The Sound of The Shape Of Water - Oscar Podcast

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