James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D
'Deepsea Challenge 3D' traces James Cameron’s record-breaking solo dive to lowest point on earth, the Mariana Trench, in the South Pacific. Soundfirm were tasked with delivering the full theatrical sound post production on this epic and ground-breaking documentary feature.
Working closely with Cameron’s team, Soundfirm crafted a track that seamlessly wove the documentary location sound with re-imagined under-water worlds, particularly capturing the environment inside Cameron’s dive capsule and in the Mariana Trench itself.
“The creative challenge came in building an underwater sound-scape where no location production sound existed,” said Soundfirm's Sound Supervisor, Chris Goodes. “Those worlds had to be carefully re-imagined, without compromise to the documentary, or the narrative,” he added.
The feature was mixed in 7.1 (by Goodes), as Soundfirm utilised resources across both their facilities in Sydney and Melbourne to deliver the sound post production.
Sound Designer, Steve Burgess, worked tirelessly with Chris Goodes and James Ashton (FX/Atmos Editor) in Melbourne, while Andy Wright completed the dialogue edit, pre-mixes, and oversaw foley (George Alamaras and Mario Vaccaro) and narration tracks from Soundfirm’s Sydney facility, on Fox Studios.
The film has been recognised and acclaimed in several ‘craft’ categories at recent awards, including Best Feature Length Documentary at the 2015 ACCTA Awards, held at Sydney’s Star Entertainment Centre, and at Best Feature Documentary at the prestigious MPSE Golden Reel Awards in Hollywood.
- Motion Picture Sound Editors, Golden Reel 2015 – Nomination, Feature Documentary
- ACCTA Nomination: Best Feature Length Documentary
- ASSG Nomination: Best Sound for a Documentary
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/103470630[/vimeo]
Soundfirm proudly supports the ASSG
Soundfirm are proud to announce their support and sponsorship of the Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG), and will be hosting the screening of 16 Australian films over the next three weeks at their studios on Fox Studios.
The screenings mark the ASSG’s ‘2nd Celebration of Sound for Australian Film’ ahead of the annual Awards, which will take place on Sunday 23rd November 2014.
General Manager, Paul Willey, said “we really delighted to be supporting the ASSG this year. Since the late 80’s the Guild has played an important role in educating, advancing, and celebrating the craft of screen sound locally, and it’s more important than ever that these principles are promoted, both here in Australia and to overseas markets.”
Entries are now open for the following categories:
The categories for this year’s awards are:
Best Sound for a Television Commercial or Promo
Best Sound for an Animated Short Film
Best Sound for a Short Fiction Film
Best Sound for Lifestyle, Reality or Live Television
Best Sound for a Tele Feature
Best Sound for a Television Drama Series
Best Sound for a Documentary
Best Sound for Interactive Media
Best Sound for a Feature Film
Kill Me Three Times
Soundfirm have completed the full post production on Kriv Stenders’ ‘Kill Me Three Times,’ starring Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton, Luke Hemsworth, Alice Braga, and Teresa Palmer.
Gruesome and hilarious, ‘Kill Me Three Times’ is a blackly comic neo-noir that unfolds in a small Australian surfing town under a blinding sun; all the better to illuminate its cleverly designed network of malfeasance, as Charlie Wolfe (Pegg) quickly comes to learn that he isn’t the only one trying to kill the town’s siren, Alice Taylor (Braga).
Director Kriv Stenders and screenwriter James McFarland have crafted a suspenseful, knotted plot rigged with hairpin turns and bleak surprises, while cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson's sun-punched images keep us grounded in a world of sweaty tension, careering from one perspective to the next.
Editor Jill Billcock’s masterful edit was skilfully complemented by the Soundfirm team in post production: picture and sound post were centrally managed from their Melbourne Facility, with Dee McClelland grading on Resolve, Jonathan Burton managing picture delivery, and Chris Goodes acting as Sound Supervisor.
Soundfirm CEO Roger Savage said, “we are really proud to have been able to work with Kriv on ‘Kill Me Three Times,’ following successful collaborations with him in the past. Being able to accommodate everything under one roof realised both time and cost savings during post, and allowed everyone to focus on crafting the best film possible.”
‘Kill Me Three Times’ will have it’s World Premier on the 6th September at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Please Like Me
Soundfirm have completed the full picture and sound post production on ABC2's award winning comedy drama, 'Please Like Me.'
