Pro Sound Effects has released a new mini-documentary filmed during the making of Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Vol. 1, following the team into one of the world’s most unique and least-documented soundscapes. Brazil's Atlantic Forest, or Mata Atlântica , doesn't carry the Amazon's name recognition, but it holds some of the highest concentrations of endemic species anywhere on the planet, a patchwork of rainforest, coastal dune, dry inland woodland, mountain ridge, and savannah. It's also one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, with the balance between forest loss and restoration remaining critically fragile.
The film follows the team into the forest itself, up before dawn to catch a mountaintop in stillness, hunting for the right angle to capture a full chorus of Sapo Cururu, waiting out long stretches of silence for a single call from a Channel-billed Toucan, leaving drop rigs overnight deep in the wilderness because some sounds only happen when no one's there to hear them. Winter worked in the team's favor: less human noise, fewer of the animals that make deep-woods work dangerous, and a rare stretch of access to the region at its quietest, streams running clean, nights still, species that would otherwise be drowned out. What comes through is the patience the work demands, and the curiosity necessary for connecting deeply with this biodiversity.
Our team went in as explorers first, sound artists second, exploring a world within our world that most people never even know exists. Alan Zilli supervised field recording and later composed the mini-doc’s sound design, joined in the field by Facundo Moreno and PSE Library Manager Dan D'Errico, with Tiago Jardim behind the camera and local field guide Alexandre Garcia leading the team through the lush terrain. The result is less a behind-the-scenes video than a piece of storytelling in its own right, a document of a place worth exploring, listening to, and, above all, preserving.
This is the first volume in what will be an ongoing series capturing the sound of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The forest's sound is worth protecting as much as it's worth hearing. Support ongoing conservation work in the region through Terra Luminous, and explore Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Vol. 1 to bring these recordings into your own work.
Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Vol. 1, available now from Pro Sound Effects: