Les Misérables

On Tom Hooper’s film the songs were sung on set, inside the take, and that decision rebuilt the production. The pianist sat in a soundproofed plywood box at Pinewood, or in a van outdoors, and the actors heard him through custom induction earpieces. Tempo was not locked; the performer set it. The orchestra was played to a map derived from the actors’ own timing, once the vocal edit had locked. There were about twenty takes of each vocal, and rather than tune a wobbly note the team cut in a phrase from another take. Looping was tried on the lead vocals and dropped, because every replaced line stood out like a signpost. What you hear is the singing of the take that was acted, cracks included. The film took eight Academy Award nominations and won three: Anne Hathaway for Actress in a Supporting Role, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell for Makeup and Hairstyling, and Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes, who built the live rig, for Sound Mixing. Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, Costume Design, Production Design and Original Song stayed nominations. A good fit if you would rather hear Fantine’s song as it was sung on the floor, breaks and all. Not for anyone wanting the polished, tempo locked delivery of a cast recording.