Winter is nearly upon us. Grey clouds and rainy weather are very much the norm now until the good weather comes back around again in the spring. This change in the season isn’t always a bad thing. Many Brits take this as an opportunity to hibernate, binge-watching on-demand TV shows until the sun decides to come back out to play. Now, we could rewatch the entire series of Breaking Bad again but why not watch some cool music and post-production themed films and documentaries instead?
Here are our picks of several very cool films and documentaries that those interested in music and post-production will enjoy and hopefully take some inspiration from as well as being great Christmas gifts for audio engineers and producers.
Bohemian Rhapsody 2018
It doesn’t matter the plot of this movie didn’t follow the actual timeline of the band. Nor does it matter it took over 12 years to produce. What makes Bohemian Rhapsody an excellent film for music producers to watch are the detailed studio scenes filled with vintage gear porn. These moments in the movie provide a cool insight into how Queen recorded many of their tops hits.
Brian May is known for being very particular about details. Along with Queen's drummer Roger Taylor, Brian played a significant role in producing this movie. It is safe to say that each of the studio scenes in Bohemian Rhapsody captures what the band went through while working together in the studio.
Making Waves - The Art of Cinematic Sound 2019
We go to the cinema to be entertained and to be emotionally moved, with some education and expanding one’s world view thrown in occasionally. Even though most recognise that the cinema is a multi-sensory experience, few tend to recognise how much of that experience is created specifically by sound ... or why that is, or how it happens. MAKING WAVES: The Art of Cinematic Sound is a feature-length documentary exploring the history, artistry, and emotional power of cinema sound, as revealed by legendary sound designers and visionary directors, via interviews, clips from movies, and a look at their actual process of creation and discovery.
You can read more about this film in our article Making Waves - The Art of Cinematic Sound Documentary Film Finally Coming To A Cinema Near You From October 25th 2019 and our article Would You Like To Support The Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound Movie Kickstarter Project?
Sound City 2013
This documentary tells the story and history behind Sound City Studios in Van Nuys LA and was produced by Dave Grohl. It was at Sound City Studios where Nirvana recorded Nevermind. Many other artists regarded Sound City as one of the best places for recording drums.
The studio sadly closed in 2011. Around the time of the closure, Dave purchased several items from the studio, including a Neve console and was inspired to produce this documentary with Trent Reznor, Tom Petty and Mick Fleetwood amongst many other artists making an appearance. It's a must-watch for lovers of music production.
Sonic Highways 2014
If a film like Sound City needs a sequel, Sonic Highways is about a close as you are going to get. It is the story of the making of The Foo Fighters 8th studio album. But to call Sonic Highways a making of a studio album documentary would somewhat be missing the point. Dave Grohl, Butch Vig and the band take us on a journey, not only of music but also of music history and showcase some of the most important music venues and performance spaces across the USA.
There is plenty in Sound Highways for us techies to get excited about but one of the best bits of each of the eight one hour episodes is where you see the band and crew set up to record. Choices and concessions have to be made. This is real life record-making in real-world situations.
The Art Of Recording A Big Band 2016
Filmed over a weekend at Capitol Studios back in 2015, The Art Of Recording A Big Band by Al Schmitt and Steve Genewick is music and recording film that without a doubt you all need to see. Al and Steve are true masters of this musical genre and short of being in the studio with them, this is as close as it gets to witnessing recording genius at work.
The concept for the project was simple. Record a live big band, film it and at the same time have some paying guests in the studio control room to ask questions and get Al to give up some of the tips and tricks that have made him a 23 time Grammy Award winner. Al and Steve decided to open the session up to some paying guests. One of the first to sign up was Andrew Scheps, later to be joined by Dave Pensado and Ryan Hewitt to name but a few.
The film is available via Vintage King in the US and online via Groove 3.
The Last Waltz 1978
The Last Waltz was actually the name given to the final farewell concert given by Canadian-American rock group The Band. It was held on the 25th of November 1976 (thanksgiving day), at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco. The concert saw The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests including Ronnie Hawkins, Bob Dylan, Paul Butterfield, Bobby Charles, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, and Neil Young. Names that don’t get much bigger in that era of popular music.
The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same title, released in 1978.
The Last Waltz is now only available on DVD.
Classic Albums 1997 - 2018
Over a span of 21 years and 42 episodes, music broadcasters VH1 and Isis Productions produced the Classic Albums series. Starting with Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland and finishing with Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black this series took you behind the scenes of the making of some of the most important albums in popular music history. But not only did you get to see and hear the artist in the studio during the making of the albums you got to see and hear the artists and producers dissecting the work in front of the console with the multi-tracks years after the album’s release. There is a fantastic section in the Dark Side Of The Moon episode where you see and hear Dave Gilmore mute all the reverb during the guitar solo in Money. The effect was so easy to achieve but had an amazing effect on the track.
This Is Spinal Tap 1984
It has come to our attention that there are some people who have yet to see the 1984 mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap”. If that is you then you owe it to yourself to get a copy and watch it. Without this you’ll never understand why you don’t do heavy metal in Dobly, how much more black an album cover can be or why you can’t just make ten one louder.
Watch it and enjoy it, if you don’t like it just remember, there’s such a fine line between stupid and clever…
This Is Spinal Tap is available on DVD and to rent or buy on Amazon Prime
We intend to keep this post updated regularly. Let us know in the comments below what music themed films and documentaries have inspired you.