Hi all,
Please excuse me, but I have to get this off of my chest.
What is it with Producers and Directors who relegate the sound of their films to an after thought? Without sound a film is just a bunch of pretty pictures without meaning. And yet many refuse to budget a reasonable amount of money to the sound of their project.
I get at least a dozen requests each week to do work on a project for credit and promises of future paying work, which, of course, never materializes. "But it's a great project!" If I had ten bucks for every time I heard that I would have paid off my studio by now!
It cost me over $50k just to sonically isolate and treat my studio. Then there are thousands of dollars in software (which constantly needs to be upgraded) and many more thousands in hardware such as computers, mixing, mics, pre-amps, audio patching, electrical distribution and speakers. Oh, and let's not forget video monitoring and such mundane things as studio furniture. Then there are electrical and phone bills, FTP, etc. It all has to be paid for!
SOUND IS HALF OF THE EXPERIENCE
Why is it that less than 5% your budget goes towards the sound of your film?
Why is it that the production sound mixer (if they even bother to retain one) is an inconvenience to be worked around?
Why is it that they want the sound designer to somehow magically make a scene (or entire project) work?
Try watching a film with the sound turned off and see if you can figure out what’s going on. Then listen to it with the picture turned off. Which medium provides the most information?
Many of the “classic” films made in the last 30 years or so included the sound designer in the pre-production process. Many of the “great” directors pay an enormous amount of attention to the sound of their films. Maybe this is why they are stand-outs.
Sound has been relegated by many to a “technical” exercise. Believe it or not, sound designers are just as creative as your production designer, DP/cinematographer, or any other person associated with your project. A sound designer can immeasurably improve your work if consulted during pre-production. In conjunction with your location sound engineer, involving the sound designer during the pre-production process can provide new insights into your work, refine your shot list, quantify your props and streamline the post production process, ultimately saving you time and money.
I’m sorry for the long diatribe, but it needed to be said.
Please excuse me, but I have to get this off of my chest.
What is it with Producers and Directors who relegate the sound of their films to an after thought? Without sound a film is just a bunch of pretty pictures without meaning. And yet many refuse to budget a reasonable amount of money to the sound of their project.
I get at least a dozen requests each week to do work on a project for credit and promises of future paying work, which, of course, never materializes. "But it's a great project!" If I had ten bucks for every time I heard that I would have paid off my studio by now!
It cost me over $50k just to sonically isolate and treat my studio. Then there are thousands of dollars in software (which constantly needs to be upgraded) and many more thousands in hardware such as computers, mixing, mics, pre-amps, audio patching, electrical distribution and speakers. Oh, and let's not forget video monitoring and such mundane things as studio furniture. Then there are electrical and phone bills, FTP, etc. It all has to be paid for!
SOUND IS HALF OF THE EXPERIENCE
Why is it that less than 5% your budget goes towards the sound of your film?
Why is it that the production sound mixer (if they even bother to retain one) is an inconvenience to be worked around?
Why is it that they want the sound designer to somehow magically make a scene (or entire project) work?
Try watching a film with the sound turned off and see if you can figure out what’s going on. Then listen to it with the picture turned off. Which medium provides the most information?
Many of the “classic” films made in the last 30 years or so included the sound designer in the pre-production process. Many of the “great” directors pay an enormous amount of attention to the sound of their films. Maybe this is why they are stand-outs.
Sound has been relegated by many to a “technical” exercise. Believe it or not, sound designers are just as creative as your production designer, DP/cinematographer, or any other person associated with your project. A sound designer can immeasurably improve your work if consulted during pre-production. In conjunction with your location sound engineer, involving the sound designer during the pre-production process can provide new insights into your work, refine your shot list, quantify your props and streamline the post production process, ultimately saving you time and money.
I’m sorry for the long diatribe, but it needed to be said.