From the futuristic Batmobile in The Dark Knight trilogy to the reverse-entropy car chase in Tenet and the period-accurate vehicles in films like Oppenheimer, Richard King has been responsible for some of the most masterful vehicle sound effects in modern cinema.
In this video, King shares his approach to recording cars on location, working with stunt drivers to capture specific maneuvers, and covering all of the other sounds he might need in the editing suite.
0:00 - Recording on Location
For any film that heavily features cars, King prefers to record the specific maneuvers being shown on-screen. However, vehicle libraries are still an important part of his workflow.
“It’s preferable to start with a sound that works, and then if you want to amp it up even more, you have the latitude to do that,” he says. “But also, I’ve done films with cars where we’ve just used the library effects. If it's not a car-intensive movie, [...] library material is great for that, and we rely on it a lot.”
For King, recording original sound effects is most important for films that feature very specific vehicles or vehicles doing specific maneuvers. “It’s always great to have the closest thing to what you want to begin with, and then you can take it from there,” he says.
01:22 - Working with Stunt Drivers
Just like a screenwriter assembles words into paragraphs, paragraphs into scenes, and scenes into acts of a screenplay, “so too do we assemble sounds or design or create sounds in a very specific order, in a very specific structure, for a very specific length of time to achieve a certain narrative effect,” Mangini says.
02:13 - Directing Vehicle Shoots
For King, recording cars means a fun day out in the field. “It’s always great to see what you can do with mic’ing,” he says. “Each car kind of requires a slightly different approach as far as mic’ing.”
On location, King often acts as a director, working closely with the recordist and stunt driver to capture a list of specific sounds. “For me it’s about directing what I want,” says King. “I find that if I can concentrate on that and the recordist can concentrate on recording [...] that’s the most efficient way to do it.”
03:24 - Recording Extras
After capturing the most important driving maneuvers, King makes sure to cover any other car-related sounds he might need, including passbys, stops, accelerations, and interiors at various speeds.
These extras are essential for maintaining continuity when switching perspectives, but their utility doesn’t end there: all of these sounds can be re-used in future projects.
If you found this video enlightening, check out our blog and YouTube channel for more wisdom from world-renowned sound artists:
Explore our newest library from Richard King - King Collection: Vehicles Vol. 2
Many thanks to Mike James Gallagher for leading this interview! Mike is an Emmy-nominated sound effects editor & sound designer (Weird, Selena) and creator of INDEPTH Sound Design. Check out his work here: mikejamesgallagher.com