Jack Whittaker and Michael Minkler were the co-supervising sound editors on Apple TV+'s Masters of the Air series. Both are Emmy nominated in the "Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Or Anthology Series, Movie Or Special" category, while Minkler is also part of the team nominated for "Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie."
Whittaker came onboard the project in early 2021, after Minkler asked him to join the show. Minkler's been a long-time collaborator with the Playtone group and was looking for a co-supervisor to head up the project. Whittaker was very excited for the opportunity.
Masters of the Air is the true story of the US AirForce’s 100th Bomb Group and their missions to stop Hitler’s invasion of Europe. At the heart of the brief was authenticity, realism and drama, and producer Gary Goetzman would emphasized the "more storytelling" angle.
Photo (L-R) Whittaker and Minkler
Whittaker and Minkler supervised the show together.
"We shared the creative duties, and Jack leads the sound editorial aspects of the show," the pair recall. "Mike was also the DX & MX re-recording mixer, alongside Duncan McRae on FX, so between all those disciplines, we had the whole project covered."
Avid Pro Tools served as the heart of their workflow.
"The ability to scale on shows like this is very important, so having a system that we can quickly add editors onto is great," notes the team. "The behind the scenes infrastructure of Formosa was also a massive advantage. We were able to utilize the know-how and expertise of our company to respond to the needs of the show. Whether that was shooting ADR in Santa Monica and Hollywood whilst reviewing sound design with clients on a stage in North Hollywood, or final mixing at our stage on The Lot. The world class facilities really helped the creative process.:
The supervisors point to the air sequence of Episode 5 as one of the series' highlights.
"This episode really took the viewer into the world of 100th Bomb Group," they note. "It encompassed the entire range of emotions that the flight crew experienced on their mission to Münster. The sequence is over 20-minutes long, so it was both a beauty and a beast to design! From the trepidation of take-off and what lay ahead, to the sheer terror the crew's experience as they’re bombarded by flack and attacked by hundreds of German Messerschmitts. The scene culminates in the ultimate fight for survival, as Rosie’s plane tries to make it home, running on only three engines and a completely bullet-ridden aircraft. This scene truly embodied the spirit of these men and the sound design was integral in bringing their incredible bravery to life."
VFX imagery courtesy of Dneg.