LONDON — LipSync Productions (www.lipsyncpost.co.uk), the investment and equity services company, and post house LipSync Post, have provided financial investment and post production services for the phychological thriller The Awakening. The studio was responsible for grading, sound and VFX for the feature, which takes place in a boarding school in the shell-shocked and grief-stricken England of post-World War I.
The film was directed by Nick Murphy (Occupation, Primeval) and produced by Origin Pictures, Eagle Pictures, Studio Canal and BBC Films.David Thompson, producer, Origin Pictures, said, “We have made our last four projects with LipSync and each time we have found the experience very rewarding and successful. LipSync have great teams who go the extra mile, both on the creative and the administrative sides. It is a vibrant, creative hub — very focused on giving the best results for the production. And in a world where co-production finance is increasingly complicated they bring a refreshing simplicity to the financing and investment process.”
The sound mix for the film was a major factor in creating the eerie atmosphere of the film. The locations chosen for the film, and the pace, timing and spaces created gave the sound team plenty of opportunity to increase the tension by playing with the off-screen suggestion to enhance the drama.
Paul Cotterell, Senior Re-recording Mixer, commented, “In Nick Murphy we had a director who understands and enjoys the value of a film's soundtrack, and likes to challenge and play with its conventions. The original music by Daniel Pemberton also played a great part in the mix. We all hope we've done this terrific film justice.”
LipSync’s Stuart Fyvie graded the film with a very desaturated, drained look to depict the bleakness of the period, as well as deepening shadows to heighten the eerie atmosphere and bringing out the glow of the filaments in the new electric lights.
Norman Merry, financial director, LipSync, said, “We were delighted to welcome David and the Origin team back to LipSync for this outstanding piece of work. It presented some wonderful creative challenges for our post teams to bring out the chill factor, and the results certainly send shivers up my spine.”