TFS Hires Elliot Bick as Dailies Operator as part of newly launched Dailies department

TFS are thrilled to share that Elliot Bick has joined as a new Dailies Operator as part of the launch of the UK’s largest and most state-of-the-art Dailies department.

 
He joined a world-class team of Dailies creatives, colour scientists, artists and technical operators to deliver the very best tent pole Feature Film and Episodic work for all the big Film Studios and Streamers.
His arrival at TFS follows on from his previous roles at Picture Shop Post where he worked as a Dailies Operator, and also prior to that he worked at Technicolour for over 4 years and Clear Cut Pictures for nearly 2 years.

Some of his creative project highlights include working on: The Essex SerpentPinocchio and His Dark Materials.

Working as part of the Twickenham Film Studios Dailies department the facility offers clients 10x Dailies suites and 4x state of the art picture 4K VFX review theatres complete with the latest Baselight alongside Daylight grading and Dailies software. This on site, state-of-the-art offering is matched with an equally safe and secure remote Dailies solution which enables the expert TFS team to capture and create images on set live from locations around the world.

Elliot Bick says on joining TFS: “I’m very excited to join the Twickenham Film Studios team and have the opportunity to work in such a historic and prestigious environment with such a world-class team. In my role as Dailies Operator I get to work with incredible teams and love being so involved in such a crucial part of the filmmaking process. We also have a lot of upcoming projects that I’m really looking forward to getting involved in”.

 

A day in the life of TFS Foley Team

 

A spotlight Q&A interview with our Twickenham Film Studios Foley Team

We caught up with our Twickenham Film Studios multi award-winning, creative Foley team to hear more about exactly what Foley is, delve into some of their highlight creative creds and favourite recent projects, what it’s like being the team behind invisible natural sounds that people didn’t even know existed!

1. Tell us about the TFS FOLEY team? Each of your roles?

Adam Méndez – Senior Foley / ADR Mixer

Sophia Hardman – Foley Mixer & Editor

Oli Ferris – Foley Artist

With longtime Freelance Collaborators Sue Harding and Andrea King

 

2. What is FOLEY and how does it work for those who aren’t clear on what your team does and how you work?

Foley can be thought of as the part of a soundtrack of a Film or TV show that was performed by an artist to match the action on screen.

The Foley artists are similar to musicians in that they can take an object (from the shoes they are wearing, to an oven, to large piece of sheet metal) and ‘play’ it in time with the action on screen to produce a sound that augments the story.

Generally, we look at the picture and fill in the appropriate sounds with the artists performing them, the mixer recording them and the editor tidying them up and making them mix ready after the shoot.

We’ll either have a Foley Supervisor in with us or have notes from the Director via the Sound Team to guide us.

We have a large room covered with different surfaces and several storage areas full of props and shoes, which we rummage through to conjure up the sounds.

Our TFS Foley Theatre is one of the largest in the UK, one which we have evolved over time to create a recording space that we are immensely proud of today.

 

3. What’s it like working as part of the TFS Sound Team?

AM: We’ve been fortunate enough to work on some great projects for outstanding crews here. Twickenham Film studios in its various guises has been an incredibly creative place and that’s allowed us to build a studio environment that we are very proud of.

SH: The Sound Team at TFS is a tight circle of creatives who are highly skilled and motivated. Being a part of such a successful and youthful team is inspiring and exciting.

OF: It’s amazing to be part of such a talented and hardworking team.

 

4. Talk us through your big historical Film and TV credentials? Best moments / greatest hits? Challenging ones?

AM: My first big film was Slumdog Millionaire. Sound Supervisor Glenn Freemantle’s enthusiastic direction got me very hyped up. Hugo Adams Supervised the session and we produced some nice sounds, including a boy falling into a pile of poop that involved a lot of wet newspaper. That project really opened my eyes to what you could create in a studio. It also opened a lot of doors for me, and I’m very grateful to have been involved.

