Learn Your Craft

This particular article is directed at film makers, film students, and people who would consider themselves to be in the business of film making, television, etc. It does have some relations to audio and audio for film, so if that's all you care about, you may read on. But I strongly recommend that everyone listed above read this, so please pass it around.

I was inspired to write this due to a recent incident on the set of a film I was supposed to do, but had to give the job to a friend. It reminded me of almost every experience I have had dealing with independent and student film makers. Yes, this is an explosive epidemic! Why? Film schools mostly. And simple ignorance. But I'll get into that later.

My experience with independent film makers tends to go something like this: Last minute booking or they ask me for a reel, resume, interview, etc, a very long time before shooting. Then I either don't get a call sheet, or it goes out two days before the day of shooting, or very late the evening before we begin to shoot. It never has technical information on it for me except some times they say for me to record to camera because they don't want to re-sync audio in post, and I never get to sign off on locations, talk to wardrobe, or anything like that. It's literally a "hey can you work these days? good" kind of situation. So off the bat I'm flying blind, and can really only do the bare minimum because I have had no prep days, I'm probably booming, mixing, and doing audio utility work (unless it is one of those rare occasions where I actually get a boom op), and if I was ever given a script, I probably didn't get a chance to read it. Sometimes I will get sides for the day which help me a great deal. Then there's the question of compensation. Film makers are all under the impression that everyone wants to work on their project for the opportunity, networking, credit, copy, and creative fun that we all will have. But they forget that this is a business like any other, and most of us are here for a pay check. So, because film makers think that everybody wants to work on their film for so many reasons, they think that they can offer less compensation, if any at all, make us work longer hours, usually have poor food services and catering (sometimes not even coffee on set!), make people do more than one or even two jobs, and they will somehow create a masterpiece from all that chaos. Speaking of, the call sheets are usually missing a lot of information and formatted in a way that is hard to read and different from a standard call sheet. There is often times no shot list, and little organization. So the first day or so is usually very chaotic and it tends to run behind schedule.

Film Makers that go about it this way may be great film makers and may get great results, but the truth is that your crew are a bunch of hired professionals that have been trained a certain way, then through experience learned the real way to do things (believe me, you didn't learn anything in film school!). So you can't re invent the wheel because you don't want to learn how the wheel works, or because you THINK you know how it works. Productions that are running on a low budget almost always do this, and it almost always winds up hurting them in the end because they are afraid to spend their money correctly during the production process, and wind up having to go over budget in post production, or not finish the film at all.

Here is a typical add I see every day looking for a "sound guy":

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Independent film looking for a sound person to operate sound for a film. Pay is $xxx/day flat rate. Must be able to operate boom mike as well as record, and must provide own equipment. Please send reel and resume, and any links for consideration.

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Off the bat you are insulting whomever you are potentially going to hire. And you have already told me that you are inexperienced and unprofessional by not using proper terminology, expecting a single person to be your entire sound department, and to work for a flat rate. You also asked a sound recordist to provide a reel. You ask DPs, actors, and creative types for a reel, but not a technician. I don't have a reel because a reel doesn't display my work, so please don't ever ask a technician for a reel. You may ask to see their IMDb page, or links to their work, or possibly if they have a web site. But in my case, my resume speaks for its self, theres no need to verify beyond that. I wouldn't be in this business and wouldn't have a good looking resume if I wasn't good at what I did. I also obviously work a lot, hence all those credits on the IMDb page, so I clearly know how to work with people. No need for an interview. You hire your department head, and you can interview them on the tech/location scouting days. I frankly don't have time for interviews, Im working 12 hours days on set every day.

Now, about that flat rate. I know your production has a limited budget, and I know that you think that you are going to get a better deal if you make your sound person do and provide everything himself. Well the truth is, you are spending a lot to rent your RED camera, and you are spending a lot to rent your lighting package, and probably spending something on permits, locations, makeup, wardrobe, food, etc. Why do you think that the sound equipment is just going to manifest its self for free? The camera didn't! Why should I make the same as everyone else on set and also have to provide anywhere from $10k-$100k worth of equipment that I am not being compensated for?

