Often sound can be an afterthought in story development, but the most engaging cinematic experiences tend to think about how to use sound as a storytelling tool from the script stage.
This film brilliantly pulls this off throughout the whole process - in its script, direction and final execution. It won't be surprising if the Academy rewards this films' fantastic use of sound in immediately setting the tone and constantly keeping the audience on edge by nominating it for either/both sound categories. This was one of the few theater experiences where even the audience didn't dare make a noise, waiting for even the most subtle sound to bring the characters' world crashing down. It's the kind of dynamic mixing that is completely engrossing for the audience and pulls them into the film's world.
We try to get that detail from every project we work on, getting the audience to lean into the film by drawing them into the moment, but horror films tend to have much more room for that because it's baked into the characters' contexts.
Watch this interview with "A Quiet Place's" sound designers Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn to hear about their process.
Courtesy of Lessons From A Screenplay