Vagabond Audio works on two intensive sports projects for Tempo/Versus and Kartemquin/ESPN

05/05/2010

Vagabond Audio completed a marathon project for Chicago-based production company Tempo Communications and Versus TV.  Coverage of the 14-day Dakar Rally – a 9000 km. race through the mountains and deserts of Argentina and Chile – began in early January.

Rich Gentile, director and president of Tempo Communications says the production was a distinct logistical challenge.  Footage was being acquired daily in South America and transmitted to Versus' headquarters in Connecticut.  “We would receive footage at 7PM and give them back a fully packaged show by 1PM,” says Gentile. 

“There was a lot of intense sound design elements we created,” says Weir.  “There were big hits and lots of cuts; all of the graphics needed sound treatments.  We handled it all virtually – many locations, many stakeholders.  It was all managed via FTP and text message; we'd start at 10PM and finish by 10AM”

Gentile says the audio production was a complex issue that Weir solved exceedingly well.  “Drew was dealing with audio from a broad variety of sources – hand held cameras, cameras on helicopters – and he needed to get them all to sound consistent,” he says.  “Drew took all of these sources that were sometimes lacking and creating sound design that enhanced the day's story.”

In the interim between episodes, Weir was completing sound design, Foley and mix for Kartemquin (www.kartemquin.com) director Steve James' latest work, “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson,” a feature-length documentary commissioned by ESPN.

“No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson” follows James as he returns to his home town where in 1993 then-17-year old Allen Iverson was involved in a fight that landed him in jail and divided the community.  The audio for the project included interviews with more than two dozen people as well as a significant amount of archival material, according to producer Emily Hart.

“A lot of things needed to be managed. He was helpful and patient addressing all of the issues we had and was a terrific partner on the project,” she says.

“No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson” airs on ESPN, April 13th.

Other recent projects for Vagabond Audio include voice-over recording with Philip Seymour Hoffman for HBO and commercial packages for Miller, Rayovac, and JC Penney.