Spain’s Oscar international feature film Silato not only received praise in its category, but also made history by being recognized for the film’s sound team.
Supervising sound editor Laia Casanovas, re-recording mixer Yasmina Praderas, and production sound mixer Amanda Villavieja are the first female sound team nominated.
Casanovas says the importance of the nomination was not lost on her and the team. “Sirat” follows Luis (Sergi López) and his son Esteban (Bruno Nuñez) as they arrive at a desert rave in the mountains of Morocco. They are on a mission to find Luis’ daughter Merle, who disappeared from a rave venue over five months ago, and end up in a small caravan of ravers traveling through the desert.
Working with Sirāt director Oliver Lux, Casanovas and his team spent nine months off and on on the sound design process. “We needed time to think about the decisions we were making, and we were working emotionally,” she says.
Casanovas and team were driven by the emotions the film conveyed and sought to reflect that. Villavieja’s work went beyond just recording conversations, he spent time capturing the feel and atmosphere of the desert.
Caravan vehicles (minivans, lorries, campers) were another factor.
It was an amazing challenge. “For the engine, we wanted a different sound, so we recorded it with the team in post,” Casanovas says, ensuring an accurate and clear sound for the tires and engine.
Music and scenic sounds are an integral part of this film, and the team found some of the right elements in unexpected places. “We recorded a lot of wind, not only in the desert, but also around Nice in France, because there’s a volcanic landscape there with a low-frequency background,” Casanovas says.
The sounds intertwined seamlessly with Kangding Ray’s score, requiring the two teams to work closely together to ensure the sound matched.
“It was a back-and-forth process,” Casanovas says. “I sent in the sound design and he sent in the music, and I was so impressed by how deeply connected the characters were to the music.”
The key was to make sure her team had the same “grainy sounds and textures, saturation and distortion of the music.”
