Sound City (2013)

One aspect of the film industry that I think can sometimes be overlooked is the documentary element. It's a shame that people often forget about documentary films as quite often they are interesting, engaging and filmed incredibly well. Some examples of great movie documentaries include 'An Inconvenient Truth', 'Supersize Me' and now, this documentary about a recording studio in California, 'Sound City'.

 This film tells the story of Sound City Studios, a famous music studio in the San Fernando Valley where classic albums from the likes of Nirvana, Elton John, Queens of the Stone Age and Fleetwood Mac were created and recorded. It's safe to say that this studio has one hell of a history and this documentary, directed by Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame, attempts to tell the story behind this incredible place.

 To be completely honest with you, I love music and listening to it and all that but I have absolutely no idea what goes in to making an album. Therefore, I was expecting the majority of this film to go way over my as rock legend that I had never heard of explained how mixing boards worked and how to find the acoustic sweat spot in a room (I hope those phrases are correct. If they're not, then I am sorry). On watching the film, the opposite occurred. I surprised myself by actually recognising a hell of a lot of people that were interviewed for this documentary. To add to the array of musical talent included, the tone of the film felt very inclusive. While many aspects of the film were clearly there for those who are interested in the production and creation of music and lyrics, it was still kept at an accessible level and not too technical to the point where even I understood it all.

 The story of the film was also done very well. It takes the viewer from the founding of the studios in 1969, through its illustrious time periods and it's rough moments, and on to today and what happened after Sound City closed in 2011. The passion for this studio is clear from the interviews that take place throughout the movie and really recreate that feeling in the viewers watching.

 The only down point that I really have about this film is the particular focus on the 'Neve board' which is a mixing console that has a specific sound and is considered to be the best desk and is highly sought after (thank you Wikipedia). While I am sure that for people who are truly passionate about this area of music this focus on the board is completely justified. However, as someone who is new to this kind of thing, I didn't really see the point and couldn't quite grasp what was so special about it. This may be just me though and my complete ignorance in terms of this sort of stuff.

 Overall, the documentary is certainly a good one. It is interesting, entertaining and manages to really show of the world of rock music and the impact that this studio had on it.