The artists behind The Shape of Water discuss the creation of the sounds of the creature (nicknamed “Fishman” by the team), revealing that director Guillermo del Toro’s vocalizations became a key part of the sound of the creature’s breathing. They describe how the creature’s sound design evolves over the course of the film as he goes from being a potential threat to the romantic lead, and how the movie theater downstairs helps score the film.

Oscar nominees: Christian Cooke, Nelson Ferreira, Glen Gauthier, Nathan Robitaille, Brad Zoern

“[The creature] had to be the romantic lead. You’re asking a lot of the audience, to get them to be on board with this beautiful relationship that develops. I knew the best place to start is with human sounds [for him]. And so I started with my own voice, and then added animal sweeteners and then for a final pass, Guillermo gave us a breathing layer.” Nathan Robitaille

“It’s so much harder to mix something quiet, than to throw everything at it. It takes a lot of bravery to turn it down.” Brad Zoern