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Cannes- undoubtedly host to the most glamorous film festival in the world. A week of premiers, private yachts and helicopters coming and going, as the film world's finest descend on a small town on the French Riviera.
I was working there, but got to spend an evening soaking it all up- this is what it sounds like...
The poster at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival paid homage to Ingrid Bergman
It's been a week since the Berlinale Talents wrap-up party and we've finally recovered! Here's a round-up of what we saw / heard… (If you don't know anything about the Berlinale Talents Campus, here's a quick intro).
There were too many interesting sessions going on to attend them all but the most valuable experience by far was being immersed in a totally film-focused space for a whole week. Meeting a wide range of talented film-makers from all over the world (75 countries represented at this year's edition), is a great opportunity. From what we gathered, there is nothing on this scale in the festival circuit (let us know if there is and we'll go!), so we feel privileged to have experienced it first-hand and would strongly recommend it to anyone thinking of taking part.
Here's some of our personal highlights from the Berlinale Talents 2015:
The Memory of Violence
Joshua Oppenheimer (The Look of Silence) & Marcel Ophüls (The Memory of Justice) talked about documenting the search for truth in some of history's darkest episodes. How do you get assassins and torturers (many still in power in Oppenheimer's films) to speak in front of a camera about atrocities they've committed in the not so distant past? Oppenheimer's "The Act of Killing" won a BAFTA for Best Documentary and was nominated for an Oscar in 2014. His latest film The Look of Silence is a sequel to TAOK, and deals with a family that survived the genocide in Indonesia. Within the film, the men who killed people in that family are powerfully confronted.
Many of Ophüls films also revolve around atrocities committed in wars. It was humbling to see how Ophüls (87) was in awe Oppenheimer's work; Ophüls also received a Camera Award for his life work at this year's Berlinale. I haven't seen any of the films of these two guys but the clips they showed were powerful pieces of filmmaking- definitely for 'the watch list'.
You can watch this session here (film extracts removed for copyright reasons)
Sound Studio composers and sound designers (from L to R): Warren Santiago, Xingyu Li, Ng Chor Guan, Zethu Mashika, Adriana Espinal, Howard Shore, Agatha Chodyra, Nick Buckton, Victoria Wijeratne, Carlos Andrés Gutiérrez Quiroga, Ania Przygoda, (bottom row) Angel Pérez Grandi and Blair Mowat, (not in the frame) Olivier Militon, Olivier Alary, Jana Irmert and Linus Nickl. (Pic courtesy of @BlairMowat)
Howard Shore: Scoring Goals + Meet the expert
The 3-time Oscar winning maestro spoke about his trajectory, his approach to composition, his long-standing collaboration with Canadian fellow David Cronenberg and how The Lord of The Rings has taken over the best part of his last 10 years.
We (the Sound Studio folk) had a private session with Mr. Howard Shore the next day, where we got to bombard him with questions. He seemed very proud of his work on Silence of The Lambs so I asked him, when did the sound design stop and the score start in this scene? His response: "Silence came out in 1991, too long ago to remember"!
Speaking on how he approaches a new project, Shore explained that he gathers and absorbs as much information related to the subject as he can before writing single note. He then puts all that information aside and writes the music without looking back. He never composes on a piano or any instrument and he's always thinking of harmony and counterpoint. He encourages collaboration with the sound designer (hurrah!) and doesn't attend the dubbing stage because there is never a chair for the composer. And because, as he rightly puts it; it's a war zone!
All-in-all it was great to meet a composer of his stature and a generous gentleman too.
Watch this session here (film extracts removed for copyright reasons)
Berlin's The Post Republic cinema stage
Dolby® Atmos Masterclass
As part of the Sound Studio we had a day-long session mixing three soundscapes at The Post Republic's Dolby® Atmos dubbing stage with German re-recording top dogs Martin Steyer and Lars Ginzel (whose necks you can appreciate in the picture above). One of these soundscapes was our own which you can listen to below in a pseudo A-B (pre/post Atmos mixing) comparison. This session was a real eye-opener to the possibilities offered by object-based audio editing, mixing and playback. In essence, Dolby® Atmos truly expands the width and clarity of the audio-visual field. The surround experience is so immersive that sound placed in that space blends naturally, as opposed to the "traditional" surround channels that have to be used more subtly. Definitely the way to go for sound technology - the question remains, how long is it going to take before it becomes the standard?
Watch this space for a deeper look at Dolby® Atmos in the coming weeks!
Here's a few other sessions we missed but would've loved to attend:
- Imaginary Worlds: Exploring the Unknown with Alex McDowell, Bruno Setola and Jeff Watson (USC/5D Institute)
Building experiences and worlds in which stories unfold in new mind-blowing ways, redefining the limits of design and narrative, moving into a landscape where art and science, design and engineering are inseparable.
