In this exclusive interview, Sound Designer WILL FILES talks about the beautiful cacophony of vintage sonic chaos in Jason Reitman’s SATURDAY NIGHT.

SYNOPSIS:  At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, SATURDAY NIGHT is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Reitman and Gil Kenan, SATURDAY NIGHT stars Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, and J.K. Simmons with Jon Batiste and Naomi McPherson.

2024 has been a big year for sound designer WILL FILES; and it’s not over yet!  In addition to his work on SATURDAY NIGHT, Will is also Supervising Sound Editor and Re-Recording Mixer on The Bikeriders starring Austin Butler and Sound Designer and Supervising Sound Editor on the emotionally exquisite period-piece White Bird starring Helen Mirren.  With a 20+ year career in sound, just put these three films together and you get a great sense of the depth and breadth of Will’s abilities.

Providing some tidbits on the sound of The Bikeriders and White Bird, Will then dives into the challenges of capturing the chaotic soundscape of  SATURDAY NIGHT, including recording up to 40 tracks with multiple microphones, the importance of authenticity, using real performances, and the acoustic signature of Studio 8H at Rockefeller Plaza.  With minimal ADR, they used a loop group of New York actors to fill background sounds. All of this detail lends itself to an immersive and historically accurate experience.

Digging in deeper, Will breaks it all down for us, honing in on:

• capturing the authentic sounds of the 1970s; recording on a lot of vintage 1970s equipment, like old phones, machinery, and other noisy devices, to create a library of authentic 1970s sounds; utilizing new software to sample the acoustic signature of Studio 8H at Rockefeller Plaza, where the original “Saturday Night Live” was filmed, thus allowing them to apply authentic studio ambiance to the entire soundtrack; bringing in a loop group of New York actors to record additional background sounds and off-stage activity, capturing the natural, gritty sounds of that era; using as much of the original production audio as possible, rather than relying on ADR to maintain the authenticity of the performances and environment.
• the key challenges in recording and integrating the complex soundscape included:  capturing the chaotic and layered nature of the film, with multiple actors speaking simultaneously, long takes, and a dynamic score; dealing with the fast-paced nature of working with director Jason Reitman who emphasized the importance of sound more than any of his previous films; transitioning seamlessly from his previous project (“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’)  while also prepping for SATURDAY NIGHT simultaneously; recreating the noisy environment of the past.
• the distinctive sounds of that era which were often louder and more analog compared to modern equipment
• integrating the diverse audio elements including multiple actors speaking simultaneously, live musical performances, and a dynamic score
• minimizing the need for ADR as Reitman preferred to use as much of the original production audio as possible which meant the team had to work diligently to salvage and integrate the on-set recordings, despite the complex and chaotic nature of the filming
• weaving all of these disparate audio elements together seamlessly was a significant challenge, requiring careful planning and execution
• and more!

TAKE A LISTEN. . .

by debbie elias, exclusive interview 10/02/2024

SATURDAY NIGHT is now in theatres.