Deluxe delivers as a one-stop shop for the hit Australian film “The Sapphires.”
Sydney, Australia -- The Australian divisions of Efilm and Method Studios, as well as Deluxe’s StageOne Sound collaborated on the new Australian feature film, The Sapphires, to be released in the U.S.
Set in 1968, The Sapphires is inspired by the incredible true story of four young Australian Aboriginal girls who, grasping the chance of a lifetime, went to Vietnam to sing soul music to the American troops. Produced by Goalpost Pictures and Directed by Wayne Blair, the film stars Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) as the group’s down-on-his-luck Irish manager and Australia’s own Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell. The Sapphires was filmed on location on the Murray River in regional Australia, home of the original Sapphires, as well as western Sydney and Vietnam.
Goalpost Pictures made use of Deluxe’s full service offering contained under the one roof at their Sydney studio. Deluxe and Efilm in Australia completed the Dailies and Digital Intermediate on the feature with sound services by StageOne Sound and VFX by Method Studios Australia. The project spanned 16 months - Deluxe and Efilm commenced processing the daily telecine transfers in August 2011 and post-production was completed in December 2012.
Efilm’s DI skills are on display throughout the film, including super 2k scan, dust bust, conform, colour grade, titles, DCP mastering, video mastering and digital negative. StageOne Sound completed the final sound mix, print mastering and audio deliverables, and Method Studios VFX talent is on display throughout the opening titles and Vietnam scenes - completing extensive digital set extensions, including Saigon, full military camps, battle scenes, digital crowds and vehicles.
Andrew Robinson, General Manager of Creative Services for Efilm, Method Studios and StageOne Sound said The Sapphires was a fantastic project to work on which encompassed Deluxe’s whole spectrum of film post-production services “We are extremely proud of our involvement with The Sapphires; it was a complete service offering including, film transfers, DI, VFX and sound. Director, Wayne Blair and DOP, Warwick Thornton appreciated being able to utilise the Deluxe Group for the entire project. The success of the film was incredibly rewarding for our passionate team and we look forward to working with Goalpost Pictures on their next venture.”
The Sydney studio proved to be an asset throughout the production and post-production of The Sapphires which received a ten minute standing ovation at the premiere held at Cannes Film Festival. With the breadth of services housed at one location, Goalpost Pictures were able to trust one facility to craft an award-winning crowd pleaser "The Deluxe Group of companies worked with us at every stage, from processing, to the DI, VFX and through to the sound mix. Creative excellence was delivered by an incredible team of practitioners. The work of Deluxe made a huge contribution to the success of The Sapphires,” said Rosemary Blight, Producer, Goalpost Pictures.
The film, which is being released in the U.S. by the Weinstein Company, recently received a stunning 12 awards at the Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts Awards (AACTA), including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Lead Actress, Best Lead Actor to name a few. The Sapphires was also the highest grossing Australian feature film at the local box office in 2012, and 14th highest of all time.
Source: Deluxe Entertainment
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
