DR I VE - I N MUS I C | SHOOT STORY
also undertakes multi-track recording with Pro Tools and Presonus flying faders. “We like to be able to morph to whatever a shoot needs,” says Rupert. “So it could be award-winning cars one day and legendary bands another. For example, we’ve just shot all the videos for Paul Carrack’s new album in this space, while we’re constantly having rare cars turning up to be photographed and filmed within our facility. Our latest shoot in the cove features a band that’s a brilliant new signing to Marshall Records, Elswhere, and their single This One’s for You .” And there is one final advantage to that cove that, while perhaps not initially foreseen, has totally delighted Rupert: “We’ve discovered that the sound in the cove is stunning. The big space without any hard angles makes for excellent live sound quality, so it’s been great to record many bands live in a performance video.” USING THE SPACE One of the challenges of running a big space such as this is that the overheads are understandably going to be high and so it’s crucial that the studio is fully utilised on a regular basis. Often it will be personal projects designed to highlight the When we’re screening a band or car, they can be moved while the camera stays fixed within the green screen area
Aston Martins turning up for a spin on the turntables. However, Rupert also has another major string to his bow, one that the giant cove has also proved itself to be equally useful for. “My background is that I have a long history in music,” says Rupert, “playing trumpet with artists such as Mike and The Mechanics, Bad Manners, Bono, Arthur Brown and so on, as well as co-mixing the revolutionary Series One and Two of Live From Abbey Road , an internally financed performance/documentary series that was filmed at the legendary studio aired worldwide from Channel 4 to Sundance and mixed at our facilities down in Sussex. “When we moved to our own custom- designed premises I wanted to be able to bring that sensibility to the cove, and this led us to redesign our white turntable so that it had its own mains power supply. This meant that a band could play and be rotated with no lead required, enabling the smoothest of dolly shots and Matrix-style freeze frames. It also means that, when we’re green screening a band or car, they can be moved while the camera stays fixed within the green screen area.” Alongside the filming, Gun Hill Studios
IMAGES With Gun Hill Studios, Rupert Cobb has created a space that suits the work he does, complete with turntables and a blackout studio space.
OCTOBER 20 1 8 | DEF I N I T ION 27
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