OF: Black Mirror, USS Callister, was a pivotal project for me that cemented my transition from working front of house as a Runner to full time Foley Artist for the studio.

SH: I cut my teeth editing many episodes of Poldark and learning loads as I went – the extremely busy episodes coupled with fast turnaround times meant that I had lots to learn, fast. From here I went on to apply my knowledge to feature films, such as The Kid Who Would Be King, Sound Supervised by James Mather which was my first jump into feature editing!

 

5. Tell us about your award-winning projects?  

AM: I’ve been very lucky with the projects I’ve been exposed to. I was still fairly inexperienced when Glenn Freemantle hired me forSlumdog Millionaire and some years later Gravity came along which was such an exciting project to be involved with. I was basically just keeping up with Nicolas Becker and Hugo Adams on this huge learning curve whilst they experimented with tons of metal and unusual microphones. It was my first time using a geophone and deliberately saturating sounds and I was happily thrown well outside of my comfort zone. 1917 was a hugely exciting challenge. Oliver Tarney and his team had a very clear and specific brief for us which involved some research into WWI trenches and kilos of clay being mixed up by Sophia and Oli. The single shot nature of the film meant we were following the leads in a way that meant performance was key, so after we had built a trench and covered it in sticky clay and mud. Foley artists Sue Harding and Andrea King had to perform long walks with as much nuance as possible. The Foley we shot was then married to location Foley tracks by Hugo Adams and then fed back to Oliver his crew for mixing by Mark Taylor before being presented to the director in huge continuous chunks. It was a very intense project

SH: Being a part of the TFS Foley team has meant exposure to some incredible projects and getting to be a tiny tiny part of amazing projects like 1917, which I assisted on (and experienced mud and mess like never before). Also I would be remiss to not mention Black Mirror S4, which I was part of the CAS award winning team for the episode USS Callister which was a whirlwind of an experience but one I’m extremely grateful to have had.

OF: Like the other two have said, 1917 was a Foley dream project for everyone and a very messy one at that, and being part of the sound team for USS Callister gave me a opportunity of a life to go out to LA as it got nominated for a EMMY, and as luck would have it we won, a moment I will never forget.

 

6. Tell us about some other key creative highlights?

AM: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil for James Mather and the team at Soundbyte was extremely enjoyable as we had to create sounds for toad-pig creatures, walking mushrooms and fairy-leafed trees as well as rippling feathery wings. We had a lot of fun rummaging through the props as we were asked to bounce a golden crown through fairyland at one moment then record massive suits of armour the next. News Of The World for Oliver Tarney was beautiful to work on as there were a lot of delicate sounds for the artists to perform which had plenty of space for them to sit in the mix. We also got to let rip as Oli and Sue tore a wheel off a wagon which involved large pieces of wood being furiously shaken.

SH: Getting to record Foley for Enola Holmes for Eilam Hoffman and Nina Hartstone, was a real step up for me in terms of recording and it was a dream job in terms of foley as it was laden with moments that meant we could really show off what we can do and the end product was something I am extremely proud to have been a part of. Also recently, a personal highlight was getting to be involved in No Time To Die. It goes without saying that the Bond films are iconic and getting to be a part of such a film is something I always wanted, so feel very grateful to have been part of the team.

OF: The One and Only Ivan was a great challenge with all the different animated animals from elephants, gorilla and seals to a rabbit in a firetruck. The fight scenes in Enola Holmes were great fun as well, making sure we got the right amount of energy in them.

 

7. You recently worked on No Time To Die? Tell us more about how Foley worked with Sound?

No time to die for Oliver Tarney was a very exciting piece to work on as we were part of a huge franchise that started before I was born!

The most fundamental part of the work we do involves the footsteps of the characters in a film. The goal is to make a sound that blends in seamlessly with all the other sound elements but also adds something to the story. In Bond, for example, when he is in the classic Bond tux he needed to sound smart, yet also dangerous. Anna de Armas’ character, Paloma, similarly needed to sound elegant but also deadly so that you believe it equally when she is walking through the party or running at an assassin. This means that in the studio we chose the shoes and surfaces that give us the right sound to enhance the soundtrack. We work under close supervision from Oliver Tarney and the sound team who give us the work-in-progress soundtrack to play back the Foley against so we can make sure we’re giving them the best elements.

