Disclosure Day,” Nelson once again teamed up with his longtime collaborator to lend his considerable expertise to the sound editing and final mixing of Spielberg’s sci-fi film, which he considers to be one of the master’s best works in years.
We connected with Nelson to hear more about “Disclosure Day’s” acoustic game plan and how dialogue, sound effects, and music perfectly fused together.
“My first film with Steven was ‘Hook,’ and this particular film, which I’m incredibly proud of, is actually my 21st movie working with Steven,” Nelson tells Space.
“It’s just been one wonderful event after another. The thing with Steven is that his stories are so fascinating, and I knew that he was so excited about this, to revisit and kind of almost bookend something that he started with ‘E.T.’ and ‘Close Encounters.'”
Disclosure Day’s plot was kept under tight wraps, even in the trailers, as Spielberg sought to keep an air of mystery to his sci-fi thriller. “I did get to read the script early on, locked in a high security room as you can imagine,” reveals Nelson. “As I was reading, I got so excited because it’s a thrilling chase movie that’s got a ton of emotion but keeps your heart racing the whole time.
Spielberg wasn’t the only long-time collaborator that Nelson was reunited with on this movie, though.
“For me, it was, ‘Oh my gosh, how are we going to do this?’ Obviously, I’ve also worked many times with John Williams, who decided he was going to write the score, which is absolutely stunning that he did that,” explains Nelson.
“It’s so beautiful. The truth is, everybody came with their A-game. Because the script called for it. Steven definitely calls for it. And we all turned up wanting something very special to come out of all our work on that screen.”
Nelson worked side-by-side again with 7-time Oscar-winning Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom, and the distinguished pair re-teamed on “Disclosure Day” to deliver a cohesive plan for the film’s sound tapestry. Each film is a completely separate imaginative entity and thus requires an individual approach to its overall sound design and mixing, and “Disclosure Day” was no different.
“We had such an incredible story to work with and then knowing what Gary was going to be able to do for some of the subtle sci-fi noises and elements that are going to be throughout the film,” he adds.
“Combined with that, you’ve got a straight-down-the-line race against the clock chase movie. So it was about finding how do we dance in and out of everyday sounds into the evocative sci-fi world. I think that was the dance we had to find, and a lot would hinge on what John Williams had written.”
“I always start with dialogue because that’s our communication tool, and Steven is very aware of making sure we can hear every syllable as clear as it can be. Then, Gary and I work together with the music versus the sound effects and go through every moment to see which is telling the story more effectively. Once you get into more emotional scenes, the music is always going to take front and center. We’re just enhancing storytelling all the time.”
Talking to Nelson, it’s clear that there was a deeply collaborative process behind the scenes on “Disclosure Day”.
“Steven and Gary and myself, and John Williams — who sat with us during a couple of mixing sessions, which was fantastic — we’d all just stare at it and make choices and decisions, and that’s when the very best work happens. We create as we go,” explains Nelson.
“What I love about Steven is his intuitive sense,” says Nelson of the legendary director. “He has an innate way of knowing where to put the camera, and when he comes and sits next to us, and we start working through the sound, it’s the same thing.
“He’ll come up with ideas immediately, and we’ll respond. For us, it’s a fresh and exciting take on the story. It’s not predetermined until we all sit down. And that’s what makes it so special. That’s what makes it a Steven Spielberg film.”
Nelson first saw “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in London when he was just out of school, sitting in the front row of the balcony at the Odeon Marble Arch, which at the time was the biggest screen in Europe. “And when that mothership came over, I thought I was going to pass out. It was such a cool moment,” he recalls.
“Never did I imagine in a million years that I would sit and work with the great director on many, many films. I didn’t work on ‘E.T’. and I didn’t work on ‘Close Encounters,’ but I did work on ‘Disclosure Day.’ So for me, that’s the cherry at the end. That’s the one that I love, because I finally got to work on a real Steven alien-type movie. That’s why it feels so special to me.”
“Disclosure Day” is showing in theaters worldwide now.
