The fifth installment in the series, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, premieres July 30th around the world, and I got the chance to speak with Ben Meechan, who’s sound effects editor on the movie.
Ben has previously worked on movies like Edge of Tomorrow, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and many more – and in this spoiler-free talk below, he shares what it’s like working on such a big production, what the workflow’s like, and how he and the team beefs up the sounds of the movie’s gadgets, vehicles and weapons.
Hi Ben, how did you get involved with Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and what’s your role on the project?
Sound Supervisor James Mather got me on board to join his team as a Sound Effects Editor, working alongside Samir Foco, Jed Loughran & Alistair Hawkins, plus a whole group of great sound editors. An opportunity that I was never going to turn down – having watched and been a big fan of the other MI films – I was excited about this one and the sound that goes into these films and the fun that could be had, creating this soundtrack.
What’s the sound workflow like on such a large production? And how do you approach the sound effects for a project like this one?
It’s busy and the film is continually cut, so we have to work fast and keep up with the turnover.
It’s busy and the film is continually cut, so we have to work fast and keep up with the turnover. Scenes and reels were split between us and then we would swap and change, so that we could each take turn bringing our own ideas and tastes to the film. We shared ideas and reviewed with James Mather, then we would address the notes and improve and add more detail. We fed the Edit department mixes of sections and scenes so they could put them in the avid. This allowed them to give us feedback. So we are always adding and improving throughout, moving in the direction the director wanted us to go.
Are there assets from the previous movies that can be reused, or have you recorded a lot of new material for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation?
We recorded tons of new material, from the doors to the ambiences of the various locations. All the sounds used for vehicles are the actual sounds, with the help of sound effects recordist Eilam Hoffman, we managed to get an extensive library of source sounds to draw upon. We then brought the material into ProTools, remastered and embellished where needed, to give dynamics and clarity to heighten the action, which there is plenty of!
The launch trailer for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (note: as with all trailers, this one may contain a few minor spoilers)
With the Mission Impossible series being heavy on stuff like weapons and gadgets, any particular tricks or techniques you’re using to beef up those types of sound?
Adding dynamics and weight into engines really helped to give power and speed. I have a various plugs I like to use, such as Sound Toys, fabfilter, and Brainworx, these are great for manipulating sounds, adding low-end and range – I especially like the delays. But all within reason as I’m not a big fan of when real sounds becomes over-processed.
There are several synths I like to use when creating tech sounds, mainly from Native Instruments.
Simplicity can give a hi-tech feel, especially to doors and gadgets – too many sounds can really over-complicate things.
I enjoy multilayering sfx to give detail, by taking different sounds I can can give a sound character. I also find that simplicity can give a hi-tech feel, especially to doors and gadgets – too many sounds can really over-complicate things.
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In general, how does Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation sound compared to the other installments in the series?
We have used a lot of real sounds and it gives the soundtrack a different edge, a real rawness.
It’s going to sound great, full of high intensity. We are definitely bringing our own flavour to the film. We have used a lot of real sounds and it gives the soundtrack a different edge, a real rawness.
Plus the film will be mixed in Dolby Atmos so the audience are immersed in audio from the opening credits!
What’s been one of the biggest challenges with Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in terms of sound?
It’s a spy film so everything is high-end and hi-tech, so the sound really needs to compliment the gadgets and gizmos. Creating a soundtrack that is exhilarating, adding as much to the action and drama where possible, without stepping on dialogue. I’m pretty sure we have managed to do that!
The Mission: Impossible movies are based on the TV series of the same name that ran from 1966–73, and again from 1988–90. Rogue Nation is the fifth installment in a long line of MI movies.
Here’s a brief overview of the Mission: Impossible history so far:
• 1966–73: The Mission: Impossible television series
• 1988-90: The Mission: Impossible television series – revival
• 1996: Mission: Impossible
• 2000: Mission: Impossible II
• 2006: Mission: Impossible III
• 2011: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
• 2015: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Any favorite sound moments in the movie?
The film is full of great moments, the action is definitely full on, but I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for anyone!!!
What’s next for you?
Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur, A Guy Ritchie film – so a whole different world of fun to be had creating the sound on that!
The movie premieres around the world on July 30th, and it looks (and sounds) like it’s going to be a fun ride!
