Why Top Gun won the Oscar for sound
Supervising sound producer Al Nelson breaks down the Mach 10 sequence.
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One of the most exciting things about Top Gun: Maverick is their emphasis on practical effects. Most times, when you see the film’s actors struggling against high-level g-forces, that struggle is real. The actors spent months training to be in planes doing their own stunts, and the whole film feels grounded because of it.
Most times these sequences were shot practically … but not every time. In the film's incredible seven-minute opener (also known as the Darkstar sequence), nearly everything we see is completely fake. The plane used to go Mach 10 doesn’t really exist yet. It’s a prototype for a plane that will exist in the future, built by Lockheed Martin. While a prototype of that plane was used for taxiing around the runway, anytime we see the plane in the air it’s entirely VFX - impeccable VFX. But beyond the VFX, the thing that makes it feel so real is the sound design.
In this video, Top Gun: Mavericks supervising sound producer Al Nelson breaks down the Darkstar sequence. He explains how his team made a plane that doesn’t exist sound real, and, more importantly, how they leveraged the sound design to be just as emotionally impactful as a piece of orchestrated music.
Note: The headline on this piece has been updated.
Previous headline: How Top Gun made a fake plane sound real
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Al Nelson worked on Top Gun: Maverick’s sound design at Skywalker Sound. Their website has a bunch of info about other projects they’ve worked on, like Avatar and Andor: www.skysound.com/
but they forgot to correctly implement the autocannon
I luv andor
Did you get paid at VOX since the SVB collapse? I heard you are in trouble!
That's because Top gun was the only English movie where you do not require subtitles.
cool
The sound design blew me away. Watching this at the movies was just something else.
Same, i would go to different theatres just to find the best audio for this movie
Yea, it took my breath away
man i pirated it. I feel bad but the wage in my country is too low to afford a movie ticket.
@@Sonasic sorry to hear that. Many others have pirated it too, not just you. Did you enjoy the movie?
@@fifabublz17 yeah at least the movie was awesome . I felt bad for pirating it and I am planning to buy at least the cd version when it is released in a lower price.
Ed Harris is the definition of professionalism, how did he manage to stay both feet on the ground is a mystery. BTY, this dark star scene is so perfectly done, one of the best movie productions of all time.
I watched a behind the scenes doc about it and the roof flying off the building and such was complete accident. That was a set piece they stood up and roof was not bolted down, was to be used for that quick shot and then folded back down, and the explosions they used to mimic the flyby of the Dark Star ended up being too much and blew the roof up and as Ed was hit by the wave, he stood still. They loved the roof flying off so much, that they didn't re-shoot any of it, that single take was perfect in its un-perfectness... EDIT: And I get to the end where they said the roof was accidental and Ed just standing there, lol. But I forget what I saw that was the full behind the scenes but it was amazing.
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Ed Harris played John Glenn in The Right Stuff. No way was he going to flinch for an aviation film.
@@nathanhower4017 I am sure Ed could do a lot of things when he was 40 years old, but considering he was 70 years old while shooting this scene, I am still really impressed.
Ed Harris's character withstanding the jet's power while the roof flies up actually took me out of the scene. Firstly, it's weird that a structure (that's not just a prop in the movie's fictional setting) almost comes apart but a 70-year-old senior citizen manages to barely be pushed back. Secondly, the scene is supposed to be about the Darkstar; it's supposed to showcase this elite of the elite jet that's so powerful that it can reach Mach 10 and make the viewer want to root against the Navy Admiral who's coming to shut it down. Harris's character not being affected by it just made the Darkstar look terribly weak to me in that moment.
Tom Cruise clearly understands all aspects of film making.
Except for the script
Yeah, like scientology and none of it.
That's what scientology can give you
@@michael-4k4000 Already transferred your payments to the holy church?
Yeah just bought my to heaven
I went to IMAX twice ^^ And sound was 70% of the reason why - it's just something really hard recreate at home cinema :)
Similar with me, although just once in my case. The first time I watched it wasn’t even at home; it was in a regular cinema. The sound was already good, but both the sound and visuals made me say, “Ok, this is worth forking over extra for IMAX.”
Me too! And I rarely go to the theaters!
My Dolby Atmos Samsung Speakers: right
@@Marius_YTOfficial it's better to use Surround Headphones: No reflections anywhere, perfect sound as intended. Can't have that with speakers or in cinema.
IMAX >>>>>>>>>>>>> Home theater
8:30 the fact Ed basically stood still against an F-18 😂😂
biggest reveal for me from the whole video
The man deserves a special Oscar for bravery 😂
well... the mythbuster did tried something similar with the blue angels
I’m Batman.
