Cory Stillman
“A lot of stars aligned for me to get this opportunity,” says Emmy-nominated music editor Lorena Perez Batista of her work on Apple TV+’s The Studio.
As a student at Berklee College of Music, Batista could not help but admire a recent alum who also came from a Latino background: The Studio composer Antonio Sanchez, who is perhaps most well known to audiences as the composer behind the Oscar-winning film Birdman. Like Sanchez, Batista is a drummer.
“I actually remember watching Antonio play shows at Berklee when I was a student,” she says. “He was already a legend to us.”
A bit of industry serendipity several years later, and a string of connections led Batista to her drumming idol, who advocated for her throughout the interview process and proved instrumental in securing her a gig for which she was an obvious fit.
As music editor on the hit comedy series from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Batista was responsible for bridging the gap between the composer, the music supervisor, the editors, and the sound team. She ensured the musical consistency of each episode throughout the project’s evolution. Sometimes, she would temp a scene with a score reminiscent of Sanchez’s drums, or with an entirely different composition in those rare moments the show was attempting to go in a different musical direction.
One such example came in the “The Missing Reel” episode of the series, a clever riff on classic film noir. Alongside editor Eric Kissack, Batista temped the episode with sweeping orchestral cues from Jerry Goldsmith. Of course, it was always clear that Goldsmith’s work did not quite with the singular sound the show had developed.
“I thought it would be best to go back and temp with Antonio’s drums first, like I had for the rest of the episodes, and then started overlaying some of the noir scores on top,” says Batista. “That felt like the best combination of both worlds and the guys liked it! From there, this became a guide for Antonio to get inspired and create his own thing. Originally, Seth and Evan only wanted the second half of the episode to sound like film noir, but Antonio was doing such a great job, and they loved his score so much, that they decided to use it throughout the entire episode!”
That kind of innovation and open-mindedness is essential to Batista’s work, and is a clear testament to her talent as a collaborator. With additional credits on the award-winning Dora reboot for Paramount+ as well as the live-action Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado film that the streamer released earlier this summer, Batista continues to find ways to incorporate her musical prowess and her cultural heritage into everything she does.
Check out our full conversation with the Emmy-nominated music editor below!
Hi Lorena! Can you tell us how you first got involved with Apple TV+’s The Studio?
Hi there! A lot of stars aligned for me to get this opportunity. It started when my composer friend, René Boscio, connected me with his agent, Alex Vangelos. Alex also represents Antonio Sánchez, the amazing composer of The Studio, and when Antonio needed a music editor, Alex saw an opportunity. Antonio and I share a lot in common: drum background, Latino roots, Berklee alumni, so there was potential for me to step in! I actually remember watching Antonio play shows at Berklee when I was a student; he was already a legend to us. With Antonio’s support, things moved quickly with interviews and recommendations from past collaborators, and I got the gig. Long story short, it felt like this job was meant for me, and I’m so grateful!
Can you describe the role of the music editor? How does it differ from a composer or a sound editor?
I like to describe my job as being the bridge between the composer, who creates the original score, and the editors and showrunners, who give us direction. My role is to make their lives easier. I’m not composing new music or working with dialogue and sound effects; there’s a big team dedicated to that. I focus specifically on keeping track of the score and source music, and I edit it to picture. I conform the music to all the changing picture versions and stay on through the mix stage to address any music notes. If I’m involved early in the process, I also get to do temping, placing temporary music in the edit to help establish the tone of the score. That temp track then becomes a guide the composer can build on later. And I also collaborate with the music supervisor, who provides song options and handles licensing, and I make sure those options are presented to picture in the best way possible.
The show includes a few fun genre manipulations, including the noir-tinged “The Missing Reel.” Can you tell us more about the unique musical approach to that episode?
That episode was different in terms of the overall score because the directors, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, wanted it to incorporate the original sound of classic film noir scores. In the early stages of the cut, the picture editor Eric Kissack and I were trying different temp options. He had already temped some Jerry Goldsmith music, which worked really well, and then they were figuring out how to temp the “action” sequences, like when Matt Remick and Sal Saperstein drive after the woman they think has the “payola,” and later, when they confront the director, Olivia Wilde. So I continued using Goldsmith and picked some very big orchestral cues with sweeping strings. It felt really exciting, but of course, when the guys heard it, they said, “Yeah, this doesn’t sound like our show, but we like a few elements here and there.” So I thought it would be best to go back and temp with Antonio’s drums first, like I had for the rest of the episodes, and then started overlaying some of the noir scores on top. That felt like the best combination of both worlds and the guys liked it!
