UK in Focus - page 57

BRITISH FILM COMMISSION
UK IN FOCUS 2016
London is home to several highly regarded
recording facilities, including boutique offer-
ings such as Islington-based Angel, which
houses three studios in a former church, and
British Grove, opened by Dire Straits frontman
Mark Knopfler in Chiswick, west London.
On a larger scale are Abbey Road and AIR
studios, which are both located in the north
west of the city and boast similar sized large-
scale orchestral studios, allowing them to
enjoy a symbiotic operational relationship.
“We are the only two facilities in London
with the same clients, so it makes sense to
work together,” says Abbey Road Managing
Director Isabel Garvey, who reports that
demand for recording space has risen thanks,
in part, to increased bookings from Holly-
wood’s major film studios.
“We have a tight-knit relationship with
Hollywood and, because of this, we work
closely with AIR in accommodating more
space. It’s to both our advantages to keep the
studios full and clients happy.”
Abbey Road’s Studio One, constructed in
1931 by EMI-predecessor The Gramophone
Company, was made famous by the Beatles
but it also saw the creation of John Williams’
iconic scores for
Star Wars
(1977) and
Raiders
of the Lost Ark
(1981). Originally built for 200-
piece orchestras, Studio One is equipped for
musical productions of all sizes and contains
a unique blend of cutting-edge technology
and custom-built vintage equipment stored
as part of the EMI Archive Trust.
For the recording of Tom Hooper’s
The
King’s Speech
with composer Alexandre Des-
plat, Studio Manager Fiona Gillott recalls
offering several 1930s microphones used by
King George V and VI: “Tom Hooper couldn’t
believe these were in existence. Colin Firth
recorded some of his speeches using [Abbey
Road Director of Engineering] Peter Cobbin’s
‘Royal Tree’ microphone set-up and the
orchestra was also recorded through the
original royal microphones.”
Other specialised offerings include soft-
ware and hardware emulations of Abbey
Road’s vintage equipment from the RS124
compressor, TG mixing console, artificial
double-tracking and plate reverbs to virtual
instruments that have recorded and sampled
the studios’ classic drums and pianos.
“We have an amazing technical team that
finds rare parts and keeps the equipment
running,” adds Garvey. “It doesn’t just sit
around like a relic; it’s used from session to
session and is what makes Abbey Road so
special.”
In addition to Abbey Road’s existing three
recording studios, a further three are being
built. Two are specifically for emerging
recording artists, while the other is a state-of-
the-art post-production facility.
“We want to give filmmakers the chance
not only to record and mix the music here at
the studios, but also to complete the dub
rather than having to travel to Soho to over-
see the final mix for the movie,” says Garvey.
“Essentially, we want to offer everything a
post-production facility can offer; not only
the music but sound design, ADR [additional
dialogue recording] and final mixing in a
brand new Dolby Atmos Theatre.”
RECORDING STUDIOS
ABBEY ROAD
WE HAVE A
TIGHT-KNIT
RELATIONSHIP
WITH
HOLLYWOOD
Isabel Garvey, Abbey Road Studios
Colin Firth in The King’s Speech
Ennio Morricone at the studios
Vintage 1930s microphones at Abbey Road Studios
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