A COLLABORATIVE POST
WRITTEN BY BOOM BOX POST

It’s already that time of the year again! Judging for the 4th Children’s and Family Emmy Awards has commenced. Boom Box Post was fortunate enough to submit 9 projects for consideration this year! We’re extremely proud of our sound work on these series and would love to share them with you. Below you’ll find our highlights and a first look at some of our favorites.

Highlights from Our Submissions

Playdate with winnie the pooh

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING FOR A PRESCHOOL ANIMATED PROGRAM

  • Supervising Sound Editor: Kate Finan, MPSE CAS

  • Re-recording Mixers: Kate Finan, MPSE CAS, Jayson Niner

  • Sound Effects Editor: Noah Kowalski

  • Foley Editor: Kylina Aliotti

  • Dialogue Editor: Logan Romjue, MPSE

Playdate with Winnie the Pooh is a wonderfully joyful series which demands creativity and attention-to-detail from our sound team. For this episode, we wanted the car to sound as if it was a conscious being, with lots of personality. To accomplish this, we designed zippy revs by combining servos from toys and appliances, pitching them up, and combining them with classic RC car sounds. It’s evident how playful the car sounds from the start, but it really comes to life when it flies through the obstacle course.

We also got to play with sonic humor in this episode, by parroting the car’s movements on Pooh’s actions when he’s struggling with the honey pot. We added silly slide whistles to highlight his spin and we also mimic the car’s flip when Pooh falls on his bum. One final sonic element of note is the lush forest atmosphere. We layered peaceful birds, charming insects, cuckoo calls, and gentle leaves rustling in the breeze to create a beautiful sounding environment which perfectly compliments the stunning visuals.

Mixing all of these fun and quirky design moments with a seriously catchy song was a challenge and a treat. We tried to create the perfect balance of both to accentuate the adorableness of the story and its characters.

Watch the episode:

Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING FOR AN ANIMATED PROGRAM

  • Supervising Sound Editor: Brad Meyer, MPSE

  • Re-recording Mixers: Kate Finan, MPSE CAS, Jacob Cook, MPSE CAS

  • Sound Effects Editors: Jayson Niner, Mia Perfetti

  • Foley Editor: Carol Ma, MPSE

  • Dialogue Editor: Logan Romjue, MPSE

In Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 2D animated spinoff series from the 2023 TMNT: Mutant Mahem movie, the pacing and intensity of the soundscape is what draws you in. The goal is to create the feeling of motion and weight, while maintaining a sense of focus amongst the crazy visuals and plot points. It was key for the sounds to stay crisp and succinct while being impactful and hard hitting. This series has a hyper-stylized, almost anime tone, mixed with elements of punk rock and a hip-hop aesthetics. We sonically emulated this using retro anime elements, guitar squeals and amp feedback, as well as turntable backspins and scratches. Check out the fight scene on the yacht to see this aesthetic and editorial style in action!

In the mix, we were tasked with balancing the amazingly detailed sound design elements in quick-paced action sequences with a driving punk rock score. Keeping the elements distinct and the dialogue crisp and clear while balancing distorted guitars and robust drums was a challenge at times. But, we looked to the story to dictate which elements should help to orient the audience. During fight scenes, we highlighted each important hit to help track which characters were on top, and we let the music propel us forward. In moments of comedy, the dialogue came to the forefront. Together, it became a bombastic and quirky end product, perfectly fitting into the tutle-verse.

We want to give a thank you to Nickelodeon for letting us be a part of the team! We truly loved working on this series.

Check out the fight scene:

No Time To Spy: A Loud House Movie

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING FOR AN ANIMATED PROGRAM

  • Supervising Sound Editor: Tess Fournier, MPSE

  • Re-recording Mixers: Jeff Shiffman, MPSE CAS, Jacob Cook, CAS MPSE, Jayson Niner

  • Sound Effects Editors: Natalia Saavedre Brychy, MPSE, Myung Soo Kay, Mia Perfetti

  • Foley Editor: Carol Ma, MPSE

  • Dialogue Editor: Logan Romjue, MPSE

This awesome spy movie challenged our team with comedic, thrilling action scenes, unique high-tech vehicles, and quick-cut fight scenes. We used a hyperrealistic approach for the fight scenes to make them visceral, yet over-the-top, so they sounded violent and cool but still kid-friendly. Snappy punches and hefty impacts proved the perfect combination to reflect Myrtle’s superior fight skills, and whip-like whooshes supported her speed.

We looked to story to dictate the direction for our vehicle designs. In the big Dune Buggy chase scene, we layered various race car recordings with electric whirs and turbines  to create a sense of urgency and danger. We designed the henchmen’s vehicles to feel evil and angry, with throaty revving engine sounds, while the Loud’s dune buggy utilized higher pitched accelerations, creating a zippy electric vehicle that is speedy enough to be affective, yet still sounds benevolent to support the Loud Family’s character.

For the mix, we wanted highlight all of this amazing sound design while also featuring the incredible original score. Balancing the many action scenes - filled with both sound design and driving music - proved to be a great challenge. Additionally, since the movie was stepped up visually (as compared to the series) with epic, detailed sets and a much bigger scope, we wanted to do the same with our mix choices, playing around with space using creative reverb choices to really sell the scale.

Overall, we successfully elevated the sound of the series with action-packed sound design and cinematic mix choices worthy of this epic spy feature!

A big shoutout to Nickelodeon for letting us be a part of this awesome movie! Check out the trailer:

Max and the midknights

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING FOR AN ANIMATED PROGRAM

  • Supervising Sound Editor: Brad Meyer, MPSE

  • Re-recording Mixers: Jeff Shiffman, MPSE CAS

  • Sound Effects Editors: Ryan Gegenheimer

  • Foley Editor: Carol Ma, MPSE

  • Dialogue Editor: Logan Romjue, MPSE

Max and the Midknights is a high-octane, action-packed epic, as seen (and heard) in the opening scene, kicking things off with a brutal dragon attack!The menacing vocals of the dragon, combined with its heavy movements and fire-breathing, create the feeling of an imminent and dangerous threat. The intense action is beefed up with plenty of custom whooshes and low-end sweeteners, as well as bespoke dragon vocals for emotion and performance. Custom recorded vocals help provide the backdrop of panicking townspeople. We also used sounds like hysterical barn animals running through the streets to put the chaos of the scene over the top. 

Season-wide, you’ll hear the sounds of everything from custom-designed magic and time travel sound effects, to creatures and monsters of all kinds and entirely different worlds in far off lands.

A re-recording mixer’s dream, the opening sequence presented opportunities for very creative use of reverb to build out the space and scale. Though this is no one-off task. Throughout each episode of the series, mix challenges abound. We approach each scene with care on the mix stage, balancing the rapid-fire dialogue, beautifully epic score and extremely detailed sound design in a way that best suits the story. It’s unusual to get to mix a children’s series that is at it’s core a Tolkein-level epic, cut into 22 minute chunks; but that’s exactly the challenge we get with Max and the Midknights! The work is difficult in the best way, and ultimately unbelievably rewarding.

We are very proud of our work on this series!! A big shoutout to Nickelodeon for letting us be a part of this awesome show!

Check out the series premiere below:

More of our cafe submissions:

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING FOR A PRESCHOOL ANIMATED PROGRAM:

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING FOR AN ANIMATED PROGRAM

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