Writer/director Ian Tuason's undertone is an aural-driven cinematic experience unlike anything you'll ever experience, and that's a tribute to the level of detail that went into its creation. The production worked with an extremely low budget (the set was actually Tuason's childhood home), but its craft is impeccable and practically hypnotizes the audience in its design. This is perfectly illustrated in the fascinating layering that the filmmaker worked into the movie, from the pre-recorded material, to the on set playback, to enhancements in post-production.
I spoke with Tuason and undertone stars Nina Kiri and Adam DiMarco earlier this month during the film's virtual press day, and he shared some terrific insight into how the new horror movie's special sound design was accomplished. I asked about the balance of crafting the experience both during principal photography and in the editing room, and he explained the different levels to it all, starting with the files that kick start the plot. Said the writer/director,
The audio recordings that are emailed to Evy, those were all done on set with an iPhone. And that way we can... it does have that familiar sound of the way an iPhone captures room tone and the way the iPhone mic rubs against your pants or, you know, the thud when you put it down on the table. So we got all that and it, that was all, that was all done organically in the house. And then in the scenes with Evy, that was all a combination of her listening to organic audio from the iPhone and then at the studio placing, mixing in a bunch of other effects.
In the critically acclaimed movie, Nina Kiri plays Evy – a young woman staying alone with her terminally ill mother with little to distract her other than a podcast that she remotely hosts with a friend (Adam DiMarco) dedicated to creepy recordings. The set of audio files Tuason mentions, a set of 10, are sent to the pair and capture an escalating conflict involving a young couple expecting their first child.
Not only is there a special verisimilitude created by the familiarity of iPhone recordings, but what makes undertone captivating is that we listen right alongside Evy. A world of sound goes mute when she puts on her noise cancelling headphones, and as the audience intently listens for every crackle and whisper, suggestions from the characters causes auditory pareidolia, and before long, movie-goers are basically scaring themselves.
It's an experience that really must be had to be fully understood, and it's one you should definitely have while the film is still playing in theaters. Undertone is now playing everywhere, and you should do yourself a favor by picking out the nearest location with the best speaker system.
