Stéphane Bucher Brings a Lav to a Sword Fight

Paris, France (December 17, 2024)—French sound engineer Stéphane Bucher was a last-minute hire on Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, but so impressed the director that they have collaborated several times since, most recently on Gladiator II.

“It was a mix of chance and persistence,” says Bucher of initially getting to work with Scott. “I started with traditional French film sets, then adapted to more complex Anglo-Saxon techniques, including multi-camera setups and larger teams. This experience shaped my approach, particularly in handling the demanding scenes and setups of Ridley’s productions.”

From intimate conversations to intense battle scenes, Bucher, who also worked on Scott’s House of Gucci and Napoleon, relies on DPA’s 6060 subminiature lavalier and 4060 omnidirectional miniature lavalier mics to capture immersive sound across multiple perspectives.

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“During Napoleon, I developed new techniques to capture battlefield sounds, including equipping stunt performers with discreet DPA mics embedded in costumes,” he says. “This approach allowed me to capture the energy of close combat without disturbing the visual integrity of the scenes. For Gladiator II, I expanded these techniques, building a specialized sound cart named Maximus to manage audio from distances of up to 300 meters away, well beyond the typical limitations.”

With Gladiator II, Bucher faced his most complex production to date, working across sprawling sets with eight to 12 cameras and coordinating sound across vast distances. According to Bucher, “Employing DPA microphones alongside cutting-edge fiber and RF-over-fiber technology allowed me to capture pristine sound even in the film’s largest battle sequences. The strategic placement of DPA microphones ensured high-quality audio capture, while my skilled team concealed mics within armor and costumes to deliver immersive soundscapes from multiple angles.”