Phonak in-ear monitors used in La La Land

Sound mixer, Steve Morrow and his colleagues Andy Nelson and Ai-Ling Lee have been talking about the logistical and audio challenge of La La Land which had actors switching effortlessly between songs and dialogue, often in a single take, through the use of the in-ear monitors from Phonak.

“The idea behind La La Land is that you have these big sweeping long takes where they sing and they dance, and there’s a scene beforehand. All those pieces have to come together, because that’s what [director] Damien Chazelle wanted – that feel that these aren’t hand doubles playing a piano, this is actually Ryan Gosling playing the piano, or this is Emma Stone and Ryan singing and dancing,” says Morrow.

“The overall guidance from our director to the sound apartment was, hey I want to be ready to do any of these scenes live at any time. Which is a challenge of itself, but it’s also a welcome challenge,” he adds.

During his interview Morrow provided multiple examples of how the in-ear monitors were used throughout the film, mainly by the actress Emma Stone. One of the key scenes in the film has Stone singing the song ‘Audition.’ “The idea wasn’t to have a playback track so that she could sing along to it. Justin [Hurwitz, composer] was going to be on his electronic piano off-set, and his goal was to play along with her, not that she sings along with him – so she’ll drive the speed of his music.

“We put the earpiece in, and as always it’s basically a flawless system. It was one of the bigger songs in the film, and one of the more impactful moments, because the music was able to play along to her singing. It was a live performance by both of them,” he adds.

The Phonak in-ear monitors were also used to provide more subtle cues to the actors. In a restaurant scene, Stone’s character is dining with a boyfriend and two others, when she has her memory jogged by a song playing in the background, which prompts her to run off. “In the scene we had Justin Hurwitz, our composer, off to the side on his digital piano. We’re recording the track, and then feeding it to Emma Stone in an earpiece. And she was the only one at the table that had an earpiece,” says Morrow.

Morrow said of the in-ear monitors, “The quality is great, the battery life is great on it, and they just work.” He has been using them since 2001, “I have 10 Phonak earpieces in the cart, so they’re always just there and ready.” This was a key aspect of the products for the sound mixing team during La La Land as the director would often want to do the scenes live at any time.

Phonak launched their latest in-ear monitors in 2016. The Roger earpiece is described by Phonak as, ‘ideal for people working in broadcasting and show business, who rely on seamless communication with directors, producers, and sound technicians.’ This certainly seems true for the award-winning La La Land team if actors, directors and sound team.