Goldcrest Post Helps Tell the Inspiring Story of a Woman’s Struggle with Homelessness in Stephanie Laing’s “Tow”
Goldcrest Post provided sound editorial and sound mixing for Director Stephanie Laing’s new film, Tow, which tells the true story of Amanda Ogle, a homeless Seattle woman who fought her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and car after receiving a tow bill for $21,634. The film’s sound team, led by Supervising Sound Editor/Re-Recording Mixer Ryan Price, Dialogue Editor Eric Hirsch and Sound Effects Editor Mike Suarez helped bring Amanda’s inspiring story to life through a soundtrack that captures the grim realities of homelessness and adds resonance to her emotional struggle and ultimate triumph. Tow stars Rose Byrne, Ariana DeBose, Octavia Spencer, Corbin Bernsen, Simon Rex, Demi Lovato and Dominic Sessa.
Goldcrest’s sound team was tasked with recreating the diverse sonic environments that shape Amanda’s world—from the gritty neighborhoods where Seattle’s homeless population resides to the interior and exterior of the 1991 Toyota Camry that serves as Amanda’s home, until it’s stolen and eventually towed. “The story revolves around the car and the city of Seattle,” explains Price. “In one of my first conversations with Stephanie, we talked about how to use sound to turn the car and the city into characters. Amanda often finds herself in dangerous situations and the sound design heightens that sense of danger. We want the audience to feel that she is at risk and overwhelmed.”
Laing says that sound not only helps to create a sense of Amanda’s physical location, it also subtly supports her emotional journey. “After her car is stolen, Amanda spends her first night on the street,” she relates. “What does that feel like? How does it sound? Living on the street is very scary. The place where she stays is like a park in the daytime, but at night, it’s a different place. And sound is one way those differences come out.”
Sound is also used to underscore emotional shifts in the story. Laing points to one such moment when Amanda arrives at a homeless shelter. “In the shelter, she meets her community,” Laing relates. “At that point, the ambient sound becomes hopeful and honest.”
“A lot of detailed sound work went into giving the shelter the right feel,” adds Price. “For example, we used loop group recording to indicate that Amanda has entered a safe, supportive environment. You hear the voices of women who are in similar situations.”
The sound team created realistic ambiance for several environments including courtrooms, a junkyard and the tow yard where Amanda’s car is impounded. “When we’re in the tow yard, you hear people calling in cars, cars being moved around, details to add texture and depth to what we see,” Price states. “Wherever possible we used offscreen world building through sound design to support the remarkable story Stephanie is telling."
Final mixing for the film was completed in one of Goldcrest Post’s 7.1.4 Atmos mix theaters. Price blended the dialogue and sound effects with the uplifting score from Nathan Barr and Este Haim. “We attracted great people to the project, and everyone fell in love with Amanda’s story and felt that it was an important story to share,” says Laing. “Making independent films is challenging and so it is important to have partners like Goldcrest who are champions of independent film and supportive of independent filmmakers.”