One of the coolest new additions in FEST’s program in this 18th edition was the Sound and Music Hub, in partnership with Sound Particles and Espinho’s Music Academy, and with the support of Marseille’s International Music and Cinema Festival.
Through the course of two days, filmmakers attending FEST 2022, had the opportunity to dive into the world of sound, with talks, round tables and case studies from some of the most prestigious names in the sound department.
The big headliners were Mark Ulano, the veteran sound mixer, nominated for two Oscars and 25 year long collaborator of Quentin Tarantino, Will Files, the sound designer and sound editing supervisor for Stranger Things and The Batman, and the duo Nina Harstone and John Warhust, Oscar winners for their work in sound editing in Bohemian Rhapsody.
The theme that dominated every session was the importance of the collaboration between the director and his sound team, both in editing and mixing, as well as relating to score. After all, sound and music are a crucial aspect of storytelling and can transform a film entirely.
“In France, the composer is one of three authors of a film, alongside the director and the scriptwriter,” the french composer Rémi Boubal said. His talk was shared with his work partner, director Camille Lugan.
Will Files also underlined this importance of sound in narrative by showing how diegetic sounds can intertwine with score to create an incredibly intimate and powerful atmosphere in cinema. This symbiosis between sound design and music couldn’t achieve clearer proportions than in the work of Nina Harstone and John Warhust, who have dedicated their careers almost exclusively to musical films. The two sound editors brought a fascinating presentation to FEST about the technical process behind their work, with special attention to sound recording.
One of the software used by Nina and John in their films is FEST’s partner in this initiative - Sound Particles. The company’s CEO, Nuno Fonseca, also contributed to the Sound and Music Hub with his own session about the different sound formats and technology used in cinema, as well as with a workshop dedicated entirely to Sound Particle’s 3D sound software.
Lee Herrick, Polly Duval, Salomé Limón, Patrushka Mierzwat e Cyrille Aufort also took part in this new experience offered by FEST with different panels, including one on the role of women in the world of sound.
Francisca Tinoco