From there, this became a guide for Antonio to get inspired and create his own thing. Originally, Seth and Evan only wanted the second half of the episode to sound like film noir, but Antonio was doing such a great job, and they loved his score so much, that they decided to use it throughout the entire episode!
You are Emmy-nominated for “The Golden Globes” episode of the show. How did you and your collaborators weave together the show’s diegetic and non-diegetic music throughout the episode?
Well, the Golden Globes episode opens with “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima and it really sets the tone for all the music that follows. In a lot of the score moments, Antonio quotes that swung “Krupa feel” on the toms, and in others, he uses the drums to highlight Matt’s cringy tension, like, is Zoë going to thank him?
We also had lots of diegetic music, the kind you hear at award shows between speeches. At first, we tried using classic Hollywood-style cues with sweeping strings, but it didn’t feel quite right. Then we shifted to jazz big band tracks, with drums and brass driving the energy, and it worked so much better. It gave every scene more drive and helped push the story forward, plus it tied in more closely with Antonio’s original score. My favorite example of that is when Antonio does a big drum roll that leads into the jazz big band cutting off Zoë’s speech right before she could thank Matt!
As a music editor, the best part was having stems for most of those tracks (kudos to the music library Audio Network) so we could isolate instruments and play around, especially with the drums, making the source music sometimes feel like it became score.
What was your initial reaction to the Emmy nomination?
I honestly was not expecting it! That morning I went to the gym, and when I left, I had a text from a friend: “Congrats Lorena!” And I thought, “Ay ay ay, no way! Did we get nominated?” I called my husband right away so he could check, but he could only find info on the actor and director nominations. Once I got home, we logged in to the Television Academy site and confirmed it: the whole Sound Editing team and Antonio got nominated! I immediately called my parents and brother on a video call to share the exciting news! By the way, the friend who texted me was Lindsey Alvarez, who’s also nominated for The Studio in the Sound Mixing category. I then reached out to a bunch of people to thank them and congratulate them, including our fearless Supervising Sound Editor, George Haddad, who led an incredible team!
Do you have a favorite sequence or scene from The Studio?
There are so many great scenes across the whole show but my favorite one is in “The Oner” episode. The way that episode was written, shot, and edited is brilliant. Towards the end, after everything Matt Remick does to mess up the day, just when you think it can’t get any worse, it keeps escalating over and over again. Greta Lee’s shot is ruined because a car is blocking the driveway, the AD says, “Custom plate, STD Head,” Matt responds, “Studio Head”, and then, boom, the score hits and they start running! The music follows them in and out of the house: where are the keys, coffee spill… it’s just so funny and epic! I’ve watched it multiple times with friends to see their reactions, and they all had their hands on their heads like, “oh no!”
Did you learn anything new about yourself or the entertainment industry by working on an industry satire like The Studio?
It was funny how in an episode like “The Pediatric Oncologist,” Matt wants doctors to accept that making movies is as important as saving lives, which of course, it’s not! But that’s his reality, what he cares about the most. We all love what we do, and sometimes we can take it too seriously and get stressed out, but I always remind myself that we need to enjoy the process first. After all, we’re entertaining people! And honestly, my experience with the entire The Studio team was so positive. The creators’ joy, love for the project, and clear direction really trickled down to all of us. It was a very demanding show of course, but we all enjoyed working on it and knew it was special. I feel very lucky to have been a small part of it, collaborating with so many talented and kind people!
Thanks Lorena! Are there any other recent or upcoming projects you would like to highlight?
I recently recorded percussion for the new Dora and The Search for Sol Dorado movie, led by the amazing composer Kenny Wood. It’s a wonderful, family-friendly film inspired by Indiana Jones, even the score! I highly recommend it. I also recorded on the Dora TV reboot soundtrack, led by the talented Bobby Villarreal, which is perfect for the really young ones in the family. I enjoy working on children’s projects, and I actually have a project of my own in the works. Stay tuned for a world music album called Tutu and Pash, coming soon!
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