Generally speaking, non-union productions tend to work by union rules. This is because they abide by labor laws, are safer, more organized, and make for a better work environment. That means maximum 12 hour days, and only if you cant avoid it, meal penalties, and over time. It calls for appropriate wages and kit rental fees for all equipment being used. You may not be renting the sound equipment from a rental house, the sound mixer is most likely providing it. But you do need to compensate him for that equipment. You will generally get an amazing rate on it, so don't sweat it. I talk a lot about this is a previous article, so to know more, read on.

Now, I know this is pretty basic, but you would be surprised about how often I run into this one: I as a hired professional am expected to know how to do my job and do it well. Ok, sure. Even though despite all odds and booby-traps that production has set up for me (bad location, no prep time, poor lighting conditions, unworkable camera angles, sound unfriendly wardrobe choices, physics, technical issues, etc) are against me, I rarely am unable to provide unusable audio. But I'm pro like that. And yet some people make it onto these sets that clearly do not belong. An Example:

I did a film a couple of months ago where, since there again was no technical info on the call sheets, I had to waste production time by getting together with the camera department on the first day and asked them what their technical specs were so that I could do the same. Then I asked if we were running Time Code, and syncing the sound and the camera. They had no idea. So I asked the producer and director (since there was no AD), and they had no idea what that even was. Great. So out of the kindness of my hear, I said to the 1st AC, ok, let's jam the camera. Why not? It will save time and money in post, and as a hired professional, it is in my best interest to try to save this production money if I can. Well, he didn't know how to jam-sync that camera. So after that the camera department looked on their iPhones for about a quarter of an hour, they came to the conclusion that the information was not to be found. Now, I have synced that camera plenty of times with competent ACs, so I know it can be done, though it is not my job to know how to sync a camera, just provide the time code for it to sync to. This shoot had a DP/operator, 1st AC and 2nd AC, and they didn't know how to run time code on the camera. Meanwhile I am working all by myself, getting frustrated because this is turning into another amateur film set and Im once again the most qualified person on board.

A friend of mine just wrote me in a panic because the editor for the film he is working on specifically asked for time code. So my friend provided a Lockit Box (even though this is a Camera Department Rental), synced it with his recorder, and presented it to the camera department to keep the camera in sync. Well, they cant get the camera to sync. Once again, we are talking about an incompetent person hired onto a job, and no one is going to do anything about it. Instead this just makes my friend look bad, but no one will say anything to the AC who doesn't know how to operate the camera, who's job it is to know how to operate the camera btw. But Camera department is never looked on as the villain, blame usually falls with the odd man out.

Incompetence is something that I don't tolerate. If you do not know how to do your job, you have no business being there. In this case I might speak to the AD about it, or just write it in my report and the production will have to go without time code. Because production hired a budget AC, we didn't get time code up, so now they will have to pay an Assistant Editor to sit there for a whole week and re-sync audio to the video clips before they can start editing the film. Now they are paying more when they could have spent the money up front with someone who knew what they were doing, and probably saved a little instead of having to pay two people's wages, wasting time on set, and pushing the post process back.

The difficult thing about hiring people who are qualified to do their jobs correctly is that they cost more than people eager for experience. So you need more funding. Well, like I have stated before in other articles: There is no excuse for not having enough money. If your film does not have proper funding, it is entirely because your producer did not do their job correctly. It is their job to come up with the money, whether they just provide it, find investors, whatever.

If you do decide to go the budget route, just remember: No matter how you slice it, making a film does cost a lot of money. There is no way around that. If you hire people who aren't good at their jobs, you are going to end up with a poor product. No one wants to watch a poorly made film. Even though you didn't spend as much as you could have on your project, you still did spend a lot of money, and now you have a film that no one wants to see. You have wasted a lot of money. So if you are going to go through the process of making a film, why not do it the right way? Just like with film or sound equipment: Yeah theres budget equipment, but it wont give you the quality you need. And if you are going to spend the money on a quality piece of equipment, why not go that extra bit more and get the flagship model? You're already spending the big bucks, and that model is going to be worth it in the long run. In my business, I need to own the best gear out there. I wont get good jobs, and people wont take me seriously if I dont. So please don't tell me that using a zoom recorder is good enough, or recording to camera is what you want me to do just because you don't want to take the time to re-sync sound. Do things right! Thats just lazy.