Sounds like explosions, gunshots, car chases are all created by Sound Designers from a mixture of raw recordings and library effects. We can augment these moments by adding any details that might sound better performed by a human. For example, in No Time To Die when the hi-tech thieves abseil into a top-secret lab we recorded the sounds of their footsteps on the glass building, their ropes slowly pulling through carabiners which blend in around the laser glass cutters and eventual explosions. Later, when Bond and MI6 agent Nomi are stalking the tunnels of Safin’s lair picking off a small army, we performed sounds for their tactical kit and feet through the puddled water that sit in between the gunshots. Our role is really to provide the human element amongst these wonderfully crafted effects.

Aside from the excitement at being involved in such an iconic franchise, there was the added buzz of the long delay of its release caused by the pandemic. We actually finished our work on this project around Christmas 2019, so it was great to finally be able to see it hit the screens this year.

 

8. What are your favourite props used in notorious effects? Can you tell us about what you use for some of the best known sounds?

AM: Although we do have certain go-tos’ for some situations, we try not to get too stuck on favourites as we want to keep everything evolving. Our clients are paying us for something new each time so we try our best to deliver and to keep progressing.

SH: Adam is totally right and it’s hard to pick out a favourite prop. But I will tell you what my least favourite sound is…. a sound that makes me recoil in horror and usually get annoyed with Oli for doing: A fork being aggressively scraped down a piece of metal. It’s the worst and I hate it, but in the context of a project when it’s added at the right moment it can bring so much energy into what it’s applied to, think car crashes or explosive fight sequences.

OF: I guess my shoes, I’ve got a really big collection now that is forever growing which helps me get the right amount of character for each walk, also I have to give a shout out to the flaming sword! a plastic door curtain, that I try to get into everything we work on from cigarette lighters, ovens and fireplaces to swords, wings and explosions.

 

9. What tech do you use as part of your role at TFS you couldn’t live without? 

AM: Our dust extractor. The amount of dust the studio generates is unbelievable, and on days where we have been working with sand (for example, on The Martian) or dry dirt it was quite common to head home with a sore throat and chesty cough. That dust extractor is a hero!

SH: Of course, we couldn’t do without our pre-amps & microphones, ProTools or mixing console, the tools that we have access to, we have spent time testing and learning how best to utilise to the best of our abilities.

 

10. Any favourite gadgets / sound apps you’d recommend?

AM: I’m always on Spotify

OF: I like having a guitar in the studio

SH: App wise I’m really enjoying Worldwide FM – a way to listen to broadcasters around the globe.

 

11. Films with best Foley you wished you had worked on?

AM: I would have loved to have worked on James Cameron’s Aliens. I remember impersonating the sounds of that film with my schoolmates in the playground. From the purring computer in the opening scene to the nasty visceral sounds of the eggs hatching. It’s one of the main reasons I got into film sound and I was so excited to add a small contribution to that series when we worked on Alien: Covenant.

SH: I wish I could have worked on Big Hero 6, that film charmed me with its soundscapes and its use of comedy sound also in particular for the Baymax character I thought was genius.

OF: No country for old men would have been amazing to work on, love the captive bolt pistol Javier Bardem walks around with, it’s just a great sounding film all together.

*The TFS Sound department has just gone through a full renovation and tech upgrade as part of the exciting TFS complex redevelopment making us the most state of the art, technically advanced Sound Theatres in the world.

TFS welcomes Supervising Sound Editor Dan Morgan & Sound Designer Arthur Graley as part of the launch of the new Sound Editorial department

The expansion at Twickenham Film Studios sees MD Cara Sheppard and Managing Partners Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird further enhance the world class Sound offering by launching the studios new Sound Editorial department as well as bringing on board two highly regarded key creative talents, Supervisor Sound Editor Dan Morgan and Sound Designer Arthur Graley.