Please share this:
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Mattia Cellotto’s extraordinary sound libraries are some of the most popular releases in independent sound effects – and here’s your chance to get them all at a nice discount. Here’s what’s you get:
NEW: ANIMAL HYPERREALISM IV contains animal vocalisations – from hippos, hyenas, vultures, dwarf mongooses, elephants, African cranes, parrots, tigers, pigmy hippos, rhea ostriches, to brown bears, pheasants, wildebeests, African wild dogs and many more. Features 2000 individual sounds in 294 files.
CATACLYSM is a collection more than 1400 sounds in 400+ files of recorded, synthesized and designed sounds created to support important destructive moments and add a stronger sense of extreme consequence to any sound.
ANIMAL HYPERREALISM VOL I is a library containing themed animal vocalisations & sounds, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 1300 individual sounds in 290 files.
ANIMAL HYPERREALISM VOL II is a library containing themed animal sounds & vocalisations, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 2000 individual sounds in 283 files.
ANIMAL HYPERREALISM VOL III is a library containing sounds themed animal vocalisations, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 1700 individual sounds in 279 files.
METAMORPHOSIS is a huge collection of recorded source, synthesized material and hybrid sounds – more than 2300 sounds total.
GLACIER ICE is a library containing over 300 high quality sounds of ice cracking, breaking, shattering in various sizes of blocks – recorded entirely in the Italian Alps over the course of two winters.
POLARITY delivers more than 950 sounds of electricity, science and technology – captured in several locations around the world, from electricity museums to science labs.
ULTRASONIC DRY ICE is a library containing over 600 sounds themed metal resonances, scrapes and all sorts of weird.
ROCKS MOMENTUM gets you more than 1100 sounds of rocks, bricks, wood logs, stones, impacting on different surfaces, rolling, being scraped one against the other and so on. The library was recorded in the Italian alps, and in Inverness, Scotland.
WATER VOLUMES delivers you over 300 sounds of natural hot-springs, bubbles, and liquids of various densities boiling under the effect of dry ice.
METAL GROANS AND SLAMS is a library for which metal was kicked, hammered, bowed and… induced to vibrate through feedback loops?! The collection features 346 unique sounds recorded through field trips in US, UK and Italy.
CRUNCH MODE & THE BORAX EXPERIMENT are also included as a bonus: Crunch Mode features 230 crunchy sounds made with a variety of vegetables, fresh bread, pizza crust & frozen goods, and The Borax Experiment gets you 158 squishy, gory, slimy, gooey SFX.
15 %OFFEnds 1759874399 -
Bundles The Vault – The Ultimate RTSB Bundle Play Track 29683 sounds included, 2459 mins total $1,159
The whole 9 yards.
Comprised of 11 heavy hitting libraries, this bundle includes SEISMIC CORE, OVERKILL, 4 ELEMENTS, COLLISION, INTERACTIVE, SCI FI, GEARBOX, SORCERY, HERO, BROKEN, and MELEE. Save by bundling all ELEVEN in a single library.GEARBOX:
Boutique analog mechanical contraptions, steampunk gadgetry, gizmos and machines big and small.
SORCERY:
Spells, deflects, casts, blocks, beams, and more. Unrivaled wizardry at your fingertips.
BROKEN
Car crashes, explosions, crumbling buildings, earthquakes, ripping earth and metal, to debris, and more.
HERO:
HERO – Sword fights, stabbing, guillotines, impaling, battle cries, shields, drawbridges, armor, foley and more.
MELEE:
Punches, kicks, blocks, bodyfalls, grabs, slaps, bone breaks, blood splatters, and more.
SCI FI:
Spaceships, machines, mechanicals, weapons and more. Technologies exceeding your boldest visions of the future.
INTERACTIVE:
The ultimate Game UI SFX library including clicks, pops, whooshes, musical and tonal elements, and ready to use designs for every UI action and game style.
COLLISION:
The ultimate sound effects library for massive impact sounds. Stingers, crashes, hits, whooshes and fully designed impact effects.
4 ELEMENTS:
Harness the raw power of fire, water, earth, and air with over 3000 elemental sounds crafted for limitless creativity.
OVERKILL:
Unleash pure audio carnage with OVERKILL – a brutally detailed 5.7 GB sound library featuring 3390 hyperreal gore sound effects across 607 files.
SEISMIC CORE:
Unleash raw sonic power with SEISMIC CORE – a meticulously crafted 1.62 GB sound library featuring 548 impact-driven sound effects across 108 files.
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