The chances of making a product worth submitting to film festivals with an "eager to learn" crew is slim to non. I don't care how good your script is. You need pros to make your vision come to life with pro equipment. A 5D and a zoom recorder are not going to give you the same results as an Alexa and a Zaxcom Deva. So why kid yourself? Plus, the better the equipment you use, the better your crew needs to be because the learning curve is greater. With cheapo wanna-be gear like a zoom recorder, it may be easy to use and "good enough" for those who aren't interested in anyone taking them seriously as a sound person or film maker, but it actually requires more skill to make it sound better than it will in the hands of the kind of person that would own one in the first place. Just sayin'...

So lets get back to that whole organization thing. Some key positions that should never be combined into one person are the AD, UPM, and LP. All of those positions require a lot of man hours and nerves to develop a practical shooting schedule. Your schedule should be productive, but light. If you work people for a full 12 hours, they will be grumpy. Also consider setup and take down time, travel time, lunch break, rehearsals, multiple takes, etc. Things take time if you want to do them right, and you cannot justify overworking your crew in an effort to save a few dollars. They will always work harder and do a better job if they are happy.

A typical indie film shoot day looks something like this for me:

I get to the location on time, and am usually the first person there. Within a half an hour everyone else shows, and they begin setting up the crafty table. They may have brought a coffee traveler or they may brew it on the spot. The longer I am waiting for my coffee, the longer it will take me to set up. I don't care when the first shot of the day is scheduled for. My attitude is such because it is someones job to make sure that those in charge of everything running smoothly, along with crafty, need to be there before the general crew shows up so that things can be ready. If I am waiting outside of a location, and it is not open for me to walk into, then I am wasting my time. If I am waiting for coffee to be made instead of setting up my audio kit, then I am wasting my time. As a film maker you do not want your department heads wasting their time!

I then set up, try to get things like sides, make sure Im on the same page as camera, make sure lighting and wardrobe isn't going to totally screw me over, try to mic up the talent, and wait for rehearsal. I need to see/hear rehearsal too, fyi. Once that happens, adjustments may be made, then we go for a shot. We keep shooting until lunch, exactly 6 hours after call time, and may be at lunch for 1/2-1 hour. Afterwards, we resume shooting until we are done for the day. Then we offload media, pack up, and go home. This is assuming things go somewhat well. Most of the time there is a lot of waiting around because other departments aren't receiving proper instructions, or we are all trying to figure out what is next because theres no shot list or storyboard, or any other number of time consuming hinderences. Some geniuses also try to plan for company moves/location changes in the same day, and usually either neglect to tell people that is going to happen, or tell people what the parking is like where we are headed. We are also supposed to pack up, drive ourselves to the next location, and just be ready to shoot without having any setup time. With a few exceptions, most different locations should be scheduled for different days, and every location should be listed on the call sheet with a map and parking instructions. If those things are not there, do not expect people to be there on time because they are probably circling around looking for the location or somewhere to park. Crew with equipment need access to the location in order to load the gear as well. There should also be different call times for different people.

Usually it takes at least a couple of hours to have the set dressed and lit, and be ready to shoot. This means that I don't need to show up at the same time as everyone else. Otherwise I am just in the way, bored, and probably hanging around crafty or socializing with others on set, making for an unproductive morning. An organized set will have people come in when they need to, and make sure that there is space allocated for all people and departments. On a real set, I would need some place to keep my sound cart where I can work from, and keep my equipment staged and available for me to access it if I need to. I, as a mixer, generally work remotely. Close enough to the action where I can see whats happening generally. My Boom Op is the one that ventures in and interacts with the goings on. A Boom Op is a lighter, more maneuverable rig that doesn't take up as much space and can get in and out more easily. I on the other hand, have to have my recorder/mixer, all my wireless microphone receivers, mics, cables, accessories, IFB, wind protection, and countless other things that take up a lot of space and can be very heavy. Making me wear all that in a bag and try to boom at the same time in a confined space that we are shooting in is literally like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, not to mention that I technically cannot mix and boom at the same time. That would require at least three arms. So my point is, instead of having me show up and be in the way all morning, why not have me come in at a more appropriate time and just be able to set up in my designated spot, and be ready when I am needed?

