About & Press - GF Soundscapes

A Soundscape should move and transport its audience.

Yet all too often, it’s treated as an afterthought.

At George Foulgham Soundscapes it’s our aim to address your post audio needs from where they actually start: Pre-production. From treatment to filming to rough cuts - and finally, of course, to the mix itself - it’s our mission to offer personal and considered support to steer your project to the polished and compelling Soundscape it deserves.

The GF Soundscapes team are happy to discuss and give guidance on your project, regardless of which stage you have reached in the audio post process, so get in touch with us today to see how we can help.

BIOGRAPHY

GEORGE

As a distinguished Sound Re-Recording Mixer and Supervising Sound Editor, George has set the gold standard for documentary soundscapes.

George headed the renowned feature documentary audio department at London post production house Molinare since 2002, before starting GF Soundscapes in 2021. During his time there, the department continuously hit new technical heights, whilst endeavouring to stay at the forefront of the ever-evolving world of factual audio post production.

A personal highlight came in 2008, when George’s work on the Oscar winning feature documentary Man On Wire was widely recognised as a breakthrough for feature documentary as a genre. On its way to the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Man on Wire also picked up the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and a BAFTA. George’s work on the film played a vital role in its success:

“With perfect sound, on a large screen, Petit’s bizarre obsession with the towers is touchingly reconstructed …” Nick Fraser Producer, Man on Wire (Series Editor Storyville)

Aside from this prodigious achievement, George has also won a ‘Best Sound’ BAFTA for his work on Trawlermen in 2010, and an RTS Craft & Design award for Fighting the War in 2003. His work has also been recognised 6 further times with BAFTA nominations for Brazil with Michael Palin, New Europe, Trawlermen Pick of the Catch, Himalaya with Michael Palin, Sahara with Michael Palin and Soho Stories; also, more recently, a Broadcast Tech Innovation award nomination for Terms & Conditions: A UK Drill Story.

Alongside these personal accolades, George has supervised and mixed many extraordinary, brilliant and diverse documentaries that have been celebrated around the world. These credits include Orlando von Einsiedel’s and Joanna Natasegara’s Oscar-nominated Virunga and Oscar winning The White Helmets, Ed Perkins Oscar-nominated Black Sheep, Lucy Cohen’s Kingdom of Us, Kevin Macdonald’s Sky Ladder: the Art of Cai Guo-Qiang, Alfred George Bailey’s Grierson-winning Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall and Daniel Gordon’s four part The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius.

George prides himself on forging continuing relationships with ambitious directors who create an emotional, compelling story that the world has to see and hear – and not only does this apply to established filmmakers, but also to the burgeoning directors and producers of tomorrow. Through established bodies such as the National Film & Television School, the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Arizona, George lectures and helps to support students studying documentary and sound design, and has participated in the BAFTA Give Something Back mentoring scheme.

George’s extensive credit list demonstrates a wealth of experience, knowledge and flexibility that will safeguard your entire audio post production process from start to finish.

BIOGRAPHY

TOM

After a highly successful career in the music industry both as a solo artiste and with his band, Byron Bay, Tom turned his attention to his other passion - Documentary Soundscapes.

Equipped with a prestigious BATAC qualification and a Cum Laude Bachelor Degree in Applied Audiovisual Communication Techniques from the Thomas More University in Belgium , Tom joined London’s Molinare where he had the opportunity to work with George.

During his four years as George’s assistant, Tom’s talent was nurtured and guided by one of the best creatives in the industry, and their working relationship has turned into a powerful synergy. Together they’ve crafted emotionally engaging soundscapes on some of the best documentaries in the world which Tom looks forward to continuing through his association with George Foulgham Soundscapes.

Tom’s portfolio has now expanded to include audiobooks, podcasts, short films and commercials, and he runs the Podcasting and Masterclasses Music Entertainment courses at his alma mater - the Thomas More University.

He’s also part of their Applied Sciences research team, ‘eXtend’ - a two-year project exploring how XR technologies can feed into media production - an area of research that is helping Tom to better understand the needs of content producers.

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PRESS CUTTINGS & TESTIMONIALS

If These Walls Could Sing review – mystery tour of Abbey Road Studios

Source: The Guardian

Putting her privileged access to good use, Mary McCartney has directed this enjoyable documentary about Abbey Road Studios in London – famously the site of the Beatles’ classic recordings (her dad is Paul of course), but much more besides. McCartney’s film takes us through the history of the building itself (in the St John’s Wood neighbourhood of London, perhaps only Lord’s cricket ground is more of an English icon).

