The sound of “Sinners” is bold, immersive, and essential to the film’s emotional power — a standout achievement that has earned the film a spot on the shortlist for Best Sound at this year’s upcoming Academy Awards®. We’re joined by re-recording mixer and sound designer Steve Boeddeker, supervising sound editor Benny Burtt, re-recording mixer Brandon Proctor, and production sound mixer Chris Welcker to break down how they layered music, dialogue, and sound design to shape the film’s mood, rhythm, and storytelling, including that incredible sequence conjuring musical spirits from the past and the future.

“This comes back to Ryan being bold and taking big swings. From the effects standpoint, this was obviously a big music moment, so we were doing whatever we could to not mess it up. We started by being very specific with anything we cut, and anything we cut, we cut in rhythm with the music… And then Ryan really just wanted to be in Sammy’s head, so it ended up being effects getting out of the way almost entirely, with just a few moments standing out.”

—Benny Burtt, Supervising Sound Editor, “Sinners”

Be sure to check out “Sinners,” now streaming on HBO Max, in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®.

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