New Starz Original Series

Set in 1715 , Black Sails is a new action drama for STARZ network. A dark gritty world of cutthroats, smugglers and thieves that features an international cast. Shot in Cape Town, South Africa on elaborate sets that includes the town of New Providence Island, the surrounding beaches, 2 water tanks and 2 large ships. Michael Bay is the executive producer and the bar was set high to achieve a theatrical experience not only in terms of visual aesthetic but also in the sound track. The show was mixed at Todd AO in 7.1 as well as the typical 5.1 and stereo formats for television.

Jonathan Steinberg the show co-creator and executive producer was insistent on the show sounding and feeling "real". His attention to detail and historical accuracy was our guiding principle. Great care was taken to create a rich, immersive and authentic soundscape. Many sounds were gathered and recorded specifically for the show, which gave us a great pallet to work from (everything from lantern creaks to ship sails to cannon fire).

Ben Cook spent several days in the keys (Florida) recording backgrounds....a lot of time in the Dry Tortugas which is about 70 miles from key West and 350 miles from the Bahamas.

Charles Maynes recorded specific muskets and cannons. Jeff Pitts scoured eBay for hemp rope and antique nautical pulleys which were assembled into a home brewed contraption and then recorded from several mic positions and in multi channel. Many days were spent on foley stages creating sounds that were libraried then used throughout the season. Second Unit sound crew also recorded many set props, doors and such...since almost all of the sets were practical buildings that were built on the back lot. ADR and Group ADR were primarily shot in the UK, the balance of the ADR was shot in the US, South Africa, and Australia.

424 Post:

Benjamin Cook: Supervising Sound Editor / Sound Designer

Sue Cahill: Dialogue Editor

Jeff Pitts: SFX Editor

Iain Eyre: UK ADR Supervisor

Tim Tuchrello: Assistant Sound Editor

Conrad Kuhne: Sound Mixer

Happy Feet Foley:

Brett Voss: Foley Mixer

Jeff Wilhoit: Foley Artist

James Moriana: Foley Artist

Onnalee Blank: Re-recording Mixer

Matt Waters: Re-recording Mixer