8:28 woulda been a better time to tag lol
The fact that they didn't put any sort of music during the actual bombing run scene was amazing to see and hear in the theatres, I was on the edge of my seat during that whole sequence. That was the "this is going to get an Oscar" moment for me.
All that cockpit vibration and chatter was glorious!
And then it basically got snubbed. Oscar for sound is laughable when it also should've won for script, cinematography AND best picture. It's basically the academy giving a pity award to tell the movie "shoo, go away".
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@@TheDravic I don't understand why these action movies aren't able to win the big Oscar awards...
Not before and maybe never, decades they've been trying to shy away from action packed movies and more so with today's woke Hollywood replacing "toxic macho action stars" with "Go GRRRL Power I can wrestle with a predator too" heroines. Wait, am I gonna get cancelled with this? 😱
I watched this movie on a plane. I started watching before takeoff and as we started taxiing to the runway for takeoff this scene starts to get going, then literally as the pilot slams the throttle forward the plane in the movie started approaching Mach 10 and I'm there in my seat getting shaken around and pushed back in my seat. It was one of the most surreal movie experiences like I was in a simulator experiencing the movie!
Tell me why discovering that they use elephants to make those Tie fighters sounds in Stars Wars made me giggle so hard. Wow! 😂
well they used to literally beat meat for punches. sky's the heaven for foley and effects...
@@PrograError beat meat for punches🤣🤣🤣
Same 😂
can't remember was it Star wars or Star trek but one of these used the sound of flushing a train toilet for the effect of opening those sliding doors...
Would have thought for those AT walkers.
I regret not seeing this film on IMAX. Hands down, the best movie of 2022!
For me Avatar was better so I’d say second best!
I went to IMAX too, the sound is far better than any normal cinema. And I agree... Best movie from 2022.
i found both of them okayish, to me the last wish was the best movie
Dolby Theater exists for this. It’s like IMAX on steroids
Me too
The sounds of this movie in the cinema were absolutely mind blowing. A big part of why this movie had to be experienced in cinema
Review my video 😎 smart person
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shame I missed it
Man, I was on the literal edge of my seat for a lot of the movie.
The Darkstar rear-facing scramjet sound is my second-favorite film sound effect. Number one is Star Wars Episode 2's seismic charge detonations, of course.
That and the LAAT/i gunship sounds. OMG
ya the seismic charges have always stuck out in my head.. good stuff..
The flares during the SAM sequence were unbelievable.
Most rocket engines sound the same, a normal afterburning jet engine would sound the same from the exhaust-point.
I loved the pod racer sounds, don't know why, but they've always stuck in my head.
The fact that in this scene this all sounds super elegant and really adds to it, then later during the F14-SU57 dogfight scene, they give the jets guns the same sound from a regular machine gun.
where is the brrrrrrrrrrt from that f14
There is a video on youtube from a guy that has replaced all the sounds from this sequence with the real sounds. Pretty impressive.
Really? Glad I didn't go to see it in cinema... Would have made some real annoying aircraft nerd noises.
@@IroquoisPlissken 😂 I’ve watched that video way too many times…
I usually never see films more than once in the theaters but the sound design was one of the reasons I saw this film 3 times in IMAX. Masterfully done.
Everything in this film is oscar-worthy, the entire movie is an utter masterwork
The script isn’t worthy, there is no conflict in the movie. It’s a movie about Tom Cruise feeling young and a mission, but not moral dilemma or any real conflict. It won’t win the Oscar, I’m sorry
Amen, good observer
@@leonardobd6472 t. didn’t watch the movie
I can't stop laughing. The dumbness factor of the film is about 9.5/10. Such thing is anything but "oscar-worthy"...
@@Militavia it saved film theatres
I went to watch this movie in 4DX and the kickback you get everytime that plane takes off from the runaway coupled with such an amazing sound design convinced me that cinemas aren't going anywhere but are rather here to stay.
Wow! The more I watch these films where the directors pour their heart and soul into the projects, the more I appreciate the value of sound design. As an aspiring, student filmmaker, I’ve really tried to capture this type of sound in my new 2-minute horror short film on my channel, but let me tell you, it’s no easy feat 😂. Hats off to those who pull this off, and thank you Vox for such an awesome video!!
As a sound designer this was perfect.
yh
I mean yes but this is just classic soundscaping done right, nothing revolutionary, experimental or exceptional. I think sound oscar should go to a movie that has these qualities.
