Dolby Creator Talks

WandaVision — A Totally Different Kind of Marvel Series

August 20, 2021

WandaVision was a breakout hit this past year, and it appropriately has a whopping 23 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, and more for Writing, Acting, Directing, and a couple of well-deserved nods in the Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories. And if you've seen the series, it should be clear why — this show mixes stylistic formats in some truly bizarre, but also satisfying, ways. At times it harkens back to the sitcoms of yesteryear — even filming part of an episode live in front of a studio audience, in order to capture an authentic laugh track — and other times like what one would expect from a series taking place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So how did the sound team pull all these disparate stylistic elements into such a cohesive and satisfying amalgamation? Well, we sat down with them to ask exactly that.

After I was able to sit down and watch all the episodes, we had a really exciting conversation. Because all of us — combined — we've worked on a fair amount of Marvel features. And we were just so excited to have the opportunity to make it sound a little bit differently than what we would automatically think that direction that Marvel [typically] goes. I remember watching it like a month out before the mix and it just sparked my excitement so much. And I went back and I binged 'Dick Van Dyke' and 'Mary Tyler Moore' and 'Brady Bunch.' And then we started mapping out how things were going to sound, and how they were going to change, throughout the series.

Danielle Dupre, Re-recording Mixer, "WandaVision"

Joining us this week is Danielle Dupre, Re-Recording Mixer and Dialogue Editor (and Daytime Emmy Winner); Kim Foscato, Supervising Sound Editor (and previous Primetime Emmy winner); Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Supervising Sound Editor and Dialogue Supervisor; and Steve Orlando, Sound Designer. You can check out all of WandaVision right now on Disney+. Please subscribe to Sound + Image Lab: The Dolby Institute Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out the video for this episode. Learn more about the Dolby Institute and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

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