In this episode, Neil and Jason talk to behaviour analyst Michelle Mills-Porter, about the challenges faced by creatives: particularly freelancers who work in ad-hoc teams and find themselves having to adapt to others' behaviour. Through understanding our own driving forces, Michelle explains how we can realise the powerful potential within us all to reap the rewards of our own unique, valuable, and often transferrable, skills.

Michelle is a compelling speaker, with an equally compelling back-story; it's one that gives hope to anyone finding themselves questioning their own worth in the current, sometimes bruising, climate of the film and television industry.

*The Clarity and Essence reports referred to in this podcast are available to download here

About the presenters:
You can find more about Michelle and her work here
Details about Neil and Jason’s work as dialogue editors and mixers and how to contact them is here
Details of our 1-to-1, training and coaching programmes for ambitious media professionals are available at:
https://www.drneilhillman.com and https://soundproducer.com.au/coaching and www.soundformovingpictures.com

Technical notes:
Written, produced and presented by Jason Nicholas and Dr Neil Hillman – IMDb
Recorded using the CleanFeed remote recording system
Programme edited by Jason Nicholas

YouTube fair use disclaimer:
Where copyrighted material appears in episodes of The Apple and Biscuit Show, it is used under the ‘fair use’ guidelines of the Copyright Act: i.e. “Use of these clips follows Fair Use laws regarding commenting and criticising”, where Fair Use allows for the unlicensed use of copyrighted material for purposes such as Commentary, Criticism, Parody, News reporting, Teaching, Scholarship, and Research.
In instances where copyright or credit is questioned, please contact us directly to discuss receiving credit, or removing the featured content.

In this episode, Neil and Jason talk to the prolific British composer David Lowe about his rise to success and his musical milestones along the way—from work experience at BBC Radio Birmingham to composing the BBC theme that has heralded the corporation’s global news output for more than 25 years. With familiar theme tunes for internationally syndicated TV programmes such as ‘Grand Designs’ and ‘5th Gear’, unforgettable commercials for British Airways and DHL, and even a number one in the indie chart, it’s all been a dream come true for a Sutton Coldfield schoolboy with a passion for synthesisers.

About the presenters:
You can find more about David and his work here
Details about Neil and Jason’s work as dialogue editors and mixers and how to contact them is here
Details of our 1-to-1, training and coaching programmes for ambitious media professionals are available at:
https://www.drneilhillman.com and https://soundproducer.com.au/coaching and www.soundformovingpictures.com

Technical notes:
Written, produced and presented by Jason Nicholas and Dr Neil Hillman – IMDb
Recorded using the CleanFeed remote recording system
Programme edited by Jason Nicholas

YouTube fair use disclaimer:
Where copyrighted material appears in episodes of The Apple and Biscuit Show, it is used under the ‘fair use’ guidelines of the Copyright Act: i.e. “Use of these clips follows Fair Use laws regarding commenting and criticising”, where Fair Use allows for the unlicensed use of copyrighted material for purposes such as Commentary, Criticism, Parody, News reporting, Teaching, Scholarship, and Research.

In instances where copyright or credit is questioned, please contact us directly to discuss receiving credit, or removing the featured content.

In this episode (Part 2 of 2) Neil and Jason talk in-depth and ‘totally technical’ about the musical Wicked with the Oscar-winning Production Sound Mixer Simon Hayes and on set music editor Josh Winslade. We discuss the creative decisions behind Simon’s sound recording strategy, his timing and justification for switching to digital radio mics and the low-down on how a great relationship with the Visual Effects supervisor is so important in the quest for capturing the best possible performance from artists on set.

About the presenters:
You can find more about Simon and his work here
Josh Winslade on IMDb
Details about Neil and Jason’s work as dialogue editors and mixers and how to contact them is here
Details of our 1-to-1, training and coaching programmes for ambitious media professionals are available at:
https://www.drneilhillman.com and https://soundproducer.com.au/coaching and www.soundformovingpictures.com

Technical notes:
Written, produced and presented by Jason Nicholas and Dr Neil Hillman – IMDb
Recorded using the CleanFeed remote recording system
Programme edited by Jason Nicholas

YouTube fair use disclaimer:
Where copyrighted material appears in episodes of The Apple and Biscuit Show, it is used under the ‘fair use’ guidelines of the Copyright Act: i.e. “Use of these clips follows Fair Use laws regarding commenting and criticizing”, where Fair Use allows for the unlicensed use of copyrighted material for purposes such as Commentary, Criticism, Parody, News reporting, Teaching, Scholarship, and Research.

