In this episode (part 2 of 2), Neil and Jason talk to the Oscar-winning Production Sound Mixer Simon Hayes about the work-ethic he learned from filming with his father, Production Sound Mixer John Hayes; other Production Sound Mixers that have inspired him; the importance of a life lived outside of the film business (to both your health and your finances); and his close and long-standing friendship with the film director, Guy Ritchie. And stay tuned to hear how Neil throws caution to the...

In this episode (part 1 of 2), Neil and Jason talk to Oscar-winning Production Sound Mixer Simon Hayes about his demanding work on location film sets and deep-dive into Simon’s philosophy and approach to modern location recording techniques. We discuss the importance of a fully-digital signal chain, the understanding with directors he establishes at the beginning of each project and the very different considerations he applies to recording and mixing musicals such as Les Misérables, Cats and...

In this episode, Neil and Jason talk to the Oscar-winning supervising sound editors and sound designers, Nina Hartstone and John Warhurst, about their work and specifically, in-depth about the sound design considerations for the feature films Les Miserables, Gravity, Cats, Bohemian Rhapsody and the documentary of David Bowie’s life, Moonage Daydream. Whilst the David Bowie vinyl album cover of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars boldly stated, “To Be Played At Maximum Volume” (which we...

In this episode, Neil and Jason talk to ‘Mr. Loudness’, Mike Thornton, about the issues of television programme loudness and dialogue intelligibility. Why is the background music too loud? Why can’t the viewers hear what the actors are saying? And why are films so loud in the cinema? In a comprehensive and compelling journey starting with radio transmission concerns in the 1930s, to the present-day woes of broadcasters and streaming platforms, Mike’s accessible and understandable...

In this episode, Neil and Jason talk to emerging Australian sound designer Andrew Dean about his work, in particular the award-winning films ‘Mud Crab’ (written and directed by David Robinson-Smith), ‘Gorgo’ (directed by Veniamin Gialouris) and the forthcoming feature film ‘Salt Along the Tongue’, (directed by Parish Malfitano), that Andrew sound designed and mixed. Andrew describes his journey from working in a Bathurst multi-screen cinema, then studying for a music degree, moving from...

In this episode, Neil and Jason talk to Julian Treasure, the author and presenter of several of the most viewed TED Talks of all time, including ‘How to Speak So People Want to Listen’ which has been viewed more than 150 million times. A self-proclaimed ‘listening evangelist’, Julian shares remarkable insights into the ways in which conscious listening brings about positive change both in personal and professional relationships, how low-cost acoustic considerations for classrooms deliver...

In this episode, Neil and Jason talk to American indie filmmakers Sebastian Pigott and Lizabeth Yandel about their latest film, Bring It All Back Home as it nears completion. They delve more deeply into the challenges Sebastian as the director and Lizabeth as the sound editor faced in production and then subsequently in post-production. It's an experience to inspire all filmmakers! (Explicit language) Mentioned in this podcast: Bring It All Back Home: trailer here -...

In this episode, Neil and Jason talk to Philip Belcher about his career as one of Australia’s most successful, but possibly least recognised, technology sector CEOs. Philip’s behind-the-scenes stories and strategies when managing multi-national companies such as NEC and Cisco Systems makes riveting and relevant listening for sole traders, freelancers and small companies alike; as does his fascinating insight into steering the audacious sale of the legendary digital audio workstation company...