Hot on the heels of the 'Best Television Comedy Series' Award at the AACTA's, Series 2 sees Josh return to our screens in a 10-part series - fun, frolics and a small amount of trouble can be expected!
Lisa Wang, Line Producer, said: "In this business it's a given that you need to be good at what you do. We know it can be tough and challenging, so three boxes that must be ticked are service, quality and technical excellence. Soundfirm does all of the above. That's why we chose them to handle the Post Production for "Please Like Me - Series 2." We knew in Australia and internationally they have created a distinctive and enviable track record. Now we know why. And I've noticed that they don't stand still. They continue to develop, evolve and innovate. We've already scheduled all our Post requirements for series 3 in 2015 with Soundfirm. Because they are very, very good at what they do."
Please Like Me airs on ABC2 through August and September and will be distributed through the US by Pivot.
Sound Post Production - Soundfirm Melbourne (Foley at Soundfirm Sydney) - Chris Goodes, Simon Rosenberg)
Picture Post Production - Soundfirm Melbourne - Jonathan Burton, Dee McClelland
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/please-like-me/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2155025/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1
Predestination
Soundfirm have completed the sound track on the Spierig brothers cult sci-fi adventure “Predestination,” starring Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor and Madeleine West.
Sound Supervisor and Senior Re-recording Mixer, Chris Goodes, skilfully designed the sound track, mixing and delivering in 7.1 from Soundfirm’s main mix stage in Melbourne.
Chris was ably supported by James Ashton (dialogue edit), Glen Newnham (crowds and loop group edit) and Steve Burgess (FX/atmosphere edit) in Melbourne, while foley was completed by the Soundfirm team in Sydney (led by Alex Francis and Mario Vaccaro).
Sarah Snook’s characters in particular needed careful attention in terms of sound design, as Chris played with the pitch of both the male and the female voices, to produce a very nuanced and believable result; especially when two characters, played by the same actor, were required to converse.
Equally, the ‘time-jump sequences' (between different time periods and locations) called for specific sound design and creativity, with each transition requiring its own aesthetic in terms of how sound was used to ‘pull the audience along’ for the ride.
Predestination cleaned up at the 2015 ACCTA Awards in Sydney, winning in several of the craft categories, including ‘Best Production Design,’ ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Editing.’
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/109361653[/vimeo]
Soundfirm @ MIFF 2014
Soundfirm at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2014
Soundfirm are well represented at MIFF 2014, with no less than four films posted by us making the cut; including the Spierig Brothers epic thriller, ‘Predestination’ (Ethan Hawke, Noah Taylor, Sarah Snook) which opens the Festival on the 31st July. Projects include:
‘My Mistress’ – full post production, picture/sound and re-investment (Soundfirm Sydney & Melbourne )
‘Electric Boogaloo – The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films’ – sound post (Soundfirm Melbourne)
‘Paper Planes’ – sound post production (Soundfirm Melbourne)
‘Predestination’ – sound post production (Opening Night film) (Soundfirm Melbourne)
‘Baby Baby’ [Short Film] – Soundfirm Sydney.
MIFF runs from the 31st July to the 17th August at various venues in the City.
Go support them - and we hope to see you for a celebratory drink at the bar on Opening Night! Enjoy the Festival.
http://miff.com.au/program/search
Life at 9
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njCiHO-Cq-o[/youtube]
Soundfirm Sydney have completed the full picture and sound post production on ‘Life at 9’ – the 5th installment of the seminal ‘Life Series’ of documentaries, for Heiress Films and the ABC.
‘Life at 9’ provides a window on Australian childhood in an effort to uncover just what it is that gives a child the best chance at life. Explored through ‘Independence’ (episode 1) and ‘Creativity’ (episode 2), the series represents a comprehensive study of childhood development, from first picking up their stories at aged just one, to now, 8 years later.
Soundfirm undertook the full post production from their Sydney facility; from on-set and on-location data management, though to a complex multi-camera conform, grade and online; full sound post production, and management of delivery to the ABC.
Producer, Naomi Just, said “Soundfirm saw us through our picture and sound post production for “Life at 9”, helping us with a holistic production pathway, for which I am most grateful.”
“’’The Life Series’ is a really important and compelling piece of documentary,” said Soundfirm General Manager, Paul Willey. “We’re proud to have been able to deliver an end-to-end solution; working through the complexities of the series with the client, and meeting the challenges inherent in a project of this scale head-on.”
