Biopic About Suzanne Ciani, the Queen of the Synthesizer
What do the iconic sound effect of a bottle of Coca-Cola popping open and being poured and the Energizer sound logo have in common? Synth composer and legend Suzanne Ciani. Ciani’s lifelong career in the film, video game, and advertising world is featured in a new biopic premiering at this year’s SXSW Festival called A Life in Waves. Ciani’s list of accolades is leaden with success and innovation, having composed television commercial scores for companies like Coca-Cola, Merrill Lynch, AT&T, and General Electric and holding the position of first solo female composer of a major Hollywood film for scoring Lily Tomlin’s The Incredible Shrinking Woman in 1981. Ciani is perhaps best known for her ability to recreate sound effects that recording engineers had been unable to record properly: everything from noises for video games to the famous bottle of soda being opened and poured utilized by Coco-Cola for decades. Ciani is also responsible for the signature “swoosh” effect in the Starland Vocal Band’s Afternoon Delight. The film follows Ciani’s career from learning to play the piano to composing multi-million dollar advertising campaigns, hitting golden moments of her past while never straying far from her relationship with her mentor, synth pioneer Don Buchla.
Yoko and John Biopic On Their Love and Activism
Yoko Ono is working with producer Michael De Luca and screenwriter Anthony McCarten on a biopic about the relationship and activism of her and John Lennon. In a statement on Wednesday, De Luca said “The story will focus on ripe and relevant themes of love, courage, and activism in the U.S.- with the intention of inspiring today’s youth to stand up for and have a clear vision for the world they want.” De Luca is a Hollywood mega-producer behind films such as The Social Network, Moneyball, and Captain Phillips. McCarten is also penning the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
-Taylor Wallace
