The Sound Editing of 'Drive'

Carpetbagger looks at Lon Bender's sound editing for Nicholas Winding Refn's 'Drive', which has a lot of scenes with no dialogue:

“Instead of dealing with the words and the structure of a scene,” he said, “we deal with the subtext of what the characters are hearing, what the audience is hearing and how that expands on the goals of a scene.” 

and

A key example is this early scene, in which Mr. Gosling’s character is at the wheel of a heist getaway car. 

“You expect once the guys who are inside with the guns come to the car that they would race away with engines blaring and skids skidding,” Mr. Bender said. “But the scene wasn’t built that way.” Instead, working with Mr. Refn, the sound editors fashioned a scene that portrayed the Driver as a fish, while the police searching for him were sharks. And the sound simulates his psyche. When he pulls away from the heist, Mr. Bender didn’t use engine noise but that of tires on the road. “You see the shot of a cop car in the distance,” he said. “I came up with the sound of just the tires going over a manhole cover. And that’s all you hear.” 

The sounds get more intense later in the scene, when the Driver heads onto a bridge and is seen by a helicopter. “At that moment, as soon as he’s spotted, the assault on his mind and the adrenaline he feels from being caught, is all of a sudden portrayed in the sound. Everything just goes huge, with super loud sounds: engine shifts, helicopters, mayhem.” 

Here's the scene:






















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Morning Coffee: Watch First 7 Minutes of 'Drive'

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Clips from 'Drive'

Beautiful framing/blocking. Very nice camera work.

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International (French) Drop Dead Trailer for 'Drive'

I love this movie. I'm in love with this movie.



Here's the international (French) drop dead star-making poster for 'Drive'.








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New 'Drive' Poster Plays Against Type

Very nice. So nice. This movie is picking up a lot of steam.

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Red Band Trailer 'Drive'

Probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen

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Anne Thompson talks with Ryan Gosling

When the clip (below) hit a couple weeks ago I knew 'Drive' had the potential to soar. Tight, lean, strong forward motion, no wasted energy, totally confident camera.

Ryan Gosling's work is minimalist yet projects depth. He flits from one emotional state to another in a natural, non-technical way. It's as if the camera wasn't there and it catches you off guard.

Movie has a very 70s feel, as many have said. If you haven't seen the clip, take a look:



Anne Thompson interviews Gosling at Cannes. Also tight, lean, with good forward motion. Great insight into the genesis of the flick.



That's one of the best interviews I've seen. Thanks.

Gosling picks his projects judiciously and it pays off (from all accounts -- 'Drive' is getting great reviews). Director Nicolas Winding Refn is one to watch.

Can't wait.

Here's that clip from 'Drive' with Ryan Gosling that went up earlier at the Cannes site.

Strangely, the audio seems better, but picture is not as good.



That's a lot of confidence. Looks great. Sounds great -- lots of subtleties in music and nuances of the sounds of driving. Fun to watch second to second. Has a 'Heat' vibe, with a bit less operatic feel.

For better picture hit Cannes' site