Post-production uncovered: Picture Shop on Sprint (Netflix)

Picture Shop’s London-based unscripted team provided full UHD HDR Dolby Vision Post Production with Atmos Audio for Box To Box’s Netflix docuseries Sprint. 

Sprint follows the lives of some of the fastest people on the planet both on and off the track as they prepare for the World Championships and Olympics. Broadcast Sport spoke to Box To Box’s head of sport and factual Warren Smith, and series director Phil Turner about the production this month.

The Picture Shop team was made up of colourist Will Coker, online editors Jason Chambers and Stef Henley, DI assistants Max Marshall and Richard Nicholson, re-recording mixer Steve Speed with sound designers Tom Maclellan, James Spooner, Jason Pinches and Picture Shop producers Milena Cave and Oli Stedman.

In early discussions of Sprint, Coker worked with series co-executive producer Suemay Oran and series editor Jamie Seal, envisioning the show to have a warm impactful style, and referencing the vibrant colour tones and tobacco stained skies from director Michael Bay’s films and similar blockbusters. After some development they settled on an energetic look that flourished with colour, accentuating the warmer tones, and leaning into the yellows and greens of the image.

“Ultimately, our aim with the look was to help fully represent the colourful, big talking characters that dominate the screen, and highlight the intensity of the training and races. Lots of the races and training takes place in the early evening which we really lent into, pumping up the magic hour feel of these sections,” said Coker.

The nature of the show meant that Coker was often dealing with multiple camera sources, all of varying quality. This involved making sure all the footage worked together and did not jar visually whilst still retaining the look of the show.  A lot of time was spent working on the footage, especially during races when the edit often used footage from the tv broadcasts, using a range of techniques to create a more fluid viewing experience.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have worked across several different series with Box to Box and for Sprint I specifically collaborated with Suemay [Oran] and Jamie [Seal], who are always a pleasure to work with,” said Coker.

Meanwhile, Seal and Speed talked broadly through the vision for the series, as well as the key areas where sound could play a big part.

Having watched a pre-locked cut, Speed’s focus early on was to identify how and where to bring the stories to life. Where to respect those moments within the edits which required a more observational and intimate touch in the mix, and where, by contrast, to create a sound mix that would give the emotional impact and energy needed in the high drama moments.

“We have a great relationship with Box To Box Films, having worked on many projects with them, and there is now an immediate creative intuition that springs from that. There is a mutual understanding of how to enhance the storytelling and their edits, through our work in sound in the best way possible,” said Speed.

Before Speed’s work began at the mix stage, himself and sound effects editor Spooner discussed in detail the different effects elements they would need to enhance the various scenes within each episode. For example, the crowd and spectator effects and atmosphere they needed to source to bring the stadiums to life. Mixing in Dolby Atmos was the perfect format to mix a series where the camera and audience viewpoint is on the track, level with the action, with the crowd rising all around the viewer.

It also was important to carefully build the soundscapes for the other scenes, which in turn would heighten the bigger moments. An extensive amount of work was put into mixing the scenes where the athletes are training, and for the intimate moments between the sprinters and their coaches. The effects were panned and moved around the Dolby Atmos space extensively and in detail, to create movement and energy.

Sync and spot effects were used to add as much detail as possible whilst reverbs were added by Speed in the mix to place PA announcements both inside and outside of the stadium arenas.

During the mix a lot of work went in to finessing the timings and balance of the music and musical effects cues, to create energy and to carve out the space needed to allow all the other effects and sound design elements to have the impact desired.

“The music in the series, mostly library actually, is fantastic throughout, and has a fantastic personality of its own,” said Speed.

“Although the turnaround time was incredibly tight, the aim of doing so much work in the mix, was in this case to create a soundscape that felt cinematic and exhilarating. But that amount of work also then allows the client in the sign-off, the time and clarity to make further notes and to share their vision for what each scene may need,” Speed commented.

A huge amount of work went into layering all the spot effects and ambiences at the sound effects edit and sound design stage. The sound team selected sound elements to heighten the energy and tension surrounding the races, whilst conveying the sense of occasion and adrenaline fueling the athletes. As the crowd murmurs in anticipation, the athletes prepare to race, they hear the creak of the starting blocks and their slow exhales. The loud bang of the starting gun fires and the crowd roars as the athletes take off. The sound effects work was crafted to complement the high energy music while also conveying the larger-than-life personalities of the athletes.

“Working closely with series editor Jamie Seal and series co-executive producer Suemay Oram was really terrific, and this series from Box To Box Films will make you fall in love with these incredible athletes in a way in which you won’t expect”, concluded Speed.

Tom Rogers, director of post production at Box to Box Films, said: “The schedule and creative ambition for Sprint were particularly challenging, meaning we needed to partner with a post production team that instinctively know what we need. Our long term relationship with the creative and production teams at Picture Shop have led to an instinctive and incredibly collaborative creative process, even when restricted by our schedule. We’re delighted with the finished series, and could not have done it without the support of the entire Picture Shop team.”