The talents and skills of a Liverpool Hope University academic and his students will be showcased on the big screen at the UK premiere of a new feature film this week.
Professional Tutor in Music Production, Mike Moran, was responsible for the audio in City of Spies, an independent comedy drama which will debut at Liverpool’s FACT cinema on Wednesday 12 October.
Mike was supported by three BA (Hons) Music students, who were given work experience at The Vocal Booth, the Toxteth-based audio production facility he co-owns and which was responsible for the film’s surround sound mix.
Recent graduates Gareth Farley, Anna Ho and Gabriela May, worked alongside Mike, who wrote and recorded a unique signature song, whilst also taking responsibility for the reproduction of sound effects in post-production.
Written, produced and directed by Mike’s brother, Phil Moran, City of Spies is the first in a trilogy of films which explore the world of diplomacy, espionage and nuclear non-proliferation in the era of fake news.
Set in Vienna, the film revolves around a young woman, Kindra Starr, who assumes the spying activities of her parents after they go missing, only to end up being hunted down when she sells secrets to an anonymous buyer who discovers she is an imposter.
“I got involved because my brother wanted a song written for a particular scene,” said Mike.
“He gave me some lyrics and I wrote an original melody and added sound effects such as footsteps.
“For the last 18 months I have been rebuilding the sound and I have just finished a surround mix for the premiere.
“I am really pleased with how it has turned out and particularly how we have improved the dialogue quality.”
Phil Moran, City of Spies’ director, producer and writer added: “Mike’s contribution to City Of Spies was tremendous.
“He wrote and recorded what has become an iconic song in the movie called ‘Your lovely smile’. It works perfectly with a very funny scene.
“We were really pleased to offer Hope students the opportunity to work in a commercial setting and the film was extremely lucky to have both Mike’s and their help.”
This was Mike’s first sound mix for a feature film, but he is no stranger to the movie industry thanks to his role at The Vocal Booth, where he has worked on the seventh instalment of the Rocky franchise – Creed – as well as the Disney remake of Peter Pan and the Sacha Baron Cohen film, Brothers Grimsby.
Hope music students often reap the benefits of his work there and, on this latest project, Gareth, Anna and Gabriella had the opportunity to gain valuable experience by calibrating the surround sound system levels and assisting with various voice over jobs.
“I think it’s been an incredibly valuable experience for the students because they have had the opportunity to experience the kind of pressures that come with automated dialogue replacement sessions,” Mike explained.
“There are so many layers to it and, when you are working in the industry you learn that everything has to be right first time.
“That’s the kind of thing you can only really learn in that situation. You can tell them in the classroom but it is great for them to sit in and understand what it is really about.”
The UK premiere of City of Spies takes place at FACT at 7.30pm on Wednesday 12 October. Tickets are available to buy from FACT.