Going back to that film that I was supposed to do, that my friend had to work for me: He had the same call time as everyone else, and they needed to build the set, dress it, light it, etc. He was there until after lunch before they got the first shot of the day off. Better planning would have had the set built the day before, heck, maybe even lit the day before, and everyone could have funneled in and be ready to shoot within maybe an hour. Instead, that day ran late, and the crew went on strike, the picture was postponed, and the executive producers were blacklisted because of the unreasonable conditions that they put the crew through, along with unwillingness to pay overtime (they went about 18 hours), and wanted to do a 9 hour turn around! This is all actually beyond illegal! If you only have 9 hours from the time you stop shooting, to pack up, go home, have dinner, sleep, get up, get ready for the next day, travel to the location and be on time, no matter how you look at it you will not get 8 hours of sleep. On a standard 12 hour turn around it is rare that I ever get 8 hours, and after a couple of days I become a zombie, which can be very dangerous driving around in that state, or operating heavy equipment on set. Production is also responsible if people get into an accident on their way home from set if they are under rested. So be careful when you try to cram too much in one day, and be aware of how reasonable what you are asking your crew to do is. This is why unions exist, and they can be called in to regulate non union shoots.

Another thing that happened on this shoot was that because of all those terrible conditions that happened on set, the crew decided to walk. The camera crew packed up the cameras and the hard drives and walked out, taking all the footage with them. To a producer, they think that they own the footage. Yes they do, when the people who got it for them get paid. My friend was going to walk as well, and when the producers asked for his audio files, he said that he would give it to them when their check cleared. They called the police, and even the police said that my friend was 100% in the right. So the law is on the side of the laborers.

All of this comes down to the fact that these people thought that they could offer a low wage, be disorganized and it wouldn't matter if they ran late. It comes down to the fact that they were unprofessional, and didn't care if their crew was overworked, under compensated, and under slept. And perhaps worst of all for the producers and director is how bad they look to the rest of the film community and to the name talent that they had on board when their crew went on strike and wouldn't give in until their demands were met. Some of the crew went back on board under a new agreement, but a lot of people quit and spread those peoples names about with a warning never to work with them. As producers, their careers are over, and it is going to be difficult for that director to be taken seriously, and that name talent will certainly be saying some not so flattering things about how that show was run and who was responsible for it.

My point is that if you do not Learn Your Craft before undertaking this sort of venture, you WILL make yourself look bad and be insulting to those around you, even if your production goes smoothly. It's not just in worst case scenarios, or if the crew goes on strike. It's when you use improper terminology on your adds, make people wait around all day before they're needed, make people look for parking at a location, provide bad food (IE: subway), do not negotiate rates (instead dictate a flat fee, or go with the lowest bidder), or say that there isn't funds for this or that. You should have known at the start what costs would be and you should have made sure that they were there. There really are no excuses. It is a lot of work, but thats why there are people to fill the rolls to get things done. Do it right and things will go smoothly. Then the only thing you have to worry about is the script you decide to make into a movie, and how talented your actors are!

Now how seriously do you think people take you?

One Man Show vs Sound Team

A lot of independent film productions, and even television shows (primarily reality tv) try to cut out as much expense as possible everywhere they can. One thing they have been doing is hiring a One Man sound package. But why hasnt this been the norm since the beginning? Seems ideal: One guy running all the sound AND providing all the sound equipment! We can save a tone!

The "One Man Show" as some people call it was designed for documentary film making and news gathering. Both situations where the quality of the audio isnt as important as being able to understand who is speaking, or simply capturing ambiance. The main point is that the sound person cant be mixing and holding a boom over their head at the same time. You would think this is obvious; you would need at least three arms to do that. This is why this style of recording is not done on narrative projects such as feature films, shorts, television narratives, or a multitude of other production types. The other thing to think about is how demanding you as a production are and what you are requiring a sound person to do.

