"Rumours," the latest dark comedy from directors Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson, and Evan Johnson, takes audiences on a bizarre journey into the wilderness where G7 leaders find themselves lost during their annual summit. Set against the backdrop of a global crisis, the film stars a stellar ensemble including Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and Charles Dance, and is produced by Buffalo Gal Pictures, with distribution by Bleeker Street. Streamland Media’s Picture Shop and Formosa Group provided picture and sound services for the film at their Toronto facility.
Senior Colorist, Brett Trider worked closely with the directors and cinematographer Stefan Ciupek to create a soft 35mm tone to the film. “The collaboration between Stefan, the directors and I was integral to enhancing the story beats of the film. Whether it’s dissolving to a gritty back and white for a flashback, elevating a love scene with a soft glow or intensifying a giant flaming brain it was working together as a team that made this project a joy to work on.”
“Our weeks finishing Rumours at Picture Shop and Formosa Group Toronto were immensely satisfying. The very experienced sound and picture teams went above and beyond and then even beyond that. They were wonderful to work with and happily adapted to our sometimes unorthodox working methods. And the snacks. The snacks!”
- Directors Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson, and Evan Johnson
The sound mixing team of Graham Rogers and Martin Lee, along with sound designer Dave Rose and dialogue editor Claire Dobson, were excited to collaborate once again with Guy Maddin, as well as Galen and Evan Johnson. All four had previously worked with Maddin and looked forward to this new opportunity. "Guy has always given us lots of freedom to try unique and creative sound treatments on his films. Nothing is off the table and Rumours is no exception,” said sound designer Dave Rose. “The film takes us to some unusual places, and we were able to match that sonically with design and mixing."
Lee added, “the directors were working on both sound and the DI in our Toronto facility, allowing Graham and I to work ahead while they were reviewing picture. They were very open to our input to create an ebb and flow of the tension and dread that is slowly building through the story.”
"Sound helped to tell the story in a conventional way, but the story is anything but conventional. The script and dialogue really drove the humour”, said Rogers. “The script did all the heavy lifting, and we took our cues from it and tried to find interesting ways to use sound to punch it up.”
The film had its North American premiere at TIFF and premiered in theatres October 18, 2024.