AudioMedia - March 2009 - (Page 51) Audio Projects, Barcelona Galletly goes on to note that a high proportion of studios in the area currently bank on the tender – and many would be unable to survive if that business went away. Audio Projects is, however, TV ‘homologated’ (approved). The studio is re-approved every year – equipment lists, staff levels, and so on are submitted, and then the company can work on projects that are co-produced with TV . A large proportion of these are Catalan projects where the studio has to work with a homologated linguist at several stages of the project. The only downside of a Catalan production is that play with the localisation and inferences that accents provide is not really an option, so the dramatic aspects can sometimes be a challenge. The new facilities in the centre of Barcelona offer not only local benefits, but the possibility of diversifying the work type even more. Just as in the centre of most major cities, one market that still demands proximity is the commercials and publicity sector. The new studios are perfectly equipped to handle the additional load of sound design and client amenities required of such an operation, and the new Fairlight Xynergis should greatly improve edit speed and workflow. There is also the bonus of minimised risk – the dubbing work continues and so the facility will not be prey to the developing difficulties of the commercials world, especially now that unprecedented pressures are coming to bear on pricing in the sector. “It’s also funny,” says Galletly, “Because, dubbing studios… they hate each other. You will never give work to another dubbing studio, unless he’s a very good friend… But publicists, they do cooperate, they do give stuff, it’s a different atmosphere. Other publicists have given us work since we’ve been here.” August was especially healthy as, unlike many smaller businesses in Barcelona, Audio Projects doesn’t shut down in August. “I’m thinking of bringing somebody in just to do some market research, some marketing, and contact promotion,” continues Galletly. “Not only in Barcelona, but trying to do what we’ve done in the dubbing as well, so try and get work from and compete with London, Paris, or Munich – and offer the client the possibility of flying to Barcelona for a couple of days.” Of course, the other big diversification potential lies in Fig Tree Studios, Galletly’s new development in the @ district of Barcelona. @ is an ambitious project that is gradually transforming hectares of old industrial land into “an innovative district offering modern spaces for the strategic concentration of intensive knowledgebased a c t i v i t i e s ”. You can get more of this kind of speak by visiting www. barcelona. com, but essentially, it’s a revitalisation of a massive area – recognising the changing face of business in modern Europe and making sure the city is well placed to compete, helped by a sizable investment in infrastructure – around million Euros. Galletly sees the potential in this golden project, and is joining other major players in the Spanish post production markets that are already based in the area. A Dolby Premier room will, of course, require feeding with original and more complex productions to keep it happy – not just the continuing dubbing work. With plenty of financial incentives for production to come to Spain, as well as an expanding domestic output and an additional trend towards dealing with South American productions, Galletly is optimistic about the future of Fig Tree. In fact, he already has a couple of projects waiting to get in there. Specifically in the film market there is serious reason for optimism. Galletly: “One of the producers said to me that they were expecting to increase their production in . A lot of films are being shot now. Also I guess it’s because of the lower cost of digital equipment, the RED camera and so on.” The main building at La Garriga is still the heart of Audio Projects – it feels busy and productive the moment you walk in. The production team has the dubbing process down to a fine art, and Galletly is full of praise both for his team, and for the actors and actresses that come in and work so efficiently. The dubbing rooms don’t have booths, as Galletly has found this only adds another level of obscurity to the process – the technicians and talent are, for the most part, in the same space. The facility runs the Fairlight Pyxis system ( systems, to be precise) to deliver video and non-linear speed to the rooms, which is why the purchase of the Xynergy systems makes so much sense – keeping it in the family. In the press related to the purchase, Galletly said, “We were very impressed by the simplicity of the control surface, and the fact that Xynergi’s fast editing and mixing interface delivers all we need for high-end video production. He hints that his engineers are now getting up to speed with the system, though there’s still room to make the workflow quicker. Basically, allocating time to getting up to speed with the new systems and the array of rapid routes through various tasks. T h e Au d i o Pro j e c t s b u s i n e s s i s b e co m i n g more and more diverse by the day. The core activity remains the language dubbing and associated tasks, and that is operating with knowledgeable and experienced staff both in the production and in the project management departments. This then leaves Galletly free to explore new avenues and new possibilities for the business – including the Plaza Lesetta and @ projects. “I’m the Commercial Director, I bring the work, so, I’m selling.” The film ambitions or ‘the big league’ as Galletly puts it, is not so much an opportunity to make lots of new money, but an augmentation that could bring even more contacts and even more kudos to the Audio Projects operation. “I don’t expect to make money with the mixing or film studio. And this is what I say to my client now, I say, ‘Look, this is a room that you can come to with your mixer… I won’t say to you, ‘you can have these three days, but then you have to stop because a new business is coming’ – no – ‘come in, it’s yours, and you’ve got the best tools of the trade, the best monitoring system, the best desk, and you can work on the system you want.’ It’s an enlightened, creative approach to growing a business in a creative (and enlightened?) industry. ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N “Dubbing studios… they hate each other. You will never give work to another dubbing studio, unless he’s a very good friend… But publicists, they do cooperate, they do give stuff, it’s a different atmosphere.” Andrew Galletly, MD of Audio Projects. W www.audioprojects.com AUDIO MEDIA MARCH 2009 51 http://www.22barcelona.com http://www.22barcelona.com http://www.audioprojects.com http://www.junger-audio.com http://www.junger-audio.com
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