Primetime Emmy Awards 2016
The following feature news packages were created to give a behind-the-scenes look at the Primetime Emmy Awards and their nominees.
Actor Melora Hardin discusses the research she did to play "Tammy Cashman" on Transparent.
Melora Hardin: "Transparent"
Transparent 's Melora Hardin Opens Up About Researching the Role of Tammy
Link to video.
“Preparing to play this role was unlike anything else. The most important thing to me about becoming Tammy was to be as authentic as possible so that butch lesbians might be able to see themselves in my character on television,” said Melora Hardin, about her Emmy Nominated role on Amazon’s “Transparent”.
Hardin’s character on “Transparent” only appears in several episodes of Season two, but her performance was noticed by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Her character, Tammy Cashman, is a temporarily recovered alcoholic who has a relapse after her new wife, Sarah, confesses that she no longer loves her.
“I had to go to a dark place to really put myself in Tammy’s situation. My main source of understanding came from listening to the audiobook version of Sarah Hepola’s ‘Blackout’. That novel really put things into perspective,” said Hardin.
Hardin said because she is so different than her character, the role required her to do some personal research on the experiences of people who suffer from addiction. In addition to drawing inspiration from “Blackout”, she consulted a close friend of hers who is a recovered heroin addict.
“Some of the things he has been through are indescribable, and he really helped me to see what Tammy was feeling during her relapse. I couldn’t have played this role without his help,” said Hardin.
After Tammy’s traumatic split from her wife, the character takes a leave of absence on the show. Hardin said she’s not sure if Tammy will come back, but says that anything could happen.
“Tammy has a very different perspective on life than the Pfefferman family does,” said Hardin. “She’s the outsider, but I hope she comes back to the show. I guess we will know when Season 3 comes around.”
Hardin is nominated for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards. The show will air live Sunday, September 18th on ABC.
Narcos editor Leo Trombetta describes his challenges editing a series in Spanish.
Leo Trombetto: Narcos
Narcos' Editor Leo Trombetta Describes the Challenges of Editing in Spanish
By April Newell
Link to video.
“After working on two seasons of ‘Narcos,’ I still only know one word in Spanish,”
said Emmy nominated editor Leo Trombetta. “Listo. I’ve come to understand that it means ‘ready’.”
“Narcos” producers handpicked Trombetta because of his excellence in single-camera editing. According to Trombetta, this method of photography is more time consuming, but gives the director much more control of the shot. Trombetta has worked in single-camera style editing for over 20 years.
“I loved the challenge of “Narcos.” I do not speak Spanish, so I had to have a translator help me understand the lines while I was editing. The actors also ad-libbed on set instead of following a precise script. Overall, this was a one of a kind piece for me to work on,” said Trombetta.
The video editor said that one of his favorite movies inspired his interest in “Narcos” and also influenced his editing choices. In 1990, Trombetta worked on the mob film Good Fellas. He compared the helicopter chase scene to a similar one in “Narcos.”
“You just get that anticipation of a chase scene going, and it all starts to make sense. The paranoia, the gunshots, the helicopter whirls, all of it,” said Trombetta. “I loved Good Fellas, and it felt good to feel that way again about ‘Narcos’.”
Although Trombetta has been nominated for several Emmys in the past, he said he is always surprised and extremely grateful to be selected.
“I never believe they’ve got the right guy,” said Trombetta. “I love my job and what I do, but I’ve never expected to win anything for my work. I’m just happy to collaborate with such amazing artists everyday.”
Trombetta is now working on “13 Reasons Why.” It is a Netflix series adapted from the best selling novel by Jay Asher. “13 Reasons Why” is expected to premiere next year.
Marvel's Daredevil sound editor Lauren Stephens talks about her role in creating Matt Murdoch's "World on Fire".
Lauren Stephens: Daredevil
Sound Editor Lauren Talks Creation of Daredevil’s ‘World on Fire’
by April Newell
“Creating Daredevil’s world on fire was more than just your typical sound editing job, if that is ever the case,” said the supervising sound editor for Marvel’s Daredevil. “His primary sense of the world is through his hearing, so we had to make sound the sensory priority for the audience.”
Stephens has worked on both seasons of Marvel’s Daredevil, and said that her biggest challenge of the season two was editing Elektra’s combat scenes. Her weapons of choice, a pair of deadly katanas, proved difficult to master.
“Her knives are sharp and piercing. Getting that sound clean and clear was very different from Daredevil’s punches,” said Stephens. “Mixing Elektra’s combat sounds with the [Nobu] ninjas was precise work. The producers wanted them to be silent, but their heartbeats and air displacement were how Daredevil could hear them. Very tricky.”
Stephens wasn’t a fan of Marvel Comics before being hired on the series. She said that her indifference helped her create original sounds effects for the characters.
“I’ve been asked if I drew any inspiration from the Daredevil movie, and the answer is absolutely not. We wanted to be completely separate and new. Of course we paid homage to the comics, but our Daredevil is one of a kind,” said Stephens.
Setting the scene of Midtown Manhattan almost exclusively through sound was no easy task. For every siren, street noise, or conversation, Stephens had to record and isolate the sound before mixing them into the final track.
“You don’t realize how much noise is going on around you till you have to identify each and every sound. Then you have to put yourself in the position of someone who can only hear, and they all become much more significant,” said Stephens.
After two seasons of Daredevil, Stephens is excited for season three, and has no idea what to expect.
“There are plenty of paths the characters could take, so I’m excited to see where this series heads next. I have some ideas, but you’ll just have to wait and see what we come up with,” said Stephens. “I’m definitely up for the challenge.”