Frances McDormand's howl at Oscars was tribute to Nomadland sound engineer Michael Wolf Snyder


Frances McDormand let out a wolf howl as Nomadland won best picture at the Oscars in one of the most bizarre moments of Sunday night’s ceremony – and now director Chloe Zhao has revealed why.

Zhao, who won best director, said the wolf howl was intended as a tribute to the film’s sound engineer Michael Snyder, who went by his middle name Wolf to friends and died by suicide in March this year at the age of 35.

‘We give this one to our Wolf,’ McDormand said before throwing her head back and imitating a wolf’s cry.

Speaking after the ceremony, Zhao elaborated: ‘The howling is for our production sound mixer who you saw in the memorial.

‘We unfortunately lost him recently… He’s part of the family.’

Frances McDormand's howl during last night's Oscars was revealed to have been a tribute to the film's late sound engineer Michael Wolf Snyder (pictured)

Frances McDormand’s howl during last night’s Oscars was revealed to have been a tribute to the film’s late sound engineer Michael Wolf Snyder (pictured)

Snyder (right) is pictured with actress Frances McDormand on the set of their Oscar winning film Nomadland

 Snyder (right) is pictured with actress Frances McDormand on the set of their Oscar winning film Nomadland

Snyder, born in New York was the son of a psychiatrist and graduated from New York University with a BFA in Film/Cinema/Video Studies.

His debut credit came on the 2011 thriller Occupant. In 2014, he co-wrote, co-produced and mixed a short film called Jodie’s Way about a highschooler questioning their gender identity who has a run in with a group of girls.

Snyder’s other credits include the Amazon series Good Omens starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen, and mini-series HodoBuzz.

He also worked on Zhao’s first feature film The Rider which was released in 2017.

Zhao honored Snyder last month, dedicating her Critics Choice Award for best director to him. 

Snyder, born in New York was the son of a psychiatrist and graduated from New York University with a BFA in Film/Cinema/Video Studies

 Snyder, born in New York was the son of a psychiatrist and graduated from New York University with a BFA in Film/Cinema/Video Studies

His debut credit came on the 2011 thriller Occupant. In 2014, he co-wrote, co-produced and mixed a short film called Jodie's Way about a highschooler questioning their gender identity who has a run in with a group of girls

His debut credit came on the 2011 thriller Occupant. In 2014, he co-wrote, co-produced and mixed a short film called Jodie’s Way about a highschooler questioning their gender identity who has a run in with a group of girls

‘I remember on ‘The Rider,’ because we only had five people on our crew, and after a really hectic day, Wolf came to me and said, ‘Hey, Chloé, how about I just record room tone a little bit longer than I need so I can buy you some time to think, to hear yourself better?” she said.

‘And that’s what we did. And we did the same thing on ‘Nomadland,’ Zhao said. ‘And these were the best moments of our day. The whole crew together, watching Wolf, and he would say, ‘All right, everyone, get ready. Let’s go to your Zen place.’ And we did. So thank you, Wolf. We honor you and we’ll see you down the road, my friend.’ 

Snyder’s death was announced by his aunt, Cathy Snyder, who shared a message from Snyder’s father David in a Facebook post last month.

Sending a message: McDormand, 63, howled as the Chloe Zhao directed film won best picture and before she won the top honor for an actress for the third time

 At the end of the acceptance speech for Nomadland’s Oscar win for best film, actress Frances McDormand let out a howl in tribute to Snyder

‘Michael took his own life sometime in the last week and wasn’t discovered until I went to check on him Monday after he had dropped out of contact for several days. He has suffered from Major Depression for many years. For most people, this is an illness that waxes and wanes over the years. 

‘I’m sure it was difficult for Michael that he spent most of the last year alone in his small, Queens apartment, being responsible about dealing with the coronavirus. In spite of this, we all believed he was doing well, and for most of this past year I think he was. 

 

‘He seemed especially joyful and invigorated in these last few months since he was able to return to work on several different film projects. He was certainly thrilled about all of the accolades for Nomadland and told us many happy stories about his work on the film and the amazing people he got to spend time with.’

‘We have always known how much Wolf loved his work in film; it was the brightest spot in his life.’ This year, Michael was nominated for best sound/effects at the CinEuphoria awards for Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland. 

‘His additional credits in the sound department include Zhao’s The Rider, mini-series HodoBuzz and Good Omens, and numerous short films. On set over the last decade, his roles ranged from sound mixer to boom operator, location sound recordist and sound director.’

In the message, Snyder’s father urged others struggling with depression to seek support. 

‘I hope that the shocking nature of Michael’s death will alert others to speak up, risk being vulnerable, and seek the help that they need,’ he wrote. 

 

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

In the United States, help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can call them for free 24/7 on 1-800-273-8255. 

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