Sound Production student shines in new documentary

Sound Production student shines in new documentary

Students from the College of Vocational Education’s Sound Production program have been collaborating with industry professionals to gain experience working with live shows and audio production.

In May, the Astor Theatre showcased a new documentary, ‘Love in Bright Landscapes’. The film celebrates the late David McComb of the Triffids.

The Astor Theatre presented the film in a double feature, with a Q&A and a tribute concert after the showing. 

VE student, David Turner, was able to assist in the production of the event, and is now working on making a recording of the tribute concert and Q&A.

This will be broadcast publicly on 3RRR later this year.

David shared his experiences and involvement with the Astor Theatre.

RMIT student David Turner posing for photo VE Sound Production student David Turner

How did you get involved in the Astor Theatre’s showing of ‘Love in Bright Landscapes’?

Sound and Live Production Program Coordinator, John Philips, extended an expression of interest to our sound production class, and I got in with a speedy reply.

We brought recording gear and helped set up the event with Mark Barry from B S Sound, and Lutecia from the Astor. 

How do you feel this experience has benefited your study of Sound Production?

It was great to see the event process from start to finish - being the first people in the theatre and the last to leave. Loki Lockwood (a live sound engineer that also works as studio supervisor in our course) was mixing the band, and was great at tolerating an event’s worth of questions while doing his thing.  

We got to see how closely our class activities translate to the real world.

The experience really helped consolidate a lot of our course material and gave us the confidence to start applying the skills we’re learning in class.

What was your favourite part of the experience on the day? 

It was very cool to be a part of the end result. We could see how our efforts translated / contributed to the impact of the show. 

It was a special event, so being involved in the deliverance of that to the audience felt special as well. I think the show was sold out.  

However, probably the perk I enjoyed the most was the free entry to the theatre with decent seats for the show.

What are the next steps regarding the recording with 3RRR? 

Thanks to the great preparation work of Kirsty Norvilas, we have gigabytes of recorded audio to mix and master.

Mixing is taking place between home studios and RMIT. John is keeping things on track with files heading to 3RRR later in the year.

What advice do you have for any current or prospective Sound Production students seeking valuable work experience? 

My advice would be to put yourself out there, make time for things and take the experience seriously.

Story: Sheridan Van Gelderen

Photo credit: Mary Boukouvalas

06 July 2022

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