Nearly forty years ago the original Roots miniseries aired to unprecedented ratings and received numerous Primetime Emmy Awards. Now, the History Channel, along with A&E Networks and Lifetime, bring an updated re-imagining of the series to a new generation. The eight-part miniseries, which aired on the three networks earlier this month and is now available for streaming, has received its own critical acclaim in advance of this year's Emmys.
Technicolor supervising sound editor Gary Megregian, re-recording mixer Joseph Earle, and re-recording mixer Doug Andham worked out of Technicolor's sound facility at Paramount to create a soundscape for the miniseries that helps bring alive a unique, important era in history.
Below, Megregian discusses the sounds of the show and working with producer Karen Mayeda and the History Channel again after previously winning an Emmy for his sound work on Houdini:
What was special about Roots and how did you and the team help tell the story with sound? Megregian: First of all, I cant begin to explain how honored we all were to be a part of this project. Roots, while it was a mini-series, each night was a stand-alone feature. Four nights. Four Directors. Each with their own feel, tone, and story. You could watch only one night and get a sense of the big picture, but its not until watching Night 1 through Night 4 that you see how this is a story about family. The perseverance and will of each generation to not only push through the struggles but to carry on their story and be true to who they are and where they come from, passing their stories on to each future generation.
One way I think we helped tell Kunta Kinte's story was in the scene when he awoke in the slave hold in Night 1. He finds himself chained and alone in a foreign place. He's confused and terrified. I think his terror and confusion is amplified by the crescendo of sounds in the hold, the creaking ship, the pounding waves, chaos above deck, the anchor, and sails being raised.
What was it like working on a remake/re-imagining of a popular show from 1977 and did that influence your sound choices? Megregian: To be honest, its been over 20 years since I saw the original and I purposely didnt watch it again as I wanted to treat this as its own story and not be influenced by the original. With regard to sound choices, our team wanted to be as authentic as possible to the period and geography: from the wildlife and ambiences in Africa to the slave ships and firearms.
Were there any unconventional and/or unique sounds or approaches to mixing, and if so, are there specific scenes you can point to? Megregian: Starting with Night 1, in Kunta Kintes village and the jungles on the shores of the Gambia River (Kamby Bolongo) his world is teeming with life. Once his world is turned upside down and hes sold to the English, being robbed of his freedom there was a conscious decision on the mix stage to remove this life once in America. Originally, we had built John Wallers Farm with the sounds of birds in the forest and other wild life. It wasnt until we stripped this all out that we were transported into Kuntas space. Theres an oppressive and claustrophobic feeling to it.
After winning an Emmy for Houdini, another History Channel show, what was it like working with the network again? Megregian: Working with the network and producer Karen Mayeda again was a pleasure. On Houdini, I was part of Michael Benaventes Sound Effects Editorial team, which was a privilege. Walking away with an Emmy was the icing on the cake. Having been asked to supervise Roots was an honor and allowed me to collaborate with an amazing team, including Re-Recording mixers Joe Earle and Doug Andham, along with my talented colleagues at Technicolor. Im thankful for having had the opportunity to work on Roots, which was such a high caliber and important project.
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Nearly forty years ago the original Roots miniseries aired to unprecedented ratings and received numerous Primetime Emmy Awards. Now, the History Channel, along with A&E Networks and Lifetime, bring an updated re-imagining of the series to a new generation. The eight-part miniseries, which aired on the three networks earlier this month and is now available for streaming, has received its own critical acclaim in advance of this year's Emmys.