@@rappit4"All Quiet..." sound design should have one. This was a popularity contest, not a contest of merit.
@@ShouldHaveBeen it's ok tho. For the awards, really any movie that was nominated could have won, but only one movie can
@@kbanghart That statement was just bad English. Top Gun didn't even belong there as a nominee. It was regurgitated drivel.
I wonder if there were any 'reality is unrealistic' issues in the film. I find it interesting when sound designers (and directors) try to create things that _feel_ real, but given audiences may have no experience with what is being depicted, except generally from other films who face the same dilemma, they have to purposefully distort reality to make things not seem jarring.
Actually if you watch the reaction videos of some real fighter pilots, they point out that the guns in the movie sounded nothing like the actual ones.
tbh, Top Gun has become a legend among AVGeeks. I'm sure 70% of the fanbase knows a lot about aviation and expected that quality. I'm an avid simmer and avgeek and among my circle we were constantly tallking about how they'd stick to the quality of the original film when it was announced. We group watched it multiple times geeking around each scenes.
@@harshvardhanpatel424 yeah , real planes have a distinctive “brrrrrrrt” sound
There’s an fan edit of the last dogfight in the movie with actual realistic warning sounds and correct gun sounds, and it’s a lot different and SO much better than the original. It’s really surprising how wrong the movie got it, and how much more intense the realistic sounds make it feel. I guess they might have done it for the reason you say, that they didn’t feel reality was good enough, but it was a very wrong choice in my opinion.
@@harshvardhanpatel424 Yep, the guns sound lame asf and are my big peev with TG:M. I don't get why the sound designers opted for a weak "dok-dok-dok" rather than the shredding "bvrrrrt" closer to the real thing. Intimidating gun also means the audience understands how frightening it is to be dodging those rounds.
I just watched Top Gun earlier this week, and I was blown away by the sound production. I really wish I would have seen it at the theater instead of my living room.
Honestly, this movie comes strong with it’s sound design, it feels like your there, it feels like your the pilot or the crew on the carrier sending a plane out
It almost blows your mind how good it is
It was fabulous. I think the film First Man did it masterfully as well.
I am sick of Hollywood just making sequels of good old films, but this one..this one I liked a lot. A good sequel. It has done so much right, spot on connections to the original film, kind of nostalgic
Give credit to quantum computing, not hollywood.
@@ronald8792 and Hollywood
The sound design in that film was next level. The Oscar was pretty much obvious. Congrats, it's so deserved ❤️
You should have asked him about the F14's M61 which sounded like rifle fire from Call of Duty.
yea it was pretty mediocre
@@sectorrclear Personally for me, it is the greatest scene in the whole movie and they had to ruin it with mediocre sound design.
I saw the video title and my mind immediately went to "the Vulcan does not sound like a Vulcan; a real Vulcan sounds terrifying and awesome enough, and they chose not to use it".
@@TheAmazingCowpig there is no sound of an f14 firing, they probably never shot it.
@@LanaaAmor To put a gun on a plane, you need to test it first. There's many recordings of M61s bolted to the ground firing down a tunnel for testing. The M61 is also used by other planes, and the F-14B, D, and definitely A model which is the one pictured in this movie; have used their guns at least once specially during close air support. There's bound to be hundred of recordings out there and many other pieces of media have the correct or similar-appropiate sounds. There is a sound of an F-14 firing out there, and it's been used.
The sounds were so good that I could feel the sounds next to me because I watched this movie on a plane.
Me too
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Watching this movie in theatre gave me goosebumps, solely due to the sound effects. Loved it
It got the Oscar man🔥🔥....2 days ago the video title was Why Top Gun is Oscar worthy(sound) and now it has changed
I was wondering how they published a video three days before the Oscar's about the winner
Who is here after top gun won Oscar for best sound editing
The fact that Vox made and uploaded this video 2 days before the Oscars. They were so confident that Maverick was gonna win it
Well, the title was different before the ceremony 😉
@@pjotrtje0NL what was the title before?
@@Egerit100 probably why it should win or something along those lines
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I don't comment on KZhead all too much but I just wanna say; this scene, the sound, the visuals, the story... It makes me cry every time. It's really beautiful, its SO GOOD.
Who else noticed the video title change?
Vox changing the title had me confused lol
THIS AGED INCREDIBLY WELL
The sound is probably what blew me away the most while I watched the film in-theater. Apart from the stunning visuals, the roaring of the engines, the rattling of the birds, and the grunts of the characters all layered together to create a universe so believable, you could tell most of the film was shot for real.
