Apple TV+’s Chief of War is a Hawaiian epic starring Jason Momoa. The eight-episode series tells of the unification and colonization of Hawaii at the turn of the 18th century. In addition to Momoa, the ensemble cast includes Luciane Buchanan, Temuera Morrison, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Cliff Curtis, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale‘o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka and Te Kohe Tuhaka.
The audio team behind the show included supervising sound editor Steffan Falesitch and re-recording mixers Josh Eckberg and Carlos Sanches. Falesitch, who grew up in Tahiti, brought an authentic Polynesian sensibility to the soundscape, capturing the wind, waves and paddles of a catamaran chase, as well as the raw intensity of volcanic battles.
Eckberg and Sanches, known for their work on The Mandalorian and
Westworld, were in charge of mixing the series’ soaring chants, brutal combat and eerie silences, making the Hawaiian landscape a living and breathing force. Their combined efforts helped to amplify Momoa’s performance as Ka‘iana, a royal navigating war and prophecy.
According to Sanches, the team received a call from Jackie Jones, senior VP, broadcast, at Formosa Group, to set up a meeting.
"We immediately felt there was a good vibe at Formosa and we were so grateful that Jackie had given us a shot at working with her there," he notes. "The show she had in mind for us was, of course, Chief of War. We were thrilled to be considered on such a high-profile show for Apple TV."
Sanches credits sound supervisor Steffan Falesitch with always having what was needed to mix on the stage.
"He also has a great system for change notes and conforms, which we used quite a bit, as the episodes had many last-minute changes," Sanches notes. "Our mix tech on Stage 2 was Brandon Olsberg, and we couldn't have gotten through these mixes without him. His attention to detail, schedule and updates were essential to the success of our mix days.”
Showrunner Doug Jung guided the team through the first episode to help set the tone and feel for the series.
"He really let us take the reins from there," says Sanches. "He trusted us to make good decisions and present them to the room, which really made us feel free to take some chances and come up with interesting ideas for how to sculpt the sound mix. We also collaborated heavily with the picture editors - Mark Yoshikawa and Yael Hersonski - to ensure we were matching the intended feel that they had created in their edit."
The mix provided a number of challenges. The dialogue, for example, was almost always recorded outdoors, either by the ocean or in a forest full of loud insects.
"Shane Hayes, our dialogue editor, did a great job with the initial cleanup of the tracks," says Sanches. "Then it was my task to mix the dialogue and make it clean and clear for the audience. Huge shout out to Ian Sampson of Hush Audio for his amazing plug-in Hush Pro. I was able to clean scenes that only a few years ago would have had to be redone with ADR. I also utilized Accentize DxRevive, Izotope RX, Supertone Clear and, of course, the workhorse of most dialogue mixers, Fabfilter ProQ4. I also never mix without my favorite de-esser of all time, Massey De:Esser. It just works! For reverbs, we use Boom Library’s Field and Spaces: Outdoor Impulse Responses for the majority of the outdoor scenes, along with Slapper 3 by The Cargo Cult. I feel like we were able to preserve the integrity of the production sound and enhance it. And while there are scenes that were challenging with the signal-to-noise ratio, I feel like it works and is audibly pleasant to listen to."
One of Sanches' favorite scenes is the He’eholua sled race in Episode 5 – a scene that he describes as a combination of musical score and sound effects.
"We spent hours and hours on just those few minutes, but we’re very satisfied with the balance and intensity that was achieved," he shares. "Originally, it was a longer sequence, but it was cut down a bit to feel more visceral. I hope someday they release the original longer version."
He also points to the score from Hans Zimmer and James Everingham.
"The tracks sound huge and full. They delivered 5.1 stems that I then upmixed to Dolby Atmos using Spanner and a set of reverbs by Cinematic Rooms, Phoenix Verb and ReVibe II.”
Sanches likes to move certain elements through the surround speakers of a scene.
“I can create a feeling of tension or intrigue by moving some hand percussion from the front to the back of the room,” he explains. “Or the feeling of disorientation by moving the woodwinds quickly around in a circle and then settle back in the front. Usually these moves are imperceptible to the audience, but can create moods and feelings that serve the story. The score itself, of course, is beautiful, and does the majority of the heavy lifting on its own. I just love to give it a bit more depth and nuance if I can."
Chief of War had been in post for some time before Eckberg and Sanches were brough onboard, giving them the unique advantage of being able to watch the entire season before that had to mix a single episode.
"Understanding where the story was heading as well as the arcs of the major characters was extremely useful in helping to create a sonic landscape that reinforced the emotion and intention of every scene,” Eckberg shares.
Eckberg had an initial call with effects editor Alex Nomick to discuss how they wanted the main locations to feel, what kind of elements they would need, and how those locations might change over the course of the season.
"The arc for King Kahekili - played masterfully by Temuera Morrison - was probably the most fun we had with atmospheric elements," says Eckberg "Initially, his scenes are immersed in the pleasing natural sounds provided by Hawaii. A noble King in balance with his world. As he succumbs to his ambition for power, the soundscape shifts to colder, harsher and more desolate environments. We also used a lot of the ‘Alalā (Hawaiian Crow) when he was onscreen. Its distinctive call contrasts nicely with the song birds we hear elsewhere. Kahekili’s sonic arc climaxes in a scene where he desecrates a sacred burial site and we were able to have fun with creepy, supernatural elements, moans and whispers to create a chaotic hellish feel."
The team was very cognizant of the series’ time period and island locations. Materials used for weapons and in daily life, as well as the animals and birds, are as accurate as possible.
"Some birds you’ll only hear on certain islands or at certain elevations on an island," says Eckberg. "I’ve been to Hawaii many times and the Zebra Dove is one of my favorite sounds there. Unfortunately, they weren’t in Hawaii at the time, and many of our Hawaiian background recordings had Zebra Doves baked in, so we had to use Izotope to strip them out."
Additional tools used on Chief of War include Fab Filter Pro Q 3, Avid Pro Compressor and Spiff, which was used on Foley as needed.
"Reverb wise, I also used the Boom Library’s Field and Spaces, in conjunction with Altiverb XL," says Eckberg. "I also used a lot of Slapper, Stratus 3D and Cinematic Rooms. I also couldn’t have mixed the show without Spanner, which I have on every one of my pre-dubs and busses, allowing me to pan entire environments and FX builds as one."
Chief of War was mixed in 7.1.4 home theater Atmos format.
"I’d mixed in this format several times before, but this was the first time I mixed internally on my rig in 7.1.4," says Eckberg. "Each of my three stems - effects, Foley and backgrounds - had four static objects, and I sent the overheads from my internal mix to them with the remaining 7.1 going into the beds. So, instead of automating objects on and off, or having dedicated object tracks, I was freed up to pan anything anywhere at any time. Immersion without limits."
Like Sanches, Eckberg also points to the He’eholua sequence in Episode 5 as a sonic highlight, as well as the end of Episode 7 and “The Day of Spilled Brains.”
"It’s an incredibly emotional and gut-wrenching sequence pitting the cannons of a sailing ship against an unarmed peaceful village," Eckberg shares. "Our challenge was to create immersion, clarity, and most of all emotion in what could have been just a massive wall of sound. In essence, we had to act like sonic focus pullers, informing the audience where to look and when. But that only works by stripping out anything that isn’t essential beat by beat."