‘Life at 9 – Independence’ airs on the ABC tonight, 29th July 2014; episode 2, ‘Creativity’ airs on the 5th August, both at 20.30hrs.
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/life/
https://www.facebook.com/thelifeseries
Soundfirm Post Production:
Offline resources – Spectrum Films, Fox Studios
Jasmin Cornford – Post Production Manager
Colourist – Angela Cerasi
Online Editor – Shane Goddard
Senior Mixer/Head of Sound – Andy Wright
VO Recordist – Diego Ruiz
Driving Miss Daisy
With the filmed version of Alfred Urhy’s acclaimed stage play ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ hitting cinema screens around the world, Melbourne has a starring role behind the scenes. The movie was shot at our own Comedy Theatre during the show’s Australian tour, following highly successful runs on Broadway and in London.
Starring legends of stage and screen Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones, a local crew was used for the six-camera shoot and Melbourne-based Soundfirm completed all post-production – picture and sound. Another feather in our cap was the choice of editor, local luminary Jill Bilcock, who clinched the gig with the special blessing of Ms Lansbury.
Melbourne’s stage production was universally praised and New York company Broadway Near You (dedicated to bringing Broadway and West End plays to the big screen) commissioned Melbourne’s Richard Moore of Umbrella Entertainment to produce the movie version.
CEO of Broadway Near You, Lee Deboer, has praised the film, saying, ‘The perfect rendition of Driving Miss Daisy was also captured perfectly – and a big part of that achievement was Soundfirm’. Take a bow Melbourne!
The film is initially screening at Village Cinemas on August 2 and 3, featuring a Q&A session with Angela Lansbury beamed in from London, followed by an Australia-wide limited season.
4k upgrades for Soundfirm Picture Post Kit
Soundfirm have upgraded their Mistika systems to add 4k render ability – and have additionally purchased 2 x Mamba FX licences to provide further compositing support to their picture post production suites.
Soundfirm General Manager, Paul Willey, said “we were the first facility in Australia to deploy SGO’s Mistika, and we remain very committed to their tools for high-end 2D and 3D picture post production. Mamba is a very light-weight but powerful set of tools that adds creative flexibility when completing conform FX, in support of third-party visual FX vendors, for theatrical and broadcast projects. The 4k render upgrade ensures we can Master and post produce pictures in the high resolutions that clients expect, as 4k and RAW acquisition slowly but surely becomes the norm.”
http://www.sgo.es/mistika-post/
Carlotta
“Soundfirm did an outstanding job on 'Carlotta.' At every stage they lavished care and creativity on the sound post. The final mix was a rich, multi-layered and textured product that would have played perfectly in any cinema let alone work so superbly for television. Great facility, great personnel and a great result” – Riccardo Pellizzeri, Producer, Storyworks/Carlotta.
Soundfirm are proud to have completed the full sound post production on the telemovie, ‘Carlotta’ for Storyworks and ABC1’s Drama Department, which airs on the 19th June 2014.
Directed by Samantha Lang, and Produced by Ric Pellizzeri and Lara Radulovich, ‘Carlotta’ stars Jessica Marais in the title role, recounting the true story of Australia’s most celebrated trans-gender show-girl at Sydney’s all-male revue, ‘ Les Girls,’ in the 1960’s and 70’s.
Soundfirm deployed their facilities in both Melbourne and Sydney to complete the feature-length track: Head Mixer Andy Wright over-saw proceedings, including a very intelligent, creative, and subtle pitch correct of Marais’s voice in post production, as the transformation from Balmain school-boy to Kings Cross show-girl was realised.
Soundfirm’s were able to deliver a very ‘theatrical’ track on a broadcast budget, and worked tirelessly to provide the scale of a cinema piece for the small screen; bringing ADR, foley, sound editorial, pre-and final mixing all under the one roof.
General Manager, Paul Willey said “Andy and the team should be rightly proud. This film was designed, mixed and finished with the ambition of a full-scale theatrical project. The final 5.1 delivery is the result of a lot of hard work from the whole creative team at Soundfirm. It re-affirms our passion for working on high quality TV drama and proves we have the skills and agility to deliver such projects on time, and within budget.”
Carlotta airs on ABC1 in Australia at 20.30, 19th June 2014.