NYC-based audio post house Sonic Union offered their mixing expertise in a grand total of sixteen spots that aired during the 75th Annual Golden Globes, this past Sunday, January 7, 2018. Among the spots were included debuts for clients including L’Oréal and The New York Times, which were two commercials that immediately caught the attention of viewers and commentators nationwide. L’Oréal Paris Elvive’s “Comeback,” starring Winona Ryder, and The New York Times’ “The Truth Has a Voice,” the latest of a series of truth-oriented commercials from the newspaper caused widespread online buzz after airing on Sunday.
L’Oréal Paris Elvive, “Comeback”
In the beguiling spot mixed by Joe O’Connell, a concealed lady in black paces the floor nervously while rehearsing for apparent stage time, notably donning the black gowns replicated across Golden Globe attendees this year. The slow musical build and gentle piano chords create tension as viewers await to discover the identity of the woman in question. When she is eventually called to the stage, a slow camera turn reveals the actress to be Oscar-nominated actress Winona Ryder, a celebratory reveal with the caption “Everyone Loves a Comeback.” The spot immediately generated social media buzz for its timely premiere.
O’Connell mixed a total of nine L’Oréal spots that aired during the awards ceremony, including “Comeback,” as the beauty brand was one of the Golden Globes sponsors this year.
The New York Times’ “The Truth Has a Voice”
Sonic Union mix engineer Steve Rosen wisely used silence to speak volumes at the start of the third “truth” commercial out of The New York Times. As anticipation builds for what may happen next, audiences are greeted with the common refrain “He said. She said,” meant to imply that trading words never reveals the truth. Once an electronic chord swells, however, multiple counts of “She said” join the original, adding visual weight to the old adage. The text and sound abruptly halt, and viewers are reminded that “The truth has power…will not be threatened…has a voice.”
Additionally, Sonic Union mixed two Verizon spots that aired prior to the ceremony, installments in the network’s long-running commercial saga featuring Thomas Middleditch, star of HBO’s Silicon Valley, and Gaten Matarazzo, star of Netflix’s Stranger Things:
Verizon Wireless “Awards”
Mixers: Fernando Ascani and Owen Shearer
Verizon FiOS “Game On”
Mixer: Paul Weiss