Tara Webb interview: ‘The Power of the Dog’ sound

For “The Power of the Dog” sound effects editor and re-recording mixer Tara Webb, getting the opportunity to work again with director Jane Campion after a brief collaboration on “Top of the Lake” was one she couldn’t imagine passing up.

“It’s always a joy to be able to have the opportunity to work with a female director, and Jane is also actively supporting female creatives,” Webb tells Gold Derby during our “Meet the Experts” sound panel. Citing her work on “Top of the Lake,” the acclaimed television series Campion made before embarking on “The Power of the Dog,” Webb notes how it marked the first time she was even in a mixing room where men and women were represented in equal numbers.

Based on the book by Thomas Savage, “The Power of the Dog” is Campion’s first feature film in 12 years – and it arrived on the awards scene in the fall of last year with the pomp and circumstance the return of filmmaker as lauded as Campion should expect. Reviews were euphoric and the Netflix drama has marched through the early stages of awards season with numerous critics’ groups’ prizes and recognition. Actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee have routinely been cited among the best performers of the year, and Webb says making sure the sound matched their nuanced onscreen work was paramount.

“A lot of the conversation early on was about how, because the performances of the film are so subtle and delicate, she really wanted to approach the sound the same way,” Webb says.

“The Power of the Dog” is now streaming on Netflix.