Saw this in Imax, absolutely amazing sound and video. That's the first time in a long while that I felt like I was experiencing a cinematic experience, rather than just watching a film on a big screen.
That crashing scene, from the visual to the sound, it just so beautiful...
"You don't need a lot from us at this point". Best quote from a professional . 4:44
Pretty quick change in the title after the Oscar was announced. Appreciate it.
The sound FX guy explains a Scramjet better than any of the aerospace videos I've watched last year. I literally got it 😂. Well done for another great video everyone.
Watched Top Gun Maverick while in-flight on a commercial plane and never been immersed before. The sounds fx just make it feel so realistic.
That each cut also cuts the sound is GENIUS
If you saw this film in theaters you know why they won. That opening on the carrier was ground breaking, you could feel the jet engines.
"All Quiet..." was better.
I saw it a couple of times in a theatre where the seats tilt and swirl and vibrate with the action on screen, made you feel like you were in the planes.
@@ninjaskeleton6140 Corny.
It’s awesome to witness the rare occasion when sound is acknowledged as half of the entertainment factor. Back in the 1970s, Francis Ford Coppola and Walter Murch started the “sound is half of the film” approach (known as the San Francisco sound) not coincidentally only a few dozen miles from where Maverick was sound-designed. I have worked in film & tv for decades as composer and have done my share of sound design, and now I’m teaching the craft to the next generation of sound designers at the University of Silicon Valley. My students will spend the next week with dissecting some of Maverick’s audio. Award well deserved (imho TC should have gotten the other one).
I remember watching this scene at the cinema and thinking, this is something special, this deserves an award. Glad to see the academy agrees.
This is my all time favorite movie. The music is so good.
Watching this movie in Dolby Atmos was incredibly fun experience! I had goosebumps during this sequence!
Better than all at once, thats for sure!
Sound design of Top Gun: Maverick is indeed Oscar-worthy. Also, the song "Hold My Hand" really encapsulates the emotions of flying high above the sky. It deserves Best Original Song.
the video had a diferent title before the oscar?
Wow, this was awesome! Everything I learn about "Maverick" makes me appreciate the film more and more. Just wish the sound clips could have been a little longer.
Absolutely loved the planes shooting flares in cinema with Dolby Atmos. That was mental!
I completely agree, the sound quality was exceptional.
Best sound in Top Gun Maverick for me was during the intro, with the pure sound of the hook hitting the wire, that ripple sound it made
I’m from Cincinnati and walk under the Roebling bridge regularly that’s exactly how it sounds. Very creative use of sound.
Ohhh, title was changed from Oscar-worthy to won an Oscar
This movie is mind blowing. There are many love and passion inside of it. Everyone who involved in this movie deserve a really great appreciation..
tho they did have some extra time to polish it better... most movies don't...
talk of living up to expectations and also doing much more than that.. what an amazingly talented artist..
Outstanding video, presentation and tidbits such as the outro. My favorite movie made in the last decade by a long shot. Great job
The sound and visuals are the best part of this movie. We really needed this.
Nah, the sounds are the worst part. Otherwise they are good, but the Tomcats gun sounds are absolutely terrible. Even over a decade old videogames do those sounds better.
@@hullukana214 fair. I think I know the exact video you saw and I have to agree that whoever redid it made it sound a lot better. however, as someone who has never fired tomcat weaponry outside of a video game I never noticed and never would have
We take this for granted. Great work and great work highlighting it.
That scene with the Dark Star was amazing... I loved the sounds that told the story... Made it an emotional journey for the audiance and the artists NAILED it... Excitement, Joy, Scared, Suspense, Horror.... All senses being tickled, just from the sounds and was music alone....
I always loved when the first "Top Gun" is starting and you hear the score music starting with the jet engines opening up with radio chatter over them before they break into "Highway to the danger zone"
It’s on my phone as a music score - copied it from the DVD. Every time I go plane spotting a fair drive away (5+ hrs), the moment I get close to the destination, I play that song. Gets me right into the vibes!
HAHAHAH love the title change! watched this before they won and was so excited they did!
What was the title before?
Tottaly agree. I thought of that when watching the movie for the first time. The mixing is perfect, sound design brilliant... it should have had an oscar..
The whole dark star sequence is awesome and very elegant, and simply superb
Wow man these guys are so awesome. It's an Art how they bring such outcome with their creativity totally mind blowing 🤯. 👍👏👌
The Ed Harris admiral guy scene taking the shock wave that blows building is done in one take with an F18 in place of the Darkstar
Ye, we saw the video
Yes, he says that at the end of the video.