Mary McCartney: ‘This was a way of bringing the audience into Abbey Road’

Source: ABC

ABC News' Linsey Davis spoke to Mary McCartney, director of "If These Walls Could Sing," unpacking her personal ties and the 90-year history of the legendary studio

‘If These Walls Could Sing’ Review: Mary McCartney Takes Her Own Crosswalk to Abbey Road

Source: Variety

It’s fair to say that Abbey Road Studios is the most documented recording facility in the world, but only if you count the crosswalk outside. Otherwise, the nine-bedroom mansion turned studio hasn’t really had its day in the cinematic sun, the way that more modest studios like L.A.’s Sound City and Alabama’s Muscle Shoals have. Making up for that with an A-lister-filled movie treatment is “If These Walls Could Sing,” the first feature-length documentary from Mary McCartney, who has a hell of a shared Rolodex to draw upon in gathering the firsthand rock ‘n’ roll anecdotes you expect and want in a film like this. She’s also savvy enough to know that the guy working in the back gluing irreplaceable mid-century microphones back together deserves a few seconds of screen time, too.

Mary McCartney’s If These Walls Could Sing coming soon to Disney Plus

Source: Abbey Road

We’re excited to announce If These Walls Could Sing, Mary McCartney’s new Disney Original Documentary on Abbey Road Studios is coming to Disney Plus on 16 December after making its debut at Telluride Film Festival.
The culmination of years of research, the film is Mary’s personal love letter to a place which not only fostered her dad’s creative work, but also countless numbers of the most talented artists from around the globe.

‘Bobi Wine: Ghetto President’: Venice Review

Source: screendaily

Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, has become the face of change in Uganda, the charismatic pop star-turned-politician the embodiment of hope in a country ruled by a brutal dictatorship. Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo’s documentary snapshot Bobi Wine: Ghetto President is as gripping as any thriller but without the tidy, uplifting resolution that real life rarely provides. This emotional, thought-provoking work should travel extensively, attracting interest from festivals, streamers and documentary channels.

Venice: National Geographic Takes ‘Bobi Wine’ Worldwide

Source: hollywoodreporter

National Geographic snatched up Bobi Wine: Ghetto President after its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival and ahead of its US bow at Telluride today. Wine, who was in Venice to promote the film, will be at the US premiere as well, and will give a live musical performance in the center of town on Sunday night.

National Geographic plans to tour Bobi Wine: Ghetto President across global festivals throughout the rest of the year and release it in theaters in 2023.

BOBI WINE: GHETTO PRESIDENT

Source: Biennale Cinema 2022

This observational documentary film follows Bobi Wine and his wife Barbie. Bobi rises from the ghetto slums of Kampala to one of the country’s most loved superstars. His musical talent lifts him and emboldens millions of previously voiceless people. Bobi uses his music for activism, then becomes an Independent Member of Parliament to stand to defend the rights of his people, the ghetto people. Bobi’s wife, Barbie, by standing with him, plunges her own life into uncertainty

Black Sheep | Tell Me Who I Am

Nominee
Black Sheep – Oscar
Nominee
Tell Me Who I Am – Grierson

"I have had the privilege to work with George on many projects over the years - including TELL ME WHO I AM and BLACK SHEEP - and the collaboration is always one of the highlights of the entire filmmaking process for me. I have always felt immensely privileged to be in such safe and talented hands.

George combines an acute sensitivity for what the sound mix can and should do with a genuine willingness to take creative risks. Despite arguably having mixed more feature documentaries than anyone else in the world (!), I always feel as though George approaches each and every new project with the same excitement and respect, and his unparalleled experience has saved me from myself on many occasions. On TELL ME WHO I AM specifically, George handled the balance of music and effects with huge care given the sensitivities involved in the story, and his use of total silence at several points in the film really felt like we were pushing the boundaries of what a traditional documentary sound mix can offer."

Ed Perkins

Director

TRAWLERMEN

Winner
BAFTA TV Craft Factual Sound Award 2010
Nominee
BAFTA TV Craft Factual Sound Award 2008

"George is hands down one of the best in the business. Working with him is a creative joy and I always feel like I am in very safe hands. The White Helmets was a challenging mix due to the combination of multiple recording formats and sound qualities. George pulled everything together to create a beautifully textured soundscape that was cinematic and yet remained true to the realities on the ground in Syria and Turkey."

BILL LYONS

Executive Producer
Documentaries & Features BBC Birmingham

MICHAEL PALIN’S NEW EUROPE

Himalaya with Michael Palin
Sahara with Michael Palin

"In choosing a dubbing mixer George is always top of my list and has been so for the last twenty years. George is his own sternest critic. To achieve his high standards he brings a calmness, clarity and attention to detail that is truly impressive. In his skilful hands tracks recorded in difficult conditions in the field can sound pristine and transformed. Within the increasingly complex demands of broadcasters George also manages to make mixing-sessions at Molinare experiences that are relaxed and enjoyable as well as technically of the highest standard."

ROGER MILLS

Director/Producer
Prominent Television

MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN

Nominee
BAFTA Outstanding Directorial Debut 2010
Winner
BIFA Best British Documentary 2009

"I watch Trawlermen and how we experience what those guys cope with is completely enhanced by the sound. We’ve experienced the different world you help to create with our Mugabe film. It just makes me feel so lucky that we had you helping our film."

ELIZABETH MORGAN HEMLOCK

Producer
Arturi Films