Andrew Plain

Film sound designer

26-7-1953 — 13-12-2013

At two metres, Andrew Plain was a very tall man, but he was also a towering figure in other, more important respects. He was one of Australia's most distinguished film sound designers and gained an international reputation through the high quality and innovative nature of his work on feature films, documentaries, shorts and television dramas.

Andrew Plain at the AFI awards. Credit:Harriet Veitch

The long list of directors Plain worked with is a Who's Who of eminent figures in Australian cinema, while the high esteem his peers held him in is also evident in the number of nominations and awards he received from the industry. He played a significant part in shaping Australian film culture.

Although Plain had a huge knowledge of film history and global cinema, he was also famous for his commitment to keeping the Australian film industry strong and onshore. While a career elsewhere would have allowed him to enjoy much larger budgets, he chose to support the local industry by gathering around him at Huzzah Sound, the company that he created and co-directed with his partner Adrienne Parr, a group of highly talented award-winning film sound personnel.