Goldcrest Post sound artists have been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for their work on Netflix’s acclaimed limited series The Queen’s Gambit.
Supervising Sound Editor Gregg Swiatlowski and Supervising Sound Editor/Re-Recording Mixer Eric Hirsch are nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (shared with Sound Designer Wylie Stateman, Sound Editors Leo Marcil, Mary Ellen Porto, Patrick Cicero, James David Redding III and Eric Hoehn, Music Editor Tom Kramer and Foley Artist Rachel Chancey). Hirsch is also nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (shared with Hoehn, Production Mixer Roland Winke and Scoring Music Mixer Lawrence Manchester).
Sound post-production involved months of intense effort and spanned the worst period of the pandemic. Swiatlowski and Hirsch began work on the series while production was ongoing, creating ambiences to match the various environments, and developing signature sound effects to accompany chess play. They also produced a rolling mix, compiling complete soundtracks with dialog, sound effects and music as individual scenes were cut.
Due to lockdown measures, much of their work was done from home studios. Yet some routine tasks required creative solutions. “Group ADR was particularly challenging,” recalls Swiatlowski. He credits Goldcrest Engineer Bob Troeller for making the unusual sessions flow smoothly. “We had finished three episodes prior to the pandemic but needed to find a way to record the other four when we couldn’t have people in a room together.”
Ultimately, some New York-based actors were recorded from their homes. “It was just like a typical remote session, except that we used Zoom to get the picture to people in six different locations. I had Source Connect on my system, so my home became the ‘stage’ for the session.”
Overall, the series received 18 Emmy nominations. Winners will be announced in September.