- Road, Movie: Films in Motion with Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) and Sebastian Schipper (Victoria)
Discussion with two filmmakers whose literally "moving" films can exemplify the best of what cinema can offer.
- Kill Your Darlings
Editor and director Susan Korda (For All Mankind) believes "Good editing is like good sex" and in this masterclass she proves just how.
- "Bigger Than Life" with Sir Ken Adam (Dr Strangelove) and Alex McDowell (Minority Report)
An exhibition featuring drawings, photographs, films and objects from Adam's work; from idea to paper to set to screen. The tour was led by production designer Alex McDowell and concluded with a get-together with Adam.
And there were many more… To watch some 25 panels and masterclasses that took place at the 2015 Berlinale Talents, head to their Youtube channel.
So, did you get to go to Berlinale too? What were your personal highlights? Did you see any films you'd recommend? Are you planning to go next year? I'd love to hear everyone else's thoughts...
Happy Weekend everyone!
We're heading to Berlin this week, for it's annual film festival of premieres, awards and networking events. We've been invited to Berlinale Talents this year, which we're really excited about. The Talents Campus (as it was formerly known) is a gathering of over 300 film industry creatives, and an opportunity to share work, ideas, and learn about new technology in all areas of film.
As part of the programme there are public events and lectures about all things moving pictures. Each year there is a theme, and this year's is "2015: A Space Discovery". Space & sound is such a lush combination, we're looking forward to some interesting talks from people in the know. Here's our top picks of the week's events...
Interweaving story and sound development.
Masterclass on score composing.
Creating distinctive soundscapes for films.
Darren Aronofski and Claudia Llossa discuss how they have sculpted space in their own highly acclaimed work.
Multifaceted techniques to merge sound, image and timing with Susan Korda.
We first heard about Berlinale from our friends at The Quiet Hour and decided to apply to take part in the Dolby Atmos Mixing Masterclass. It was great to hear back from the organisers and learn we'd been placed in the top three applicants, and will get to hear our prepared piece in a state of the art theatre during the festival.
Most of all, we're looking forward to soaking up as much as we can from the week. We'll be sharing our favourite bits from Berlin when we get back home. Is anyone else going to the festival? Or is there anything you know is going on there and would love to take part in? Hopefully we'll get to catch up with some old faces, and meet some new ones!
Wishing everyone a great weekend, whatever you get up to.
A film we worked on premiered at London's Raindance last week and got nominated for best UK feature. Every project requires time and commitment, but this one was pretty intense to say the least! It was one of those you end up pouring your heart and soul into, and I'm so glad I got to work on it.
I've talked before about the intensity of thrillers- they are hugely sound dependent; the balance between silence and "boom" is pivotal. The Quiet Hour is no exception, as it follows a young girl's struggle for survival in isolating surroundings. Director Stephanie and Producer Sean describe it more eloquently here!
I'm away on my travels again at the moment. Looking forward to seeing the reaction to the movie when I get home, and catching up with autumnal Ireland. Apparently it's sunny there at the moment but I don't believe it!
Hope it's a great weekend for all.
How was your bank holiday weekend?! We were at Film4's Frightfest and had a ball.
The first time we went was for The Human Centipede (first sequence) and we were back again this year to watch The Mirror, which we were very much proud to be a part of! The film was well received and it's always nice to put faces to voices after working long distance. Congrats to Ed Boase and all involved! Production Company / Crew. The Mirror will be released on DVD the 8th of September 2014.
Q&A with Director Ed Boase
Festivals like this are a great platform for film makers. They put the spotlight on up and coming talent and also allow fans of genres like Horror and all it's sub-genres to see the kind of stuff they love in all their glory- where they should be seen; on the big screen. Some other great local film festivals...
What have you got planned for the weekend coming up? We did an interview with the infamous Dean Humphreys this week which we'll be writing up- will be posting it soon. We also got inspired by all the blood and guts of Frightfest, so we're onto some Halloween themed sounds in the studio. In the meantime, have a good'un and here's some cool stuff from around and about...
Scientitsts Are Recording The Sound Of The Whole Planet
The Listeners - Series About People Whose Professional Lives Revolve Around Hearing
Sound Ark is an Audio Production & Post Production facility based in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. We offer tailor-made audio packages, inclusive of every aspect from location recording to final mix. Producing consistently high-caliber sound effects, using state of the art technology and a commitment to achieving our clients' audio vision.
Sound Ark Studios | Mackan, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, BT92 3GJ, United Kingdom