I get approached all the time by producers asking me to work on my own. When I ask them how many actors or people will have dialogue simultaneously, or in a given scene, what I am really asking is: "How heavy of a bag do I need to wear around my neck?". Each person with dialogue would usually get a wireless mic, and each wireless mic requires a receiver, and an audio channel. You also need to carry around batteries and all kinds of accessories, because you will most likely not have time to run back to your staging area and get things. If you have seven actors at a given point with lines, then I assume I will need seven radio mics and a boom. The boom is the most important mic and should never be omitted from the combination. And if anything, there should at least be the boom and not necessarily the radio mics. If your scene makes no room for a boom to get in and get good sound, it is not worth shooting, or you should have the budget for ADR and serious post audio work. Do not rely on wireless mics, there are too many reasons for them to fail.

So with this combination, seven wireless mics and a boom, I need an eight track recorder to accommodate all of these things. Wearing a bag around my neck or even with a harness with this much stuff is really asking a lot of a person. Their mobility is limited, and booming with this much weight is difficult and impractical. Many situations require the boom to be agile and move with the camera, but if I am being weighed down by this much equipment, not to mention how big and bulky it all is, my mobility is considerably less than if I only had a boom in my hand.

The Sound Team on the other hand was developed when sound became incorporated to picture. A typical sound team on a smaller production consists of three people: the Sound Mixer, who is responsible for recording the tracks and mixing for dailies, and is the department head. The Boom Operator, whose duties involve booming, and working with and around the camera and lighting departments so that they can successfully capture sound without creating shadows and falling into frame. The Audio Utility is responsible for running cables, laving actors, syncing time code, and trouble shooting any technical issues that may arouse. They also double as a second Boom Operator when needed.

A budget production should at least have a Sound Mixer and a Boom Operator. Both people can handle the responsibilities of the Utility for the most part. But if there are a lot of big scenes with lots of actors, I recommend hiring a Utility, if at least for those days when needed.

There are so many advantages to this system that are often so overlooked, it makes my head spin thinking that producers are out there calling the shots on how a department head should do their job, and for how much, when really it is the other way around! The producer needs to hire the department heads, ask them what they need, and how much it will all cost, then they go out and get the funding. That is the point of hiring an engineer and expert for that department. So that they can make your project work to the best of their abilities for you, because if you the producer knew about these things you could run the sound yourself. Have you ever tried paying what you wanted or could afford for your groceries? No, because they are set at a fixed price, and if you dont like it, you cant buy it. It's that simple.

When I have run a one man show in the past on a narrative, the most irritating thing that I hear (other than when people want to chime in and make suggestions on how to do my job) is when everyone is ready to shoot, and I'm busy doing something and they call out "waiting on sound!". If I am the entire sound department, there are a lot of things I need to do, and doing the job of three people doesnt make it any faster. IF I was allowed to see the blocking and assess the lighting and framing before we go for a take, I would then need to mic up the actors, and assess how I am going to engineer the recording of this scene. I may need to use plant mics, or hang mics from the ceiling, or put sound blankets on places to deaden the acoustics. But I am often not allowed time to prep for a take. Some how people get the idea that one man can take up less space and work faster than two. With two, as a mixer I dont need to be in the room that the shooting is taking place in. If it is a small apartment bedroom for example, I can be in the living room, and the boom op can be in the room, taking up less space because they dont have a bulky bag around their neck.

As a mixer, I can be sure the levels on all tracks are good, monitor them, record my mix track, take care of sound reports, and prepare for whatever is coming up next so that things are more efficient. A Boom Operator can get in and out without taking up much room, change the batteries or make an adjustment on an actors radio mic, and handle a lot of other things while the mixer is doing something else.

