New York Film Academy (NYFA) Sound Instructor Daniel Abrusci was recently nominated for ‘Best Sound’ at the 45th Annual Suncoast Regional Emmy for his work on the documentary Earth Walker.
The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a nonprofit Florida corporation dedicated to excellence in television. The chapter offers the Regional EMMY® Awards called The Suncoast Regional EMMY® Awards to television markets in regions across Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Puerto Rico.
The Awards ceremony will be held virtually on December 11th, which can be viewed live on the Suncoast Chapter’s website.
Daniel spoke with us about Earth Walker and the documentary’s nomination.
NYFA Sound Instructor and Sound Technical Expert, Daniel Abrusci (above)
New York Film Academy (NYFA): Can you tell us a little about Earth Walker?
Daniel Abrusci (DA): The Earth Walker is a documentary that was done in the middle of a pandemic. It talks about the journey to discover how COVID-19 has impacted many lives. This documentary uncovers how experts, families, and people from different cultures have been affected by telling their side of the story and how they reinvented themselves to survive the pandemic.
NYFA: How did you craft your approach to this project?
DA: I try my best to make every project unique. I do so by approaching the project specifically on whatever that project needs. To me, sound design is all about helping tell the story with sound. When working on documentaries, the approach is more organic, but a lot of times, you also get to play with sound design for specific parts, usually for slow-motion scenes and scenes where there might not be a lot of dialogue but some action by the character.
NYFA: What was the biggest technical sound challenge you faced while working on Earth Walker?
DA: The biggest technical challenge was getting talents into the studio for recording ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement which is the process of re-recording audio in a more controlled and quieter setting). Due to the fact that this was done mid-pandemic, setting up an ADR session became harder than usual due to the fact that there needed to be a lot of remote work. Thankfully, the recording was done in a very organic way, and with small crews, so most of the production audio was in very good shape.
NYFA: Can folks watch Earth Walker online? Will it be released to certain streaming channels/audiences?
DA: It will be available online, but nevertheless, the production company is in negotiation at the moment for streaming distribution.
Still from the documentary, Earth Walker
NYFA: What other projects are you currently working on?
DA: At the moment, I’m working on several short films. I feel like there’s a lot going on right now, and I love that feeling. In all aspects of production, on set, in post-production, there’s a lot of production going on, and that only means that our industry is growing faster and stronger than ever!
NYFA: What advice would you offer to the students at NYFA about working in sound for film?
DA: The best advice I can give is that sound is 50% of the film and your project will be as good as your weakest link. I think that sound-wise, students should make sure all elements of their production are taken care of. It all starts with production audio, you can have amazing sound designers and mixers, but if they don’t get good recordings to start with, they won’t be able to do much.
Make sure that you are recording properly (try always to use lavaliers and boom mics if possible), and make sure that all of your elements in post-production are there (for example, ambiances, foley, sound effects, and music).
If you do that and you have a well-balanced mix, the sound will always help tell the story and make it more engaging.
New York Film Academy congratulates Sound Instructor Daniel Abrusci in South Beach for his nomination and we have our fingers crossed as the film Earth Walker competes for ‘Best Sound.’ Be sure to check out the Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards Ceremony on December 11th.
Read more about Daniel and his work, including his work on Christmas Lights, a BBC Latin America segment, which won him a Gold Promax Award for outstanding achievement in sound design and mixing.