of the piano. And these two-channel mixes went from the mixer straight to camera.
Wardrop proudly points out that Battle had “never done sound for film before”. And given the constraints of the production, and the barebones crew’s limited inability to throw resources at location sound issues (lawn mowers, dogs, etc.), the sound is “quite good throughout the film”.
While Wardrop and his team did their best not to affect the “process” of the lessons, certain concessions had to be made. To allow for technical issues such as focus, framing, etc., some lessons were extended from 30 to 45 minutes. And, on occasion, he would interrupt a lesson for reasons of story. For example, in a typical lesson, teacher and student might labor over a given scale or musical phrase for most, or all, of a lesson. But during production, Wardrop might ask them to move on to another piece, or take a different approach.
“Score” & Post Production
Apart from the last track in the film, which was recorded by pianist Ben Murray in a studio, the music in the film is all played by the characters in the film during filming. Nothing was re-recorded after it was shot. In fact, the opening piece of music stands on its own so effectively that the audience hardly notices as it deftly pulls them into the first scene.
Wardrop admits to being something of a perfectionist in general, but, in a film that’s all about music, and, as with his other work, relies so heavily on dialogue, he confesses to maybe driving his crew a bit hard. But, it wasn’t just them. He worked hard all the way through the final mix to banish any dialogue inconsistencies. And the result is a film that sounds very good, does justice to students working at all levels of ability.
For those students that are clearly struggling, Wardrop honors their struggle, and makes it more real by capturing it honestly and cleanly, and not trying to pretty things up. He neither mocks their trials nor gets overly emotional about their successes. Overall, this gives the film a nice sense of realism, while still preserving bit of distance.
Ultimately, the quiet, nurturing relationships and personal struggles in Ken Wardrop’s Making the Grade are made all the more accessible by the director’s attention to details, both sonic and visual, and by his straightforward approach to his subject.
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What do you listen for, and what are you hearing?
Please address your questions, comments, or criticisms to [email protected].
COLUMN
CinÉireann / April 2018 67