Set in Japan in the year 1600, record breaking Emmy-winning show, Shogun sees Lord Yoshii Toranaga fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village. Wielding the right tools to capture pristine sound was essential for this epic action-packed series, explains Michael Williamson, C.A.S, who reveals how he made it through Shogun in one piece.
With 14 Emmy wins in 2024, Shogun broke the record of 13 that was previously set by the 2008 limited series John Adams. Shogun won in Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Picture Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Period Costumes, Best Main Title Design, Best Production Design, Best Prosthetic Makeup, Best Stunt Performance, Best Casting for a Drama, Best Special Visual Effects, Best Period/Fantasy Makeup, Best Period/Fantasy Hairstyling and Best Guest Actor in a Drama for Néstor Carbonell.
Williamson is no stranger to the most mixing popular TV shows over the last three decades, beginning with the iconic paranormal mystery series The X-Files in 1993, and more recently has been a go-to staple for contemporary horror maven Mike Flanagan on Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club, as well as mixing The 100, Man in the High Castle and Yellowjackets, just to name a few. Now, his talents turn to historical fiction on FX and Hulu’s reimagining of Shogun, in which marooned sailor John Blackthorne finds himself in the centre of a power struggle in post-medieval Japan.
With dialogue and action constantly overlapping, Williamson turns to his time-tested Lectrosonics wireless rig, consisting of original Venue and Venue2 modular receiver systems, SMQV and HMa transmitters, and ALP650 antennas. For communications, he sets up IFB-T4 transmitters and provides R1b receivers for all.