The new dedicated on-site Sound Editorial department can provide a complete sound postproduction solution for all projects. Meaning TFS can work as a creative sound partner at all stages of the sound post journey – delivering the very best Sound Editorial, Design, Foley and Re-Recording Mixing on all projects.

As part of the launch, the Sound Editorial team will have new state of the art Dolby Atmos editing suites to work on tent pole Feature Film and Episodic work for all the big studios and streamers including Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Sky, Apple, HBO, Hulu etc.

This follows on from the TFS Sound department Theatre 1 and 2 which have recently gone through an extensive renovation and tech upgrade as part of the exciting TW1 complex redevelopment ensuring the most state of the art, technically advanced sound theatres in the UK.

Dan Morgan who is a hugely well-regarded Supervising sound editor, has been brought on board to head up the Sound Editorial team as the new TFS Supervising Sound Editor. Having worked closely with Twickenham over the years, and with a credit list that speaks for itself alongside his talent, passion, and vision, made him the natural choice to grow the Sound Editorial offering.

Dan started off his 20-year Sound career working on live TV and studio dramas. Then in 2000 he moved to Hackenbacker where he worked on a range of Feature Film and TV productions until 2008 when he became a Freelance. In 2004 he began a long collaboration with multi-awarded Director Edgar Wright working on Shaun of the Dead. Since then, he has worked on all his films including Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The Worlds End and Baby Driver (which was nominated for both Bafta and Academy Awards for Best Sound). He has most recently Co Sound Supervised Edgar’s latest feature Last Night In Soho, which has been received so positively since its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. As such a popular Supervising Sound Editor Dan has been lucky enough to work on films with some of the most respected directors and actors in the industry.

New TFS Supervising Sound Editor and Head of Sound Editorial Dan Morgan comments: “I am extremely proud to be joining TFS as the studios are going from strength to strength. I am looking forward to coming on board and running Twickenham Film Studios newly launched post Sound Editorial team and being able to offer productions the very best experience for across their Sound Post. With a highly talented and experienced crew coupled with the very best TFS Sound Mixing Theatres in the UK we are set to do the very best work.”

TFS are also welcoming Arthur Graley to join Dan’s Sound Editorial team working closely on all sound post work. Having worked together for over 20 yearspreviously Arthur was an obvious choice.

Arthur started working in 1997 at Hackenbacker Audio Postproduction where he and Dan first met. He worked successfully within the company for 10 years, gaining experience with various genres of Film, TV and Games. He progressed quickly from assistant editor position to become a recordist and Sound Editor / Designer for a high volume of projects. He then began working as a Freelance Sound Designer and Sound Effects Editor for the last 13 years working on high profile jobs, across different genres within various companies and studios; notably the Pinewood and Shepperton Group, where he has worked on several cutting-edge projects, but also keeping involved with the Soho media industry.

Some of his highlights include also working on Edgar Wright’s Last Night In Soho and Baby Driver as well as the video games Hitman 2 and 3 and the BAFTA winning Ghost Of Tsushima.

New TFS Sound Designer Arthur Graley says: “I started my career at the iconic TFS so I’m really excited to be joining the newly energized TFS family and to play a part in its future growth. Great people, great work.”

Craig Irving Head of TFS Sound says: “The TFS Sound offering and team with the addition of our new TFS Sound Editorial department featuring Dan and Arthur makes us a major player in the UK post industry. Having worked with Dan and Arthur many times over the years I am so pleased they are now fully fledged members of the growing team. We look forward to supporting lots of existing long-standing clients, as well as key new clients, across all their needs from script to screen”.

