A Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer is a member of a team which won Australian film industry awards for their creation of the sound track for the 2013 remake of The Great Gatsby.

 

Mr Damian Candusso, senior lecturer in sound and multimedia at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Wagga Wagga, created many of the sound effects for director Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

 

In November 2013, the team won the Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG) film category awards for Best Film Sound Design, Soundtrack of the Year, Best Film Sound Mixing, and ASSG Members Choice.

 

On Tuesday 28 January during the first round of the 2014 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards (formerly the Australian Film Industry Awards), the film also won Best Sound at thecraft awards presentation luncheon. Mr Candusso's contribution was acknowledged onstage during the acceptance speech by Mr Wayne Pashley, the film's Supervising Sound Editor and Re-Recording Mixer.

 

Mr Candusso said, "It's an honour to be acknowledged as part of an exceptionally talented team who help create outstanding motion pictures. I love the film industry, and I love being able to share my enthusiasm and impart my knowledge to my students at Charles Sturt University. The University provides me with an exceptional balance where I am able to be engaged on the latest blockbuster films, while formalising the cutting-edge creative practice through research, all from a regional setting."

 

He is currently in the final stages of PhD research about the relationship between stereoscopic 3-D film visuals and the accompanying soundtrack.

 

Connecting his extensive industry background and formal research, Mr Candusso has been invited to conduct research by two of the most renowned film houses in the world. In 2012, his fieldwork saw him invited to stay at the George Lucas-owned Skywalker Ranch, in California, which is renowned for its on-site cutting-edge technical facilities. During his Special Studies Program (SSP) in 2013, he had the privilege of being invited to the Peter Jackson-owned Park Road Post in Wellington, New Zealand, where The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and numerous local and international movies have been created.

 

Mr Candusso has previously been acknowledged with awards for his work on other films. The next film to feature Mr Candusso's sound effects contribution will be The Lego Movie, which is also in 3-D, and starring Will Ferrel, Morgan Freeman, Jonah Hill, and Liam Neeson. It is scheduled for release on Friday 7 February in the US, and in April in Australia.