Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) is the most powerful Marvel superhero of them all. She has laser eyes, can fly through space without a spacesuit, and can blast energy from her fists like missiles or from her whole body like a detonated bomb. She has super-strength (she can punch a plane out of the sky!), is more nimble than a monkey, and has a fun, likable personality. Superhuman indeed.
Christopher Boyes, out of Skywalker Sound, was supervising sound designer/re-recording mixer; he shared sound supervision duties with Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and shared mixing duties with re-recording mixer Lora Hirschberg (dialog/music). Together, they were able to blend music and sound design fluidly for sequences large and small.
For instance, early on in the film “Vers” (what Captain Marvel was originally called by the Kree) meets with the Supreme Intelligence inside a virtual space. Here the sparse, yet pulsing score allows room for the synthy, whooshy effects of planets that are materializing and flying past. They mesh so well that it’s hard to distinguish between them.
Later in the film, in the same virtual space, Vers takes on the Supreme Intelligence. The soaring score reflects the power that Vers is finding within herself as she breaks free from the Kree and transforms into Captain Marvel. Her struggle against the Supreme Intelligence’s wave of energy causes the virtual world to crumble and fall around her.
The design and music are massive sonic elements, but they don’t conflict; each has its own space in the mix. Boyes says that he and Hirschberg “work pretty synergistically and have this ability to communicate without really talking about what we’re each doing and what the other needs to do in return.” That certainly shines through in this complex yet cohesive soundtrack.
Boyes had some super-talented help on the sound design side: Gary Rydstrom, Dave Acord, David Farmer, Nia Hansen, Kyrsten Mate, Al Nelson, David Hughes, and Shannon Mills. They all pitched in to create that key moment when Captain Marvel realizes the full potential of her powers and becomes unstoppable.
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Movie Studio: Disney/Marvel
Re-Recording Mixers: Christopher Boyes, Lora Hirschberg
Supervising Sound Editor: Christopher Boyes, Gwendolyn Yates
Sound Designer: Gary Rydstrom, Dave Acord, David Farmer, Nia Hansen, Kyrsten Mate, Al Nelson, David Hughes, Shannon Mills
Sound Effects Editors: Kimberly Patrick, J.R. Grubbs, Dee Selby, Teresa Eckton, Lucas Miller
Foley: Janna Vance, artist, Ronnie Brown, artist, Geoff Vaughan, artist, Blake Collins, Foley mixer, Qianbaihui Yang, Foley supervisor
Composer: Pinar Toprak
Music Supervisor: Dave Jordan
