Prague, Czech Republic (July 25, 2023) — Director Edgar Berger’s 2022 film All Quiet on the Western Front brought Erich Maria Remarque’s classic novel to sensory life in a new, highly realistic way. The story unapologetically portrays young German soldiers’ patriotic fervor blunted by the horrific meat grinder realities of the First World War. The dialog, the sound effects, and Volker Bertelmann’s dark, ominous score create an enveloping soundscape that perfectly complements the visual depiction of the war’s grim inhumanity. For his work, production sound mixer Viktor Prášil earned a 2023 BAFTA Award for Best Sound, as well as a 2023 Academy Award nomination in the same category., Prášil counts upon the Lectrosonics Octopack, loaded with four SRc receivers, teamed with SSM, HMa, and SMDWB transmitters.
A native of the Czech Republic’s capital city, Prášil works mainly on film projects in his country. He determined his career direction early by shooting documentaries while still in high school. After specializing in sound at the Miroslav Ondříček Film Academy in Písek, Czech Republic, he was hired by Soundsquare, a sound studio in Prague. There, he worked mainly on post-production sound effects before shifting gradually toward more interesting work in production sound.
As a production audio professional, Prášil has amassed an impressive curriculum vitae, including 2023 feature film release Blood and Gold for Netflix, 2020 TV Series The Letter for the King (also for Netflix), 2020 feature film biopic Havel, and many more. Many of his works have earned nominations for Best Sound by the Czech Film and Television Academy, while All Quiet on the Western Front also won Best Sound in the 2023 German Film Awards and a Best Sound nomination from the Cinema Audio Society. From his first contact with Lectrosonics in school, he has built his systems around the brand as his career climbed ever higher and his awards collection grew more numerous.
The dramatic staging of All Quiet on the Western Front ranged from armistice talks around a negotiating table in a railroad car to full out trench warfare and violent, futile infantry charges. Capturing the disparate dynamics of these scenes, Prášil used both body miking, with lavs and belt pack transmitters, and boom miking with a plug-on transmitter. Post-production thus could make their choice from both close and boom mic sound alike. The filming was “really challenging for all departments,” he says. “In the intense battlefield scenes as well as the calm table scenes, we could rely on Lectrosonics.” Actors in battlefield scenes had a DPA lav mic in their helmets and another concealed in their costumes. Boom mics used HMa plug-on transmitters because it was simply not feasible to use cables in battlefield scenes. All the transmitters, including the belt packs on the battlefields, survived and proved their reputation for outstanding durability. Adds Prášil, “Throughout the entire filming of All Quiet on the Western Front I was convinced that Lectrosonics was the right choice.”
With his extensive portfolio and high-profile professional accolades, Prášil is understandably in high demand. He is currently evaluating offers for future projects, for which he’ll again rely upon his Lectrosonics gear.
About Lectrosonics
Well respected within the film, broadcast, and theatre technical communities since 1971, Lectrosonics wireless microphone systems and audio processing products are used daily in mission-critical applications by audio engineers familiar with the company’s dedication to quality, customer service, and innovation. Lectrosonics received an Academy Scientific and Technical Award for its Digital Hybrid Wireless® technology and is a US manufacturer based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Visit the company online at www.lectrosonics.com. For spare parts and a full line of accessories, visit the company’s online store: Lectrosonics U.S. Online Accessory Store.
