HBO The Idol: Sound Design & 5.1 Location Recording | Campera Media

Campera Media

FILM / ENTERTAINMENT

Sound design and 5.1 location recording
for the HBO series "The Idol".

For the HBO series "The Idol" we were trusted with a sound design part and with recording on location in 5.1: in 2022 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, at The Weeknd's live concert, where the series was also shot on the same day. Later came recorded walla and background voices, and during post-production Rahim Erbil sat in on the mixing sessions at times.

Rahim Erbil with the “The Idol” film crew pass, recorder and microphone on the floor of SoFi Stadium, fire and smoke at the stage behind him — SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, September 2022: Rahim Erbil with recorder, microphone and the “The Idol” film crew pass in front of the stage.

Client

HBO

Project

The Idol (series)

Our part

Sound design part, 5.1 set and location recording, walla, at times in the mixing sessions

Location

SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles

Year

2022

The challenge

One concert, one shoot,
one day.

The Weeknd played live at SoFi Stadium, and on the same day "The Idol" was shot there. A concert cannot be repeated: whatever happens in the stadium has to be captured right the first time.

At the same time, the recording later had to carry more than the stage in the series: the audience, the size of the venue, the space around the scene. That is why it was recorded in 5.1.

Why we recorded in 5.1.

A concert cannot be repeated. Five capsules record the space from five directions, and each hears the sound a moment earlier or later. Those differences later become the space around the scene: stage in front, audience all around.

Five capsules: L, C, R, Ls, Rs
Capsule the sound reaches first

A model. Our part on “The Idol”: 5.1 location recording at SoFi Stadium.

Our part

What we
contributed.

Our part on the day and in the series:

01

5.1 location recording in the stadium

Recording in 5.1 at the live concert so audience, venue and stage are available in space later on.

02

Set recording during the shoot

Set sound for the scenes shot at SoFi Stadium on the same day.

03

Sound design part

We handled one part of the sound design for the series.

04

Walla and background voices

For individual scenes, Rahim Erbil recorded sounds and voices for background and walla.

05

In the mixing sessions

During post-production, Rahim Erbil sat in on the mixing sessions for the series at times.

The result

Stadium atmosphere,
audible in the series.

"The Idol" premiered on HBO in 2023. Our 5.1 recordings from SoFi Stadium, our sound design part and the recorded walla and background voices are part of the sound of the series.

We were on site in the stadium, on set and backstage. Among others, Rahim Erbil met producer Mike Dean there.

Backstage at SoFi Stadium with Mike Dean, Rahim Erbil with a 5.1 microphone on a boom pole and a recorder — Backstage at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, September 2022: producer Mike Dean and Rahim Erbil with 5.1 microphone and recorder.

We still record at concerts and on location today, in Germany and internationally. More on the live recording and film sound and post-production pages.

Services used

Our expertise
for this project.

Sound design 5.1 location recording Set sound Live recording

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FAQ

Questions about location recording
and set sound.

A multi-channel recording on location or at an event that captures the space as well. Audience, venue and atmosphere are then available in a surround mix instead of only coming from the front.

Yes. As with "The Idol" at SoFi Stadium, we plan the recording to fit the schedule of both concert and shoot. More on the live recording page.

Yes. We travel to shoots and events for recordings, also outside Germany, as we did for "The Idol" in Los Angeles.

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