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Meeting Report: 5th February 2024 – State Theatre Tour

On Monday 5th February, the Melbourne Section of the AES held a members-only tour of the State Theatre at the Melbourne Arts Centre.

Due to space limitations in some areas of the facility, we were limited to a maximum of 12 people. It was decided to restrict this event to members, and the quota was filled within a few days of the email notice going out.

As the venue is closing to undergo major renovations next month after 40 years of hosting world-class performances, it was seen as a good opportunity for one last look at the venue as it stands. The hope is that we can return in three years’ time post-renovations to appreciate the changes and improvements.
Our host for the evening was Nick Walker, the Arts Centre Manager of Sound and Vision.
Our AES Committee member, Rod Brown, who arranged the tour, was a founding Arts Centre A/V staff member and was also on hand to give us some interesting background on the early days of the venue, providing some details that were even news to Nick.

Group of people gathering in the Stage Door Foyer of the State Theatre
Gathering at the stage door entrance.



We assembled at the stage door lobby, where Nick explained the theatre’s history and the areas we would be visiting.



View down on the stage from the auditorium. Nick Walker describing the theatre.
In the Auditorium

He then took our group into the auditorium, describing the configuration, sound reinforcement, and lighting.

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November 2023 Meeting Notice: Video Game Sound Design and Curriculum Development

We are going in-person yet again!

The next meeting of the AES Melbourne Section will be an in-person event to be held on Monday 13th November 2023 at 7:30pm at the Fairfield campus of the Melbourne Polytechnic (details below).

It will be live-streamed on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/AESMelbourneSection

Game Sound Designer/Educator/Musician David Lauritsen will present on the topic of:

Video Game Sound Design and Curriculum Development:

Developing the Skills for a Growing Field

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Meeting Report: August 2023 – Ben Osmo on Film Location Sound Mixing

On Monday 14th August, the Melbourne Section of the AES held our Annual General Meeting followed by our regular bi-monthly meeting.

Further details on the AGM proceedings can be found at https://aesmelbourne.org.au/2023-agm

Following the AGM, Academy Award winner Ben Osmo (Best Achievement in Sound Mixing 2015 – Mad Max: Fury Road) presented on the topic of:

Film Production Sound Through the Years
             changes and added responsibilities.

Newly re-elected Chairman Graeme Huon introduced Ben with a brief outline of Ben’s career.

Ben Osmo in front of his "sound cart"
Ben Osmo in front of his “sound cart”

Ben then took us through his career in location sound production from his start in 1975 at the ABC. He told us that the typical setup of the time was a Nagra portable battery-operated tape recorder and a shotgun microphone on a long boom pole. He explained that the shoots were often one-camera affairs with shots framed as wide-shot, mid-shot, and close-up with the microphone positioned accordingly to achieve the appropriate sound balance.

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August 2023 Meeting Notice: Film Production Sound Through the Years

We are back on Zoom for our August meeting

The next online meeting of the AES Melbourne Section will be held on
Monday 14th August 2023 at 7:30pm – via Zoom.

It will start with a brief Section Annual General Meeting – non-members and other visitors are welcome to sit in on this part of the meeting.

Then Academy Award winner Ben Osmo (Best Achievement in Sound Mixing 2015 – Mad Max: Fury Road) will present on the topic of:

Film Production Sound Through the Years

changes and added responsibilities.

When Ben started his long and illustrious career in film location sound in the 1970s, capturing location dialogue and effects required little more than a Nagra tape recorder and a shotgun mic on a boom-pole. With advances in technology, the kit a location sound mixer now has to deploy on set can fill a medium-sized van and cover not only multi-channel wireless dialogue/fx capture and recording, but also communications, playback, and monitoring for the entire crew.

Continue reading “August 2023 Meeting Notice: Film Production Sound Through the Years”