SOUNDFIRM AT MIFF, OVER 30 YEARS AND COUNTING!

With the 72nd edition of The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) upon us, we celebrate SOUNDFIRM’S thirty plus year history with the esteemed festival and highlight what to expect for 2024.

As a long serving sponsor of MIFF, SOUNDFIRM is proud to have worked on four projects that have been selected to screen at this year’s festival. The exceptional stop-motion feature Memoir of a Snail from award-winning writer-director, ADAM ELLIOT (Harvie Krumpet); JUSTIN KURZEL’S (Nitram, Snowtown) transformative feature documentary following celebrated Australian musician, Warren Ellis in Ellis Park; the gripping Australian prison drama, Inside from breakout director, CHARLES WILLIAMS (All These Creatures) and the outback boxing redemption feature Kid Snow from director, PAUL GOLDMAN (EGO: The Michael Gudinski Story).

All four projects took advantage of SOUNDFIRM’S full post service package, making for a wonderfully collaborative experience between the SOUNDFIRM team and the films’ creators. We are excited to showcase the unwavering depth of talent to proudly come out of Melbourne on the globally accredited MIFF stage.

MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (Adam Elliot)

Oscar-winning auteur, ADAM ELLIOT and his highly anticipated claymation feature, Memoir of a Snail will open MIFF at the Opening Night Gala on Thursday, the 8th of August. SOUNDFIRM provided a complete post package of Picture, Sound and VFX on the project and were thrilled to help carry out the final phase of the eight-year-long enterprise. With the hand-made-Melbourne-made film having already claimed the Cristal Award for Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June, there are high hopes and justified predictions for future accolades to follow.

“Our post was spread out over almost seven months and Soundfirm became our second home; they fed us, held our hands and kept us mentally nourished while their team chiselled away at the many and complex post duties that needed to be done. - Adam Elliot, Writer-Director

Audiences will be treated once again to ELLIOT’S inspired universe in Memoir of a Snail. It’s a sentimental portrait of the lonely life of Gracie Pudel (SARAH SNOOK), a hoarder of snail memorabilia and a devoted reader of romance novels. This story begins with a middle-aged and melancholic Gracie, now alone and suffocated by ornaments symbolic of her misfortunes. She begins to recall where her life started to fall apart – from the death of her alcoholic father as a child to the subsequent separation from her twin brother, Gilbert (KODI SMIT-McPHEE). Through a series of woeful tribulations throughout her life, it’s not until she finds friendship in Pinky (JACKI WEAVER), an elderly and eccentric woman whose fearless outlook on life shines a beacon of hope over Gracie’s darkness. ELLIOT taps into very real adult problems through a playful lens in Memoir of a Snail; his wonderfully bizarre characters, ‘shelled’ motifs and perhaps an unprecedented stop-motion clay-snail orgy make for a meticulously intimate chronical about overcoming tragedy and finding happiness in oneself.

Much like ELLIOT’s writing and the years of arduously handcrafted mise-en-scène and shooting, the post-production process was every bit as rigorous for the SOUNDFIRM team. SOUNDFIRM’s in-house lead VFX artist, RUI LI was one of the first of the team to work on the project:

I worked on the VFX for Memoir of a Snail for nearly a year, and I have to say it is definitely one of the most fascinating and moving projects I’ve ever been involved in. The experience was profoundly rewarding, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment, from the meticulous wire removal shots to the complex, multi-element composites. Contributing to such a visually stunning and emotionally powerful film has been an honor. Every frame we crafted tells a story, and I cherish being part of bringing that story to life. - Rui Li, Lead VFX Artist

Every frame was carefully assessed, “We had over 600 shots needing fixing and cleanup. The VFX team lead by Rui did an incredible job making the animation look seamless. From removing rigs to layering on cellophane flames, they made the film shine” (Adam Elliot, dir.). And the advantage of having the entire post team working under one roof meant MARNIE EDGAR, Memoir of a Snail’s online editor could share some of the VFX workload.