TFS MD Cara Sheppard adds: “The addition of our TFS Sound Editorial department and bringing Dan on to head it up with Arthur means we have an even richer audio postproduction offering ensuring an unrivaled experience. This news follows nicely from the recent launches of both our TFS Dailies and TFS Picture department. This means we can truly offer a creative campus unlike any other, guaranteeing a full-service end-to-end solution for all our clients across the big screen and small screen”.

Press:

Televisual | https://www.televisual.com/news/tfs-adds-two-to-sound-editorial-department/

Broadcast | https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/tech/twickenham-film-studios-unveils-sound-editorial-dept/5165991.article

BehindTheGlass | https://www.behindtheglass.uk/article-select.php?id=316&cat=111&pag=1

LBBOL | https://www.lbbonline.com/news/tfs-welcomes-supervising-sound-editor-dan-morgan-and-sound-designer-arthur-graley

Twickenham Film Studios unveils a full-service offering Picture department to sit as part of their world class campus.

Following on from their recent launch of the UK’s largest and most state-of-the-art Dailies department, Twickenham Film Studios further continue their expansion and ambitious growth plans by unveiling their full-service offering Picture Department to sit as part of their world class Sound and Studios campus.

The new TFS Picture department is being lead by TFS Head of Picture Stuart Bryce and supported by Tomasz Witkowski, Director of Technology & Engineering, Jack Watts, TFS Head of Technology & Standards working closely with MD Cara Sheppard. They have grown a team of Artists, Colourists, Online Editors, VFX Artists, highly experienced Dailies and Technical Staff, Mastering and QC Operators to supply the full service, end to end solutions on all tent pole Feature Film and Episodic work for all the big studios and streamers including Netflix, Amazon, Sky, Apple, HBO, Hulu etc.

The newly launched Picture department, ensures the highest level of creative and technical support for their clients all the way from Dailies to Delivery, in a full end to end workflow. The team can facilitate Dailies, VFX pulls, DI Colour Grading, high end finishing and online, QC, mastering and final deliverables.

As a Home For Filmmakers, the future focused studio offers clients a creative hub, a welcoming campus with like-minded talent to work and relax enjoying all TFS has to offer across the Studios, Picture, Sound, Workspace and Social offering.

The Picture team has worked on the likes of: The Crown (Netflix), McMafia (BBC), Mission Impossible 7 (Paramount), House Of The Dragon (HBO), Call My Agent (Bron Studios), The Fantastic Beasts trilogy (Warner Bros), The Man From U.N.C.L.E (Warner Bros), Black Mirror (Netflix), His Dark Materials (BBC / HBO) and Bridgerton (Netflix).

The bespoke design of the new Picture department harnesses the latest developments in picture post technology including four brand new 4K, Grading and VFX review theatres complete with Filmlight’s latest Baselight and Daylight solutions for Grading and Dailies, as well as support for DolbyAtmos audio.

This on-site state of the art offering is matched with an equally safe and secure remote solution which enables the expert TFS team to capture and create images on set live from locations around the world.

Cara Sheppard TFS Managing Director says:

“I’m incredibly proud to not only have a multi-awarded Sound Team alongside the UK’s most technically advanced Sound Theatres – but we now have a Picture department to match here at TFS. This means we can truly offer a creative campus unlike any other, guaranteeing a full-service end-to-end solution for all our clients across the big screen and small screen. Brought to life by the most passionate team of talent supported by the most cutting-edge kit. This makes for an unbeatable experience. We look forward to supporting lots of existing long-standing clients, as well as key new clients, across all their needs from script to screen”.

TFS Head of Technology & Standards Jack Watts adds:

“Our new TFS Picture department boasts the latest in design and technology that caters to finishing, content manufacturing and review which will satisfy customer needs across the various avenues of distribution and exhibition, from the theatrical experience, through the latest 4K DCI compliant technology and immersive solutions, to both home entertainment and OTT delivery. In todays “always-on” world, we have implemented the support for multiple concurrent 4K HDR real-time streams all driven by an underlying media standards architecture encompassing industry best practices to ensure a sustainable and reliable client experience”.

