Wickedly Successful: Alum John Marquis Talks BAFTA and Oscar Nominations
You’ve probably heard John Marquis’ (BFA 2002) work without realizing it. As a Hollywood sound artist, he’s worked behind-the-scenes on movies like In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians, The Flash, and the Transformers franchise. Now, he’s getting some major recognition: BAFTA and Oscar nominations for his work as the supervising sound editor, sound designer, and re-recording mixer on Wicked.
We talked with Marquis about his time at School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), the specific sounds of Oz, and what these nominations mean to him.
What did you study at SAIC?
I spent the majority of my time in the Sound department, studying with former professors Robert Snyder, Peter Gena, Robb Drinkwater, and Nic Collins. I particularly enjoyed Snyder's class pertaining to music and memory, as well as Drinkwater and Gena's experimental sound and software courses. Collins had a course on hardware hacking I found thoroughly inspiring! I enjoyed the interdisciplinary freedom SAIC offered and dabbled in the Fashion Design department briefly, amongst others.
What drew you to working in sound?
I loved the inherent abstractness of sound. How easily a sound can be mapped onto a particular, unrelated, visual event—and how easily the mind accepts it—as well as how closely sound is tied to memory. I enjoy making sound such a uniquely personal experience for the audience.
What was a project or two where you got your start?
I did a seven-year grind of independent low budget movies and TV, where I figured out how to supervise and design and attenuate to a director's vision and work with producers. An assistant of mine (who upgraded to a more successful crew working on big budget films) recommended me to the gang from the Transformers franchise. I met with them and hit it off. That's what opened the door for me to ultimately branch out and start taking on bigger films myself.
Can you tell me a little bit about your sound work on Wicked?
I'm the supervising sound editor, sound designer, and re-recording mixer on Wicked. As supervising sound editor, I'm responsible for realizing the director's "sonic vision" of their movie. This entails everything creatively as well as practically, making creative choices and also managing the budget and sound crew.
As sound designer, I create the sounds the audience hears. In a film like Wicked, this ranges from the most mundane to the fantastic, from things like footsteps, ambient air, and the sounds of clothing to flying monkeys, supernatural magic, and all the other wildly subjective sequences. The composer and I work together, handing off moments throughout where we focus on practical aspects of a scene vs. subjective aspects, seeing how sound design and score work in concert to achieve something each couldn't on its own. Then there are two re-recording mixers. I handle all the sound effects, and the other re-recording mixer handles all the dialog and music. It is my job to focus the audience's audio attention to tell the story and deliver the emotional impact the director is wanting to convey through sound.
What were the biggest challenges of the project?
Wicked is a wildly successful Broadway musical, so there were VERY high expectations from the producers (and fans!) to not destroy something they hold so dear. We treated the Broadway musical as a jumping-off point to expand and open up the world of Oz and develop a deeper understanding of the characters' relationships.
How did it feel to receive the BAFTA and Oscar nominations?
Very surreal. It's hard to believe I've been out here in Hollywood doing this approaching 25 years, and I still feel like I'm the new kid in town. It's very humbling to be considered alongside some of my most respected mentors and friends in the industry.
SAIC alum Spencer Davis turned his passion for design into a career leading innovation at Microsoft.