This is the first film I have made where the entire post pipeline was under the one roof.?Having a one-stop-shop for everything meant I never had to waste time leaving the?building.?If a problem arose, we could swiftly and easily solve it. - Adam Elliot, Writer-Director

SOUNDFIRM in-house re-recording mixer, DAVID WILLIAMS stirred in Memoir’s final ingredient with the sound mix. WILLIAMS methodical sound design is thorough in nature and gives breath to the film’s carefully crafted moving picture.

Working with Adam was such an intensely creative and collaborative endeavour, one which was made so much easier by having Adam and Bill’s picture edit suite a literal stone’s throw away from my sound design suite. Nothing beats being able to walk down the corridor, knock on Adam’s door, and be able to instantly review a sequence together. It allowed for daily, and even hourly reviews with Adam. By the time we mixed, there weren’t endless pages of notes and changes to be made - Adam had been hearing it all since day one. It allowed us to craft the sound design of the film into something truly special. The added creative opportunities that are present by having picture, VFX and sound all in the same building are not to be underestimated! - David Williams, Sound Designer & Re-recording Mixer

KID SNOW (Paul Goldman)

Melburnian director and MIFF veteran PAUL GOLDMAN (Suburban Mayhem MIFF 2006, Australian Rules MIFF 2002), whose acclaimed feature documentary, Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story which headlined MIFF 2023, is back again this year with his film, Kid Snow. Having premiered at the Sydney Film Festival back in June, it’s a delight to be able to showcase this thrilling feature for Melbourne audiences.

The SOUNDFIRM team worked closely with GOLDMAN across picture, sound and VFX departments to bring the films stunning visuals and epic soundtrack to life. From writers JOHN BRUMPTON and STEPHEN CLEARY comes an invigorating tale about a struggling Irish tent boxer seeking redemption from his past. Just like Memoir of a Snail, the added benefit of having the complete post process carried out in the one building, made for a seamless experience.

ELLIS PARK (Justin Kurzel)

JUSTIN KURZEL’S, Ellis Park has also been selected to feature at MIFF’s Music on Film Gala event on Saturday the 10th of August. KURZEL’S inspirational feature documentary follows renowned Australian musician Warren Ellis in his quest to make a difference; Ellis Park blends creativity in music with a commitment to conservation leaving audiences reminded that much can be achieved when we work together. KURZEL was able to direct between the grade with DEE McCLLELAND in one room and the final mix with JAMES ASHTON in another, which were at times operating on the same day.

Collaborating with Justin and the entire post team to bring Ellis Park to life was a rewarding challenge. Working with archival footage always presents technical hurdles, but transforming the less-than-perfect material and matching it in with the rest of the documentary was incredibly satisfying. - Marnie Edgar, Online Editor

INSIDE (Charles Williams)

An impressive first feature from director Charles Williams is the seat gripping prison-set drama, Inside. SOUNDFIRM provided picture and sound post on this project and are delighted it is debuting at MIFF 2024. Shot in Melbourne and regional Victoria it showcases a powerhouse of talent on screen and behind the scenes.

Soundfirm's unwavering support made Inside possible. Post-Production is always a strangely vulnerable process and having Shaun, Keilah, Joel, Andy, Mick and the entire team at Soundfirm with me elevated the film enormously. - Charles William, Director

SOUNDFIRM’S leading re-recording mixer ANDY WRIGHT worked closely with WILLIAMS and the film’s composer, CHIARA COSTANZA to produce a magnetic sound design, which would complement WILLIAM’S provocative story and the trio of dynamic performances from the cast (GUY PEARCE, COSMO JARVIS, VINCENT MILLER).

Andy and his team are a dream. As a composer, I feel so lucky to have been able to sit in the mix for?Inside and witness their professionality and creative talent. I hope to be able to spend time more time at Soundfirm very soon. - Chiara Constanza, Composer

Inside will premiere at The Melbourne International Film Festival this year and is currently set to come to Australian cinemas in early 2025. The SOUNDFIRM team thoroughly enjoyed working with WILLIAMS’ to drive this project to fruition. The final result is certainly not to be missed!

We simply would not have been able to make Inside without Soundfirm's support. They assembled a world class post team across both picture and sound that was a perfectly balanced combination of established and emerging talent. They delivered on their commitment and supported the creative vision and challenges at every turn. - Marian Macgowan, Producer