This So Totally Happened On My Last Gig

Talk about a tough day on the job...

Keep Rollin' From the Top (Boom Operator Blues)

Funny song about the biz by boom op Jeff Erdmann, via jwsound.net. Sample line:

Well, we're losin' the light
And we're goin' into grace
And we're waitin' on a plane
And there's a hair in the gate...

Sing it, brother...

Listen.

In Anonymity Veritas.

Now, we here at sync.sound.cinema HQ embarked upon this particular mission with the notion of "nearly full disclosure", i.e: I would use my real name in a an effort to forge a relationship with my readers (all two of you), and with manufacturers, as I would like to do more product reviews.

The drawback is that I feel far less comfortable letting loose with my actual internal monologue, curmudgeonly thing that it is. Luckily, Below the Line has no such compunctions, and can freely call it like she sees it. Snip:

But there are a few details that can clue you in, either during the initial meetings about a production, or on the first day, to the fact that you are in for a bumpy ride. Here are some of them.

1) "This is such a great project!"
Hearing this from someone who is trying to hire you for a movie is generally an indication that
a) You will not get paid or
b) You will get paid very little and, in fact,
c) Probably nobody is getting paid, because
d) There is no money in the budget for just about anything.
This generally can lead to conclusion
e) The job is going to most likely have inexperienced crew, bad/tiny locations, not enough equipment, bad catering, long days because they're trying to cram an insane amount into them and don't have to pay overtime…so in other words, it ain't going to be pretty.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this particular refrain here in indie-friendly Portland, Oregon. I don't mind it, but I do mind getting the self-righteous indignation that I inevitably encounter when I politely refuse free work for strangers. Just because you're convinced you're going to Cannes doesn't mean that I'm making the mistake of the century by not recognizing your particular brand of cinematic genius.

So there.

Link.

Boomstick, Part Duh

How not to boom, courtesy of SNL.

Link.

The Basics Numero Tres

You regular readers out there (all six of you) may be asking yourself, "Why another basics article?"

Well, just as there is no one right way to do things, there is no one basics article that covers everything, or every perspective. I look at it like a Venn diagram: you take multiple examples, and whatever overlaps between them is a good base upon which you can build your own experience (and, before any math nerds chime in, I'm using the diagram as a metaphor. So, compute that, you George Boole wannabes...).

Today's contribution comes from The Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound, by David Yewdall, veteran sound editor extraordinaire. In this extract from chapter 5, he talks about what he calls the "changing battlefield of production sound":

Here the ignorance and apathy of other production-unit department heads, usually consumed by their own contracted concerns, becomes apparent; they do little to help the sound-recording team in what should be a collaborative effort to achieve ideal production audio tracks during the shoot. Only seasoned directors and producers know the loss that occurs of both real money -- spent to ADR actors' lines -- and of the magic of on-camera performance, rarely recaptured and seldom improved.

Kids, I know that the tone of many of these posts about production sound tends to skew a little...bitter, but don't be put off by it. Production sound is a harsh mistress, to be sure, but it can also be very rewarding.

Just not, you know, financially.

No, it's great. Really. :)

Link to the article.

Boom Stick

Welcome back, campers.

Today, we're going to be given a brief glimpse into the much-fabled world of the boom operator. Hopefully, some of you out there will learn that the boom op is neither "that one person who keeps dropping some fuzzy phallic thing into my frame and ruining the shot", nor are they merely a "carbon-based stand" upon which you can drape equipment and derision.

In this interview panel by Mark Ulano, we learn that the boom op is more of an equal partner to the mixer, the "set ambassador" who assists with mic choice and coverage tactics, among many other things.

Snip:

The Boom Operator is the Sound Department's eyes and ears on the set. Shot after shot he or she performs on the front-line, in the trenches of film sound production. The efficiency and timing of my decisions are very important factors in gaining the trust of the mixer you are working with. I believe that the boom Operator is to the mixer like the Camera Operator is to the Director of Photography.
Directors: "don't piss them off"
Actors: "don't piss them off"
Utility person: Well, if the shot calls for it "piss them off", but take them out for drinks later.

Additionally, they discuss the mystical nature of the utility sound person, which, due to shrinking budgets, is a rarely-glimpsed luxury outside of the big shows nowadays.

This is more of that real-world stuff, people. Read early and often.

Link, via perchman.com.

(P.S. According to his CV, Mark Ulano was production sound mixer on Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. How cool is that? :)

Three Wise Men

Greetings, holiday shoppers:

Came across this interview over at mixonline.com, wherein they talk to three veteran production sound mixers from film and TV: Jeff Wexler, Mark Ulano and Glenn Berkovitz. The article isn't exactly new, but hey, I never promised you a rose garden.

Snip:

...At best, their work is utterly transparent, not calling attention to itself. At worst, well, if you have to struggle and strain to understand what the characters in a film are saying, or noisy backgrounds overwhelm the dialog, or the finished film is overloaded with badly done ADR, chances are that the production sound mixer had a rough outing. And it probably wasn't his or her fault.

Exactly.

Link to the interview. Also, be sure to drop by Jeff Wexler's website.