I sat down with Emmy winner Chris Welcker, the production sound mixer on Warner Bros.’ Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan.
During the interview, I became convinced that Welcker should win an Oscar for his work.
The technical and creative challenges on this project were immense:
Capturing clean audio of an actor singing and playing the guitar while in a moving, open-top Model T driving along a gravel road. No greenscreen or VFX was used.
Figuring out how to provide synchronized dialogue and motion cues for Michael B. Jordan, who plays twins in the film. The timing had to be just right to correspond to the Technocrane’s camera move.
Working with the composer, music editor, and playback operator live on set during the surreal montage sequence, as we see the past, present, and future of music with a multitude of different instruments, performances, and styles.
Welcker details the process steps for all the above. It’s a fascinating deep dive, and I learned an incredible amount.
Here’s the Sinners trailer:
Welcker’s previous production sound mixer credits include:
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025)
Spinal Tap 2 (2025)
Carry-On (2024)
Rebel Ridge (2024)
Queen and Slim (2019)
The Old Man and the Gun (2018)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Sinners is now streaming on HBO.
