By Randi Altman

Nick Offord

Sony re-recording mixer Nick Offord has more than 75 credits under his belt, including work with directors Peter Berg, Lee Daniels, Deon Taylor, Michael Dinner and John Logan. He moves back and forth between episodics and film, including the TV dramas Dopesick, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Ray Donovan, 13 Reasons Why and Manhunt and the features Run, Black and Blue and Mile 22.

We spoke to Offord about his path to mixing, his process and some of his most recent work, which includes the period dramas The Offer (which he worked on at Deluxe in Hollywood) for Paramount+ and Pam & Tommy for Hulu.

How did you find your way to sound mixing?
I’ve always wanted to be involved in music in some capacity. My goal was to come to LA to mix records. When I started to research different career paths it hit me that I could mix music in movies. Once I had that revelation, my only focus was to get to LA and work my way into a mixing chair. I was fortunate enough to land in the “sound department mailroom” at Sony Pictures and worked my way up from there.

I know you work on films and episodics. How does your process change for each? More time for films?
The process is very different and, yes, for films we typically do have more time. We want to deliver the best-sounding show we can with whatever time frame we have. On shows like Pam & Tommy and The Offer, we had about four days per episode, which is a great schedule. On a TV show, we will sometimes mix simultaneously but be in different scenes so we can maximize our time. Once you have mixed an episode or two, you have a sense of what the overall series is going to sound like, so you can use that as a blueprint moving forward.

For a feature, you might have a temp mix as the blueprint, but there is generally more time to work through the material together. But I have been on some features where we need to mix very quickly, so it’s not always more time.

Do you typically mix dialogue? Music? Sound effects?
I primarily mix the dialogue and music; that’s what I love to do. When I started, I was in the effects chair, and after a few years, I transitioned over to the dialogue side. I still mix effects occasionally for both TV and film, and I really enjoy being on that side of the desk. I always feel like I’m learning something new when I bounce back and forth. It’s very important to be flexible and be able/willing to do both.

Can you describe the sound for The Offer? What did this show entail for you and your process?
There is a scene where Francis Ford Coppola is talking about the lighting of The Godfather and how the dark and light contrast is so important for the movie. I feel like we were able to achieve a similar idea for the soundtrack. The contrast between LA and New York — Hollywood and the mob. When we are in LA, everything has a very hustle-and-bustle feel. There is a buzz in Hollywood that we were trying to portray.

When it comes to New York, the city is very busy as well, but it’s different. It’s a little bit darker, colder, grittier. That helps play into the mobster world — very old-school Italian. The food, the wine, the music. It all created this environment that is a stark contrast to the Hollywood lifestyle our characters are used to.

What direction did you get from the director/showrunners?
Nikki Toscano and Russell Rothberg  — the executive producers on The Offer — were so incredible to work with. From our very first playback, we had such a great time together. There is a lot of information coming at you very quickly in this show, so one of the main focuses for all of us was to make sure you can understand all the dialogue very clearly. We had a great understanding of what they were looking for, so the notes were usually minor.

Did The Offer use any elements from the iconic Godfather films? Any nods to that work?
There are plenty of little nods to the movie throughout. I believe the only time we use actual elements from the original is when an audience is watching the final movie. The biggest tribute is in Episode 8. We used music and sound design to help the juxtaposition of two scenes cutting back and forth.

We wanted to bridge what is happening in the real world (murder of Joe Colombo) with what our characters are watching take place while they are filming Marlon Brando being gunned down. It’s such a powerful moment in the series and it pays homage to one of the most iconic scenes from the movie.

Pivoting to Pam & Tommy, can you describe your work on this show?
This show is a wild ride! I was handling all of the dialogue and music. It’s a very dynamic track; there is A LOT of music throughout. Matt Margeson composed such an interesting and unique score. My main focus is always dialogue and protecting the story. Secondly, I wanted to make sure all the music felt natural, especially in the first few episodes. The characters are in so many different locations, and I had to make sure every music cue had a smooth transition to the next while keeping the energy high.

In later episodes, the score becomes more of a lead. Matt was so clever in his score and how it followed the arc of the show, going from chunky tape sounds to modem and internet dial-up sounds and all the different themes in between. I wanted to make sure all of that would translate to the broadcast.

Both projects take place in the past. Did that play a role in the sound?
It did! We really enjoyed not having to mix in text messages to start (laughs). With The Offer being set in the ‘70s, we had the ability to explore sounds for all of the televisions, radios, speaker phones etc. We were looking for that “vintage tube” sound. Isa Summers’ score was extremely helpful in putting us into this timeframe as well. One of those scenes is when we are introduced to Bob Evans. The way that scene is scored is perfect for capturing his life on the Paramount lot. It really brings you into his world.

Pam & Tommy was very ‘90s. All the fantastic source music that was chosen for the show gives you such a fun nostalgic feeling. The sounds of the show follow the timeline of what is happening on-screen. In the beginning, we get a lot of analog, chunky tape sounds, then as we transition to the beginning of the internet era, and as I mentioned before, we introduce computers on dial-up internet and the sounds those used to make connecting to modems. For those who remember what it’s like to connect to a dial-up connection, hearing those sounds again will take you right back to those days.

Both are also based on real stories. I’m not sure that mattered in your work, but it’s interesting!
It is interesting! The Godfather forever changed how movies were made and distributed. As tragic as the Pam and Tommy scandal was, it changed pop culture forever. I’m so incredibly proud to have been able to work on both of these shows.

How do you typically start on a project?
I like to watch a cut of the show before we start, if possible. That really helps me understand what the showrunner or director is looking for. We usually have conversations with the sound supervisor to get an understanding of what everyone is looking for — or specifically not looking for — in the final mix.

Can you talk about your process on these two projects?
My process for both is very similar on the approach: protecting the dialogue and making sure we are supporting the story and performances on the screen. After that it’s finding the pocket of the show — where is the music going to live? Then we can start to create the worlds around our characters.

Nick Offord

Any challenges for either stick out?
We were still dealing with COVID protocols when we started Pam & Tommy. By this time everyone is used to working over Zoom with Sohonet’s ClearView, but it’s always better to have everyone in the room together bouncing ideas off of each other. In all honesty, both shows ended up going so smoothly. Everyone we worked with on both series seemed to mesh really well and be on the same page.

What console/software/gear did you use for The Offer and Pam & Tommy?
We mixed both shows on the Avid S6 console in Dolby Atmos. It was pretty bold with the score for Pam & Tommy in using Atmos to open things up and create some movement. In Pro Tools, I used iZotope RX for dialogue cleanup, and my primary EQ choice is the FabFilter Pro-Q 3.

Can you talk about other re-recording mixers you work with?
Ryan Collins and I have been mixing together for almost five years now. We have such a good rapport with each other, and that really helps when having to work quickly on these shows. I have a great feel for where he is going to take something, so I can mix something already having an idea of what he’s going to want to do. I know he does the same when it comes to what I am going to do with the dialogue and music.

Randi Altman is the founder and editor-in-chief of postPerspective. She has been covering production and post production for 25 years.