HOLLYWOOD — Audio Head (www.audiohead.com), a sound company that opened in 2010 on the historic site known as “The Lot,” provided services for director Terrence Malick’s latest film The Tree of Life, which won the Palm d’Or at Cannes.
Final mixing for The Tree of Life took place at the facility, which is home to four large dubbing stages, Foley and ADR stages, production and editorial offices, and a 130-seat screening theater. The site once housed the sound department of Warner Hollywood Studios, and prior to that, was home to Goldwyn Sound. Those mixing stages handled work for notable films that included
The Godfather, Raging Bull, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars and
West Side Story.
The Audio Head space maintain its historic ambience and acoustical qualities, but has been upgraded with Neve Gemini mixing consoles on two stages and the latest Avid ICON consoles on stages B and C (pictured). The facility also serves as home to Martell Sound, a provider of sound services for movie trailers.
Audio Head’s owners also own nearby post facility Picture Head, and the relationship allows for opportunities for packaging sound and picture services. According to Audio Head’s executive VP Ricky DeLena, filmmakers can come to the studio to cut picture, cut sound, mix, do ADR and Foley, and even host screenings.
“We provide, the space, the talent and everything in between for the whole process,” he notes. “Clients appreciate the convenience and creative benefits of having their entire production operations located in a single, secure location.”
The Tree of Life was the studio’s first project. Malick and his sound team, which included re-recording mixer and supervising sound editor Craig Berkey and sound designer Erik Aadahl, moved into production offices for what they anticipated would be five weeks, but ended up staying for 10 months. In addition to mixing, the production used Audio Head’s facilities for ADR, sound and picture editing, and screening.
The studio since has gone on to host several more film productions, including Paranormal Activity 2,
Hop and
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.