Music Supervisor Karen Elliott Reveals All About Working on Wonder Woman

We caught up with Karen Elliot - one of our board members as she has recently been involved in a very exciting release. Karen has been a supervisor for many successful films in the past, from The Hobbit Trilogy to The Inbetweeners, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and most recently; Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot. Wonder Woman has been a much anticipated movie and a huge success so far, overtaking movies such as The Mummy, King Arthur and Alien:Covenant on the Box Office list, with talks of it overtaking the success of Man of Steel. 

After the excitement of the new release, we had a chat with her to get an insight into what her role involved and her experiences on the film.

Q> When and how did you get involved with Wonder Woman as music supervisor?

KA> I was invited to join the film by Warner Bros whilst they were still at script stage. That was mostly because there were a number of on-camera music spots which needed to be sorted out before a frame was shot.

Q> What did your role involve and what were some of the processes?

It is always fairly involved when you deal with on camera music – my responsibilities included meeting with the Director & Producers and supplying choices of music as suggestions or featured musical extras. I was also responsible for researching the copyright status of the chosen music and then approaching the relevant rights owners for the approval to use the copyright. I negotiated licence fees with rights holders and spent time liaising with on set sound to ensure the correct format is supplied for on set playback. I spoke with the 2nd assistant director & choreographer regarding suitable on set musicians, dancers or actors and would also ascertain on camera music requirements and co-ordinate & budget pre-record sessions for on set playback. My job also involved dealing with the art department - managing the supply of any sheet music or instruments that may be needed on set.

Q> How closely did you work with composer Rupert Gregson-Williams?

I worked with Rupert from a co-ordination point of view. I planned and organised the booking of studio space, schedules for recording, and liaised with the musicians contractor to make sure that everything was on track and running smoothly - I tried to remove as much of the workload as I could from Rupert, to leave him time to actually compose.

Q> Where was the score recorded and mastered?

The score was recorded at Air Lyndhurst, and mixed at Remote Control Productions in LA. 

Q> What else are you working on?

I’m busy with a few projects at the moment. I’m working on Victoria & Abdul; a UK drama, along with a remake of On Chesil Beach, which is an adaptation of the original book by Ian McEwan. I’m also working on Country Music and Stan & Ollie; a comedy set to release in 2018.

Q> What was the highlight of the project?

My highlight would have to be attending the orchestral recording and having a happy director, happy filmmakers and a happy composer!