And did you know that Tom Cruise wanted the sound cuts to really have a lot of punch too?
Tom Cruise was really driving a lot of the planes too.
Btw, did you know that in Top Gun: Maverick, all of this is real?
4:40 That music moment stills makes me tear up every single time I hear it (even now). It's just such a wonderful moment, and it's the feeling of being free. Made even better by the fact that the music playing there is named "You're where you belong".
Never witnessed such detailed working....amazing
Amazon video Vox, thanks! Absolutely incredible. Nice bit of trivia with Ed Harris at the end
I agree on both fronts. Video was prime and Ed Harris is the man!
That ejection at match 10, tho 🤣
This video explaining it is more brilliant than the sounds itself
Wow !!! When I saw this movies I immediately knew the sounds design .. and the emotion it conveyed was brilliant
Thing is we all know what a jet aircraft sounds like, we can hear it in our heads - but its another thing to trick us into not only hearing that sound, but FEELING it - anyone who's stood at the end of a runway knows you FEEL engine noise as much as you hear it. The Darkstar scene had the challenge of being the 'fakest' scene in this movie, yet I still felt like I was strapped into a hypersonic plane that isn't even real. That's award worthy even if the Academy doesn't think so a few days from now.
Should have won more than just sound at the Oscars. It was a masterpiece all around....
Lol no. It was only at the Oscars because of popularity, not for its merit.
@@Omnamorudraya23 Me? For voicing my opinion about a poorly written and rehashed movie? Calling me an attention [seeker] is just detracting, deflecting, and dismissive. If you want to offer an alternative opinion then do so. If you're just going to attack me personally I suggest you go harrass someone else. Top Gun didn't belong at the Oscars whatsoever. If you look it up you'll find that A LOT of people agree with me.
Watching this at IMAX was an experience for life! The sound was un your bones, in your mind and soul..it was a special experience for me to say the least
They actually won it, congrats Top Gun!
Well, if you can make a rival superpower redirect their satellite to try and get a photograph of the fictional aircraft, I say you've done pretty well.
Is this something that happened?
@@theinconsistentgamer1402 yep .china reoriented their satellites to try and spy on their new supposed new threat haha.
This video was released before the Oscars...
well done fantastic sound designing! i could listen to you all day !
Appreciate tje hardwork of sound designer
I always found that awards for best sound were hard for me to understand because I'm no specialist, and that was also the case for this film. This video helped me understand why: when it's done that well, it works so naturally that you don't even realize there was work behind it, it feels like it couldn't have sounded otherwise. But then you made me realize that every little noise in that scene had to be made up, and suddenly giving it an Oscar seems obvious.
More of these videos, please! Excellent!
watching this video gave me goosebumps all the way ... just wow .. splendid job .. cant wait to watch it again
SUCH a nice guy and very professional
It would have been perfect with slightly more accurate fighter jet sound indicators during the scenes in the f18s and the tomcat, like the classic lock on buzz, also the cannons are electronic would have been great to hear the real gatling gun rattle
This movie gives you Goosebumps over and over again
Surround sound setup with projector. Every minute of this movie was worth it. The subs shook me like no other movie has. A+
Thanks for analysing the best scene in the movie
Watching this on IMAX was the best thing I did last year
It would be nice if they released the VFX breakdowns for this Top Gun Maverick. There were apparently 2400 VFX shots in the film, which is more than there were in Star Wars The Force Awakens with ~2100 shots.
This is by far the best thing I've ever put through my Sonos system at home. Incredible sound engineering
I just can't believe how beautiful it looks...
Part of the reason game of thrones is so immersive is because they pay great attention to sound design, the ambience of crowds , the pouring of wine, the clanking of chain armour etc A film should kind of be a subtle ASMR experience
I have to say we as an audience are taking for granted the quality of sound design, vfx and overall filmmaking.. most people don’t even realize how much work is put into creating such amazing movies. The most talented people from all around the world contribute to creating such an amazing piece of art and I appreciate your channel! It shows what it takes to make something like this and I love it!
Watching this in a dolby atmos theatre was simply awe inspiring. The sound team were perfection and it reflected with their award.
I live in Cincinnati. How cool that they used the unique sound of our bridge!
IT JUST WON AN OSCAR, LETS GOOO!!
So this is one of the many reasons why the Darkstar scene was so epic
Awesome job guys!! Congrats on the Oscar!!
The sound design was amazing 👏🏼 👏🏼👏🏼