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Do Not Split, full documentary, created by Anders Hammer & Field of Vision
The Project
Director, Anders Hammer, teamed up with New York film company, Field of Vision, to create a documentary about the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, beginning in the summer of 2019. Flavorlab Sound was asked to provide sound design and mix for the documentary.
Goals & Process
The main goal of the documentary is to drop the viewer into the action so they can see what the protestors see. The documentary was filmed on the ground in Hong Kong. The team followed protestors around the city from event to event over the summer of 2019. Hammer sought to convey this movement with the hope it would engage viewers more than an average news report. The “on location” nature of it didn’t allow for a lot of shot testing or preparation, resulting in some muffled or distorted audio. For the most part, however, production sound was quite clear.
In post, sound engineer, Eric Stern, aimed to honor this “in the moment” perspective. In the mix, he valued authenticity above all else. “The mix involved smoothing that out, but I didn’t go crazy,” he explains. “I didn’t want to lose the reality of the moment.” With just one mic on the ground, not everything could be picked up, but Eric worked hard to highlight what was. He expanded the stereo field for the crowd sounds to put the viewer in the midst of it. For any explosions that had thinned out in recording, he boosted sub bass to give the audience the natural impact they might feel on the ground.
Results
The documentary achieves the desired chaos. The interviews are clear, while the environment is raw. Do Not Split premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. From there, it’s available online as part of CPH:DOX. More festival announcements to come. As of March 2021, Do Not Split has secured an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Short.
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