Ex Warner Bros De Lane Lea Stuart Bryce, TFS Head of Picture comments:

“The launch of the TFS Picture department is the culmination of decades of technical and creative experience from a team who have worked on some of the highest profile productions in the world. I am honoured to be part of such an exceptional team of talented professionals whose combined skills allow TFS to provide a complete dailies-to-delivery post-production experience. From our workflow and dailies teams working alongside the filmmakers before and during production, the amazing Colourists and Editors helping bring the creative vision to life, to our incredible technical team who bring everything together with a QC, mastering and deliverables offering to satisfy the constantly-evolving industry standards – the TFS Picture department offers robust bespoke workflows to suit any production.”

Watch the new Picture Showreel here.

 

TFS Studio 1 features in legendary documentary The Beatles: Get Back

“See you ’round the clubs, he said. That was his good-bye. He left.”

The Beatles: Get Back, a three-part documentary, is now available on Disney Plus and follows the iconic band as they record and rehearse ‘Get Back’.

Part one is entirely filmed at TFS, with exclusive footage of George Harrison walking out of the studio and quitting the band in 1969.

Watch the trailer >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auta2lagtw4

TFS Managing Director Cara Sheppard joins speaking lineup for The Future for UK Film conference.

Organised by Westminster Media Forum, the conference will cover topics such as how to tackle the potential challenges coming ahead for the film sector in the UK, evaluation of the current situation for the sector and priorities for recovery, future financing models and skills deficits.

Cara will be taking the virtual stage at 9.30am and give her thoughts on ‘Realising opportunities for growth and innovation in the film and screen sector post pandemic’.

Join us by registering >> www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/conference/UK-Film-21

TFS Managing Director Cara Sheppard joins production and post-industry panel as part of this year’s Broadcast Tech Innovation Fest at Truman Brewery in East London.

The Broadcast Tech Fest, co-located with the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards, celebrates the exceptional teams behind outstanding broadcast productions of the past year. This one-day event features a wide lineup of speakers and events and provides an incredible platform to explore Broadcast technologies.

Cara Sheppard is a long-standing member of the UK Screen Alliance and will bring her expertise to the topic of ‘UK Production Landscape’ as part of the post-production panel taking place at 10.30am on Tuesday 30 November.

She will also join the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards as a judge in the evening, announcing the 2021 award winners at this live event.

To find out more about this Broadcast lineup of industry experts and see the full program, head to their website >> http://broadcasttechawards.co.uk

Trailer released for Graham Moore’s new feature The Outfit, mixed by Steve Single and TFS.

The Outfit is an American crime drama film, scheduled to be released on 25 February 2022 by Focus Features directed by Graham Moore. The film stars Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, Johnny Flynn and Nikki Amuka-Bird.

The story follows Leonard, an English tailor from Saville Row, as he goes through a personal tragedy which brings him to a rough part of Chicago. Leonard starts operating a small tailor shop and making beautiful clothes for the only people who can afford them: a family of gangsters.

The TFS team was proud to work with Supervising Sound Editor Oliver Tarney to create the soundtrack for The Outfit. The Foley was recorded by the TFS Foley team and the Mix was completed in Theatre 1 by Steve Single and Will Miller.

Watch the trailer >> www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UgJL23HxyU

 

TFS carries out the Foley for Death of England:  Face to Face – an original film for TV by National Theatre.

TFS Foley team worked on Death of  England: Face to Face – an original film for TV by National Theatre featuring Clint Dyer and Roy Williams.

It’s January 2021. Old friends Michael and Delroy are forced to confront their relationship with their country – and with each other – while Britain is locked down. The TFS Foley team was excited to work on this unique feature – with Adam Mendez as Foley Mixer, Oli Ferris as Foley Artist and Dario Swade as Foley Editor.

Catch Death of England: Face to Face for free on Sky Arts at 10pm on Thursday 25 November.

Watch the trailer >> youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=CA_dvmpF8sw&feature=emb_title

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