Australia Day is more than just a holiday; it’s both a day of reflection and socialising for many Australians. The celebrations on Sydney Harbour are some of the most exciting in the country.
 
This year, we were contracted by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet to create the soundtrack for the Australia Day ‘On the Harbour’ event.  The soundtrack that included a choir, voiceovers and special effects was played back from on board the HMAS Canberra through large speaker arrays that were focused towards various vantage points around the harbour. The soundtrack was timed to allow for the inclusion of live elements such as a RAAF F18 fly past and a 21 gun salute.

In an Australian first, Rizer, a dynamic event production company based in Sydney, engaged Sounds & Motion to deliver an immersive 3D soundscape for News Corp Australia’s ‘Come Together 2015’. The annual event used to announce their major commercial initiatives for the year ahead to their clients, partners, media and creative agencies.
 
Held at Stage 7 at Fox Studios Australia, on 30 July, 800 people were treated to an a unique multi-sensory experience, reflective of News Corp’s focus on innovation and multi platform delivery of content.

Sounds & Motion created and delivered the immersive sound experience for the event. The music was composed by renowned Australian music producer Paul Mac and the orchestral arrangements were created by George Ellis, conductor and musical director. We then custom made the sound design to compliment the musical score and integrate with the special graphics animation and video content. The result was an exciting sound experience that completely immersed the audience, drawing them into and making them part of their surrounds.

In addition to the sound design, Sounds & Motion was integral to Rizer’s event production. Managing the audio components included pre-recording the orchestra, mixing all sound elements in IOSONO’s Spatial Audio Workstation, providing all audio personnel, sound system design and installation. The event speaker system consisted of 44 individual speaker channels, each individually addressed by the IOSONO Processor.

Related coverage:
www.newscorpaustralia.com/campaigns/come-together-2015
www.inhandsomelight.com.au

While film and television are both visual experiences, the importance of sound to the experience can often be overlooked but should never be underestimated. 

An untrained audience is often unaware of the amount of post-production undertaken for sound. Not only do you incorporate the sounds and dialogue recorded during filming, new sounds are also added later that enhance the experience, such as music and effects.

When putting together a complete soundtrack, a sound designer will mix these audio elements together and create a balanced whole that emphasises the emotional path and highlights of the visual story. Such as:

• Making the dialogue or human voices as natural and authentic as possible, and ensuring balance with the rest of the sounds;
• Creating and using sound effects, sounds that are synchronised with the action (such as footsteps that match walking feet) and sounds that are off-screen or asynchronous (such as the sound of an ambulance's siren somewhere outside a darkened apartment);
• Composing and bringing music into the sound mix at the right levels, and in the right places. For the best example of a timely and brilliantly mixed use of music, think of the 1977 film Jaws. 

In late 2013 Sounds & Motion did the 5.1 surround mix and mastering of short film The Uneducated. 

Written and directed by former Animal Logic and Disney animator Craig Rutherford and produced by his wife, Pamela Lee Rutherford, The Uneducated is a short film about the unanswerable questions of life as seen through the eyes of two children.

After school, a young boy with an incredible intellect finds solace within a science lab, with something on his mind. His solitude is broken by a curious girl who seeks to understand his strangeness with endless questioning and a wild imagination. He dismisses her childlike outlook on life, but In the end, learns something through her that cannot be taught, only revealed... but at what cost for the girl?

To date the film has picked up a number of festival nominations and screenings including the 2014 Spirit Quest Film Festival and 2014 Green Bay Festival and it won the Long Time award at the 2014 Imago Film Festival.

We're proud to have supported the production of 'No Fracking Way' with sound recording in our studios. Congratulations to Leo Sayer and the team. Get involved! 

Sounds & Motion was engaged by producer Tracey Savage to provide all of the sound mixing and sound design for Liv; a short film directed by Pauline Finlay. The film screened at 2013 Flickerfest and 2012 Palm Springs International Shortfest.

Liv is about a young woman being brutalised by cyber bullies, and loathed by her mother. Liv has a chance for change and discovery comes when she enters an art competition and falls in love with Jasper. But can her love for art and tattooing help her to overcome the bullies?

In addition to the sound design, we also provided spot effects and foley which are sound effects that are specifically recorded to fit a particular action or moment in the film.

For example - there is a scene where Liv gets knocked to the ground by a group of girls that are bullying her. The attack happens in a pedestrian tunnel that runs under a railway line. Sounds and Motion went to this location and recorded the sounds of trains, metal against metal sounds created by the train wheels changing tracks, the sound of footsteps and train sounds from inside the tunnel. All of those were then incorporated into the sound design for this particular scene.

For more information about the film
visit www.reddottheshortfilm.com

Sound design is the process of using sound to enhance or alter the reality of an experience, such as manipulating sound in the cinema or on television, creating sounds to match a 3D projection display, or enhancing the audio experience of a live show.

A sound designer has the job of deciding which sounds to use and where, acquiring or generating the necessary sounds, and applying the audio.

Good sound design involves careful thinking about every kind of sound, from voices to music to sound effects and 'atmos', which is the sound of silence. It's a role that combines creativity and technology to create a mood through sound.

Sounds & Motion have been providing sound design since 2004, and we specialise in mixing, producing and reproducing the best possible quality audio solutions for a range of entertainment situations. Our clients are many and varied. They include film and television companies, major events organisations and international corporations.

Here we take a look back at some of Des O'Neill's earlier sound design work: