Writer-director Frank Berry’s (I Used to Live Here, Ballymun Lullaby) latest film, Michael Inside delivers a complex soundscape that uses dialogue perspective, sound effects, and layered backgrounds to mirror the main character’s descent into prison life. From the cacophonous horns, barking dogs, and accusatory Gardaí of his housing estate, to the audible scrum of prison life, sound is a threat that follows 18-year-old Michael McCrea (Dafhyd Flynn) everywhere.
Michael, who, but for a few unwise choices, could easily wind up just another hardworking lad from Dublin’s north side, seems, from a sound point of view, destined for a downward spiral. School is loud, home is loud, people want things from him, and there is rarely a moment when someone isn’t telling him what he should be doing, or what he’s done wrong (“You should have moved the stuff”, etc.) So it’s not really a surprise when he’s caught with the “stuff” (drugs), and sentenced to three months in prison. As a result, we, the audience, are somewhat prepared for the coming auditory assault.
Location sound mixer, Peter Nicell admits to starting every job wondering, “Can I pull it off”. But he says the Michael Inside location recce (scout), which revealed cramped spaces, parallel walls, and hard surfaces, left him thinking “Oh, my God”. But, his love for the project, and his work ethic (which involves extensive pre-production planning), led him to embrace the challenges, work with producer Donna Eperon to assemble the best possible equipment package for the shoot, and hire boom operator Chris Carroll, whom Nicell credits with hard work and a complimentary working style, which made for a powerful on-set team.
Given director Frank Berry’s documentary-like approach to the film (with scenes often covered from only one angle, etc.), Nicell and Carroll found themselves often double booming, and “chopping and changing” radio mics. (switching a limited number of radio microphones between actors) to ensure the depth of coverage necessary to achieve Berry’s vision for the film.
Despite the comparatively minimal visual coverage, Michel Inside has a rich multi-layered audio perspective that gives a sense of extensive coverage. Even when we can’t see characters, we often hear them. And, in fact, director Berry uses off-screen sound (most often dialogue, but occasionally sound effects) to motivate a visual cut to previously unseen characters, or pull focus from Michael in the foreground to others talking in the background. The effect is powerful, and works to make viewers literally lean in to listen to the story, wanting to know who is talking, almost anticipating the coming cut or shift in focus.
Sound on Film
Michael Inside
With Glenn Kaufmann
100 CinÉireann / January 2018