Some projects you do for the money, others just for the fun of it! When UK-based MilesTone Productions needed some post-production assistance to complete their independent feature film CrimeFighters, I eagerly stepped up to the plate.

CrimeFighters is an epic yet quirky dark comedy set in the beautiful and ominous streets of York. Fed up with the rising rate of petty crime in the city, a trio of misfits take it upon themselves to clean up the city, but in the process discover a grand conspiracy. Writer/director Miles Watts had a very specific vision for the style of the film which was challenging considering the tight budget and production schedule.

I assisted in the creation of numerous visual effects composite shots as well as a third of the sound editing/design on the project. The effects shots consisted of monitor burn-ins – adding images to video monitors originally filmed with nothing on them. Although this is a relatively routine type of effect, it was challenging in that the footage of the entire film is in black-and-white and in quite low key. I did not have the benefit of green monitors for easy keying or much image detail for motion tracking. But a bit of precision “eye-work” saved the day.

The stylized nature of the film translated into the sound design as well. Here the challenge was building an entire soundscape for my portion of the film, but staying within certain common parameters so that it would match the sections of the film handled by other sound designers overseas. Much of the work involved cleanup of noisy location dialogue (which is to be expected on ANY independent film) as well as adding of appropriate ambiance and referberation to the various unique interiors featured in the film. I particularly enjoyed concocting some original sound effects, such as the noise of roller blades worn by one of the heroes as part of her CrimeFighter costume. Armed with a series of practical sounds recorded by the production, the director’s instructions and the Amelik sound library, I was able to come up with what I think is a cool and recognizable grind.

Now CrimeFighters is completed and hitting the festival circuit in England. Chances look good that it will soon arrive to our shores as well. I recommend you check it out!

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Posted in Company Journal by Alan No Comments Yet