This newsletter covers the production of Fresh Sounds Class of ’26, a live music and artist profile series created by Sydney-based Machine Studio for Rolling Stone, Mentos and Vinyl Media.
It’s been a few of months since our last newsletter, and we have a lot to get you caught up on. Let’s dive straight in.
Starting with some big news, our editor, motion designer, camera assistant and multi-hat-wearing extraordinaire, Rory, has departed for Canada. After two years at Machine Studio, Rory decided it was time to grace the shores of Toronto, grow out his lush beard, try his hand at hunting and cozying up by the fire in a wood cabin (and don’t forget that trip to Vegas he squeezed in).
While he’s chopping wood, I’m sure Rory has managed to set up his standing-desk edit suite, find a strong Wi-Fi signal and continue to hone the razor-sharp editing craft he’s developed over the last five years. Your presence in Surry Hills will be missed!
Meanwhile, in Sydney, we’ve had a few projects of all shapes and sizes. I’m going to focus on one that’s kept me busy over the last couple of months.
Rolling Stone & Mentos Fresh Sounds Class of ‘26
We had the opportunity to work with our friends at Vinyl Media on a Rolling Stone campaign sponsored by Mentos. Mentos Fresh Sounds Class of ’26 shines a light on eight emerging Australian and New Zealand artists, celebrating the people and stories shaping the next generation of Australian music.
We love being involved in projects from start to finish, and with eight different artists, various band sizes, genres and shoot locations, each bringing their own unique flair, the biggest challenge was putting together a cohesive campaign that allowed each artist’s unique voice to shine through. This was considered from the start, through a detailed creative treatment, refining the concept, gathering references, storyboarding and writing interview questions for the project’s two key components:
In My Room — Intimate live performances inspired by YouTube series such as Tiny Desk. Each artist picked a location unique to them, sprinkled it with personal details or keeping it clean, so that it felt like the audience was stepping into their creative space.
Artist Profile — A casual conversation with each artist, as we learned about their key inspirations and what they think the Australian music industry needs right now.
VV Pete during her In My Room performance
There was a lot of coordination in the pre-production stage. Calls with the artists, their management and sound engineers were crucial to ensuring each shoot went smoothly, as were clear instructions for unloading equipment, parking spots and all those logistical details that need to be confirmed well before the shoot date.
Each location had its own challenges and provided a unique backdrop for each of the artists. Our first shoot with Western Sydney rapper Solly was on a rooftop in Darlinghurst. While the CBD backdrop and blaring truck horns brought that grungy urban flavour, we were very exposed to the elements. After carefully watching the BOM radar for days, I made the call to shoot in the morning and dodged torrential rain in the afternoon! The grey cloud cover had a moody look and also made for clean, even lighting, as we avoided harsh sunlight moving throughout the day.
Solly is a rapper and DJ who performs solo, which meant the setup was straightforward and allowed plenty of time for us to change camera setups and direct Solly so we were covered from all angles. Director Josh Mullins brought out the best in Solly’s cheeky personality, while camera operator Curtis Cloake had plenty of space to film Solly in action on the rooftop. Check out this teaser of his performance.
Josh, Curtis and Solly all get their lean on during Solly’s In My Room performance
While the rest of the performances were shot indoors, we still had the challenge of framing entire bands in tight spaces. This also came with additional setup time and talent coordination. A solo rapper/DJ has a totally different technical setup from a five-piece band. This is where DOP Mikey Matthews really locked-in, carefully placing each band member within the frame so that everything felt cohesive. Most of the In My Room shoots took over an hour to set up cameras, lights, microphones, instruments, sound checks, and framing. Once the setup was complete, the shooting itself was probably the easiest part of the whole project, as the artists were able to do what they do best.
BTS from Gazal’s In My Room performance
The Fresh Sounds artists covered so many genres. We filmed with pop duo Foley in the legendary Church St Studios in Camperdown. Emmy Award-winning producer Sean Carey nailed the mix, and Foley’s song “Cinematic” has been stuck in my head for weeks. Rapper VV Pete stole the show in the Trackwork office in Darlinghurst. I’ve got no doubt that “Back Into It” will be the song of the summer. Experimental pop artist GAZAL left me stunned with her stripped-back version of “Daisychains”. Curtis is quoted on camera as saying, “I nearly cried during that piano solo.” Canberra post-punk group Sonic Reducer belted out bangers from their new EP, “Living Room”. Our good friend Matt Stewart at A Sharp Studios did an expert job on the mix. Elijah Yo somehow managed to look laid-back while also performing some seriously hard-hitting tracks. He and his band looked right at home playing in Commonhouse Studio in Glendenning.
BTS from Elijah Yo’s In My Room performance
We flew to Melbourne for our shoot with alt-rock group Sleepazoid. The living room setup was one of my favourite locations (shoutout to band manager Evie for letting us shoot there!). It felt like I was watching them live in my own private space. They’re definitely worth checking out if you’re into DIIV or Dry Cleaning. Our final shoot was with Beryl at Puzzle Gallery in Chippendale. This was a lovely one to end on: a beautiful blend of indie rock and folk.
We’re still in the post-production phase of the Fresh Sounds Class of ’26 project, with the first few In My Room performances now live. Huge shoutout to Rojan, Sofia, Sarah and the rest of the team at Vinyl for finding such incredible artists and allowing us the opportunity to put this together.
After writing about the project, I’m reminded of how big it was and that I should save the other jobs we’ve been working on for another newsletter.
What am I watching?
I’m watching Lanterns on HBO Max. I generally avoid the Marvel and DC universes when it comes to TV because there is just so much of it, and I feel like it’s all just squeezing a franchise for all it’s worth. But this feels different! An extraterrestrial-style mystery set in a small town in the southern USA, Lanterns follows the story of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, at a late stage of his career as the guardian of Earth. Hal has a new Green Lantern under his wing, John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, and the two could not be more opposite in how they approach problems.
John Stewart played by Aaron Pierre and Hal Jordan played by Kyle Chandler
The show does an incredible job of balancing small-town dynamics with a galactic-scale threat. The town sheriff is trying to keep Hal Jordan (the guardian of planet Earth) from overstepping in her jurisdiction, while Green Lantern-in-training John Stewart is trying to keep his cool under Hal’s loose-cannon mentorship. It’s primarily a mystery drama, with some science fiction splashed throughout. The aliens are camouflaged as humans, and you only catch glimpses of their true forms, which keeps the show grounded but also creates intrigue.
The dynamic between Hal and John is keeping me glued. I love the juxtaposition of acting on instinct versus following the rules. Hal always trusts his gut, but military man John follows the chain of command. It’s chaos against order, which always creates good drama. Episode 4 just came out, and I can’t wait to watch it.
That’s all from me. We’ve got plenty more to share, so stay tuned for the next Machine Studio newsletter.
Damien
