Why Christopher Nolan Thinks Sound Design in 'Phantom Thread' Sends Shivers Down Your Spine

There is nothing I appreciate more than filmmakers supporting other filmmakers. To me, it's just this wonderful celebration of art, and it shows that you can succeed when others succeed.

It's never us versus them. It's all of us working for the common goal of a great movie.

Enter Christopher Nolan, who is never shy about his praise for movies he loves, especially Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread.

During a Directors' Guild panel, Nolan pointed out an underrated craft element that makes the film a masterpiece: the hyper-subjective sound design.

Let's dive in.

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The Strangest Thing About Watching Phantom Thread

Going to panels is one of the highlights of living in Los Angeles, and if you were at the Nolan PTA one, I envy you greatly.

Anyway, as you can see in that clip, Nolan shared that when watching the 70mm print of Phantom Thread, he was struck by how the sound was mixed to convey perspective.

Nolan said:

"The thing I found strangest about it as it opened up on its photochemical version is I was suddenly very aware of the sound... use of sound in the film is so extraordinary because it's simple and gritty, and then extremely loud."

Nolan specifically highlighted the infamous breakfast scene, where Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is intensely irritated by Alma (Vicky Krieps) as she butters her toast.

Nolan continued:

"The spreading of the butter on the toast... you feel it up and down your spine. It's amazing."

Objective vs. Subjective Sound Mixes

Now, we all know film is a visual medium, but sound is another element that really draws the audience in. It creates this visceral sensation that can make them feel like they're in the room.

But how do you know who hears what sound on screen?

Enter diegetic and non-diegetic sound.

The basic meaning is that diegetic sound is what everyone in the scene would hear, and non-diegetic sound is stuff like the score that only the audience hears.

Well, within diegetic sound, we also have subjective sound: things a character may hear only, or hear more intensely, given the scene's point of view.

So, why does that breakfast scene feel so uncomfortable? Because sound designer Christopher Scarabosio and director Paul Thomas Anderson didn't mix the scene for reality. They mixed it for Reynolds Woodcock’s point of view.

And when we're in that point of view, we also get irritated by the sounds, which are triggering us.

They do this in a few ways...

Foley Amplification

In reality, scraping butter on toast is a quiet background noise. But in Phantom Thread, the Foley track is cranked up so we can experience it the same way as Woodcock.

Contrast as Tension

Before the breakfast scene, the film lulls the audience into a state of elegance with Johnny Greenwood’s lush orchestral score. We are not ready for such a piercing sound. That brass literally cut through the noise.

Running Jokes

Nolan also shared a funny story about how deep the movie’s psychological impact went after he had seen it, saying:

"My wife and I made this slightly strange decision to take our kids to go see it... and ever since, every time I do anything vaguely dictatorial, it's 'Oh, Mr. Woodcock, are you a spy?...Do you have a gun?'... and every time Emma cooks mushrooms now, huge hysterics."

Summing It All Up

You can learn a lot from this clip. Take Nolan's words and PTA's action into your break and ask yourself: How does this room feel to my protagonist, and how can the audio edit enforce that feeling? And then add those details into the script if you want, or have a convo with your sound designer about the perspective of each scene, too.

Maybe it'll be Nolan complimenting you someday.

Now, go get back to making movies and TV.