This is whos winning.
But youre never hearing the sound of the sport like youre there.
So, we wanted to take that approach.
‘Unseen Olympian’Shawscope
We wanted to accent the different bits that make these sports unique, that the athletes are hearing themselves.
Standing next to it, it sounds like a rocket ship kind of thing.
The soundscape ofUnseen Olympiadwas created independently of the footage, again lending to the subjective feel.
(L-R) Sound designer/sound mixer Spencer Poole, producer Kelly Dawkins and director Casey Shaw participate in a Q&A for ‘Unseen Olympiad’Matthew Carey/Deadline
We shot no sync sound at all.
There was nothing, no time code, sound designer/mixer Poole explained at the Q&A.
Everything that was captured in the moment was captured separately from the video.
Poole cited the example of table tennis footage in the documentary.
Its the only sound you hear, its the only feeling and emotion that you feel in that moment.
The film is narrated in an essay-like style, alternating between portions in English and Chinese.
It was paramount to have cultural consultancy along the way.
So, weve had three main Chinese cultural consultants, but also a fourth at times.
It had to be the case.
That, to me, for my work is not acceptable.
Shaw emphasizes he has no issue with NBCUniversals approach to covering the Olympic Games.
But for a different view, an athlete-centric one, there is his film.
Truly, we deserve to have both, he said.
