Romanian technician recorded desert sounds in the Sahara for Dune 2
Romanian George Vlad helped create the sounds of Arrakis, the desert planet featured in the recent Dune 2 movie, by traveling to the Sahara desert to record specific sounds.
Vlad travels around the world to record the sounds of nature. In the past, he also contributed to the BBC documentary "Planet Earth 3", and he is involved in at least one more significant film project, which will be completed this year.
George Vlad began in 2010 by working on construction sites in Italy, France, and Belgium. With the money he saved up, he made a small studio and began working as a freelance sound designer in Iași, eastern Romania. A few years later, he was invited to study sound design in Edinburgh.
“Not long after, I realized that work and study kept me in the studio for up to 100 hours a week until I had a breakdown from stress. To recover, I decided to return to nature, to wander in the wilderness, and to be more attentive to the signals my body was sending me. I started going on short trips through Europe every few months. From there, I progressed to more ambitious expeditions in Africa, Asia, North and South America,” he told HotNews.
Last year, as he was preparing for his wedding, Vlad was contacted by sound designer and supervising editor Dave Whitehead, who said he was working on a project set in the desert. “A few months later, I was on an expedition in Algeria, near the border with Libya and Niger,” set to record the sounds of the Sahara desert.
The sound technician says that working on Dune 2 was a dream come true. He worked together with experts in the field, some of whom have won Oscars for sound.
“At first, I was quite unsure, but after a few discussions with them, I got my bearings and focused on my work,” he said.
Once in the Sahara, Vlad was assisted by Tuareg locals, who guided him to the perfect locations for recording. Temperatures reached 45 degrees during the day, making work difficult. Flies would also disrupt Vlad’s recordings. He says that the only complicated technical aspect was protecting the microphones and equipment from sand.
“The most challenging was recording wind in outdoor areas near rocks and mountains. The wind itself does not make sounds, only when it interacts with objects and landforms. Most of the time, the sound is very delicate and difficult to record, especially since the wind's energy can easily distort the microphones,” the Romanian added.
George Vlad also worked on the upcoming Disney film Mufasa The Lion King and the popular video game Horizon Forbidden West.
“I think the most important thing I learned working on Dune 2 is that work and passion are recognized and rewarded eventually. 15 years ago, when I started working in the field, I was very happy that someone was willing to pay me to do what I liked most, regardless of the project. I never had doubts that this was the career I wanted, and I made many sacrifices for the profession,” Vlad said.
(Photo source: thegeorgevlad on Instagram)