In instances where copyright or credit is questioned, please contact us directly to discuss receiving credit, or removing the featured content.

Dr Mark Deeks is someone who likes to challenge our assumptions about music, and in particular Heavy Metal, which he suggests has more than a passing resemblance to folk music (as someone with a Ph.D. from researching Heavy Metal music, he’s able to say). But not only is he a Heavy Metal performer with his band Winterfylleth and as a solo artist, he’s also a piano teacher, a musical director for various professional artists, as well as a conductor for ensembles as diverse as workplace choirs and the Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Mark’s passion is helping people to understand the important role that music can play in mental wellbeing; and his workshops and seminars on subjects surrounding the use of music to improve mental health and reduce stress are hugely popular. In this interview, Marks speaks candidly about his own experience of trauma; coming to terms with the loss of a child, and the role that music played in his recovery. This is an unusual and remarkable interview that may very well change your life.

About the presenters:
Mark’s website is here (https://markdeeksmusic.com/)

Details about Neil and Jason’s work as dialogue editors and mixers and how to contact them is here (https://www.theaudiosuite.com)

Details of our 1-to-1, training and coaching programmes for ambitious media professionals are available at: https://www.drneilhillman.com and https://soundproducer.com.au/coaching and www.soundformovingpictures.com

Technical notes:
Written, produced and presented by Jason Nicholas and Dr Neil Hillman – IMDb
Recorded using the CleanFeed remote recording system
Programme edited and mixed by Jason Nicholas

British Supervising Sound Editor and Sound Designer Stephen Griffiths is responsible for some of the most intelligent and entertaining soundtracks of the last two decades or more, seamlessly moving between multi-million-dollar movies and high-end television dramas.

In this episode Neil and Jason are in conversation with Stephen about his role in helping to create one of the most complex yet subtle soundtracks of the recent era, the 2022 movie, TÁR.

In this thorough exploration of the film’s precise sound, Stephen describes the meticulous attention to detail demanded by Writer and Director Todd Field and details how bringing together live orchestral recordings alongside dialogue was achieved, why dialogue perspective was so important, and the benefit of fully loading temp mixes.

About the presenters:

Stephen’s IMDb page is here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0341756/

Books mentioned in the podcast:

The Routledge Handbook of Sound Design (with a Chapter on Tár by Neil Hillman)

and

Sound for Moving Pictures by Neil Hillman

Details about Neil and Jason’s work as dialogue editors and mixers and how to contact them is here: https://www.theaudiosuite.com

Details of our 1-to-1, training and coaching programmes for ambitious media professionals are available at:

https://www.drneilhillman.com and https://soundproducer.com.au/coaching and www.soundformovingpictures.com

Technical notes:

Written, produced and presented by Jason Nicholas and Dr Neil Hillman – IMDb

Recorded using the CleanFeed remote recording system

Programme edited and mixed by Jason Nicholas

In this episode (part 2 of 2), Neil and Jason talk to the Oscar-winning Production Sound Mixer Simon Hayes about the work-ethic he learned from filming with his father, Production Sound Mixer John Hayes; other Production Sound Mixers that have inspired him; the importance of a life lived outside of the film business (to both your health and your finances); and his close and long-standing friendship with the film director, Guy Ritchie.

And stay tuned to hear how Neil throws caution to the wind and offers to grapple with Simon in the dojo to decide who between them should mix the next James Bond Film…

About the presenters:

You can find more about Simon and his work here: https://www.simonhayes.com

Details about Neil and Jason’s work as dialogue editors and mixers and how to contact them is here: https://www.theaudiosuite.com

Details of Neil’s 1-to-1 and Coaching Programmes for ambitious media professionals are available at: https://www.drneilhillman.com and https://soundproducer.com.au/coaching and www.soundformovingpictures.com

Technical notes:

Written, produced and presented by Jason Nicholas and Dr Neil Hillman – IMDb

Recorded using the Squadcast remote recording system

Programme edited by Jason Nicholas

All original motion picture soundtrack clips are licensed through SceneClipper Inc.

Details about Neil and Jason’s work as dialogue editors and mixers and how to contact them is here: https://www.theaudiosuite.com

Details of Neil’s 1-to-1 and Coaching Programmes for ambitious media professionals are available at:

https://www.drneilhillman.com and https://soundproducer.com.au/coaching and www.soundformovingpictures.com

Technical notes:

Written, produced and presented by Jason Nicholas and Dr Neil Hillman – IMDb

Recorded using the Squadcast remote recording system

Programme edited by Jason Nicholas

All original motion picture soundtrack clips are licensed through SceneClipper Inc.