My role in the production included working as a boom operator and mixer on set. Additionally, I created sound design for various parts of the film.
Synopsis
“ORATIO” is about an elderly man named Erik. Erik lives alone in a small house in the countryside. He suffers from dementia, which leads him astray. We follow him as he receives a visit from his home caregiver, Mette, while he writes a letter to his wife, Solveig. We also see that his mundane daily tasks are challenged by his fragmented perception of reality. Writing is crucial for Erik. It’s his anchor, keeping his memories alive.
At the beginning of the film, we see Erik’s world from an outsider’s perspective, as observers. This changes when we reach the turning point of the story, after which we experience the rest of the film from his perspective.
In a moment deeply affected by dementia, Erik forgets where he placed his papers and accuses the caregiver of taking them, fearing the loss of his memories. This leads to a rage episode, where he turns his house upside down.
During one of these episodes, he places the papers in his car. After this episode, he has a moment of clarity where he is lured to his car. He gets in and realizes he left the papers there. This is a monumental release for Erik as the text to Solveig preserves memories from a time when she was still alive.
First day on set recording on a big windy field.
Sound mixer / Boom operator on set
My work on set evolved getting the best sound possible from the actors and the environment. For all scenes I placed a placement microphone on a spot to get a sense of originality and real sound from set. Additionally, this created a good starting point for our work in post-production.
All actors were miked up with Wisycom lavelier omni microphones that I hid under their shirt or wherever suited the situation the best.
In one scene the protagonist sits at a table with his back turned at the camera. He’s wearing a white tanktop and I couldn’t place the laverier as you normally would under his shirt. So I had to stick the microphone to the table he was sitting at and place the transmitter in a small drawer in the table.
Considerations
One thing I learned as a sound mixer and boom operator on set was to be creative and to find solutions. The most important thing is that the sound is captured and sounds good so you have to be creative to make that happen.
It was a really exiting and fun project to work on with a lot of possibilities to grow and learn.
