Made for the Google Arts & Culture program, this 3 minute film is an introduction to the Palio, one of the most intense rivalries on the planet! The different regions of Siena all compete in a horse race and the level of competition is fierce. The race itself is quite dangerous, but a win for your region, or contrada, is a great honour.
The source records needed a lot of audio restoration on this film, there was even a plan to replace the original records with English, but I’m very happy that it stayed with the original Italian to retain its authenticity. The sound design brief was to build the tension and excitement but leave some dynamic headroom for the big race at the end. My favourite parts are the cuts away to the horses and the switch from the kids to the adults during the chant. The Creative Lab’s attention to detail is always evident in their work and this was a great film to work on.