Double Fault

Received this link to a funny German tennis commercial via email today:

http://www.lovo.be/uploads/1862_DAB_tennis_vl30_ws.mpg

Thanks to Gonzo for sending it in. Be sure to drop by Gonzo's website at t2audio.com.

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.

Tilting at Windmills

Yikes.

Just read about a lawsuit in England concerning a freelance production sound mixer who was paralyzed by a falling wind turbine.

From the article:

Mr Jones told the court that he had been employed by the BBC to work on a documentary and had at no time been given warnings of any potential danger involved. He said that at the time of the accident his sound equipment was hooked up to the camera being used for filming and when the cameraman moved under the mast of the wind-powered generator, he simply followed.

Keep your wits about you out there in the field, kids. If you're freelance, and you're not on a partner/significant other's health care plan, an injury could seriously affect-or end- your career.

Remember, you are under no obligation to risk your life or bodily harm for any client under any circumstances, ever. If you feel uncomfortable for any reason, discuss it with the producer. If they don't address your concerns, walk away. You may lose the gig, but you'll live to mix another day.

Link to the article, via injurywatch.co.uk.

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.