I was asked to work on this project that more than likely went nowhere due to poor organization and, lets face it, a bad script. I was working by myself, needed to mic up seven people, and boom and record at the same time. My bag was about 45 lbs, and a great majority of this project was outdoors walk-and-talk style shooting. This project was absolute torture, and to make matters worse, the catering was so bad I wound up going off on my own and buying my own meals. This was an out of town shoot, otherwise I may have just packed a lunch. The point of this though was that I was doing so many things at once, and had so many things going on (all those tracks of dialogue) that I could not be sure if I got anything usable. Listening to eight different audio sources at once is a difficult task if that is all you are doing, but I was also booming and walking at the same time, trying to keep the shadow of my boom out of the shot while trying to get good sound. Meanwhile I am also worrying about batteries, adjusting levels (many of these actors werent well trained or seasoned, and would go from whispering to screaming which of course is not the way things work in film), and all of this was on the fly.

If I had a team I would have had two people booming, maybe only used wireless mics on a couple of the key actors, but I would have generally tried to get the most coverage with the booms. I would have been a distance away so as to not get in anyone's way, and could have provided a great number of other tasks and could have been able to ensure great takes.

Another production I worked on was a pretty small independent project, and wanted to hire me as a one man show, but I negotiated the rate so that I could hire a boom op. At the end of the shoot, I met the editor. This person is the editor for a popular television show (which I was surprised about since this was very low budget, and Im pretty sure most people were either not getting paid, or making less than minimum wage!), and was expecting a lot of things from me, such as sound reports, mixdown tracks, and having my tracks in a particular order. Obviously I cannot provide things after the fact, this is something that should have been discussed before shooting. And if it were, I could have done everything with no problem. But if I were a one man show there is no way I could have provided any of those things. So you see, when producers start making calls on how things are run, and then other departments are expecting things that cannot be fulfilled otherwise, things turn into a mess pretty quickly. Fortunately my main recorder provides the ability to generate sound reports after the fact, and I had been taking notes and circling takes, so I was able to help post out a great deal.

This production also had more characters with dialogue than appeared in the script (last minute changes) and I was rarely provided with sides, so anticipating what scenes I needed to engineer was very difficult, and often opted to boom more and put less wireless on actors than I would have normally. But those problems all come from poor judgement on production's part, and poor organization.

A word of advice to independent or low budget productions: Just because you have less money to work with, doesnt mean you should go and re invent the wheel. Things are done a certain way for a reason, so dont go thinking that because you are independent or low budget that you can start calling shots without consulting your department heads first. This also applies to rates. When you hire your department head, ask him/her what their rate is, and what expenses they will need covered (such as expendables, a day rate for a Boom Op, or any special equipment that needs to be purchased or rented for this specific production). Do not set aside what you think is enough and just say what rate you are willing to offer. Many times you may luck out and get someone good who has the equipment and is willing to work for that rate, but most people will not.

I was recently offered a job on a feature where they wanted me to run a one man show for the entire production, provide all equipment, and work for a rate so low that it wouldnt even cover the cost of renting two radio mics! Needless to say I was rather insulted, and told the producer that she needed to discuss my rate and expenses and come up with the money for that before hand, not the other way around. Her reaction was "this is how we do it in the film biz!", to which I replied "well, not in the real world, but on rinky dink operations that do things their own way, sure! I guess it is how things are run..." Producers often forget that they do a few jobs a year, but I do at least a few jobs per month. My experience is always going to be greater than a producer's that has been working for the same amount of time that I have, and often is still greater than someone who has been working for twice as long as I have. Also a thing to consider is that I do jobs of all sizes. From independent shorts to feature length films of all budgets, television shows, commercials, you name it. I see how things are run from all levels, so when an independent film producer who has never done anything significant in terms of budget or success comes to me to explain how the biz works, the only thing that happens is that I know just how incompetent that person is, and I lose what little respect I may have had for them.

When thinking about a budget, also consider the following: Your sound department is providing equipment, and will expect a kit fee. This is basically a great price on renting the equipment. We are giving you a deal because you are also hiring us to work on your project. In the case of that gig that needed an eight channel recorder, seven wireless, and a boom, this is what the equipment rental costs are from a rental house per day:

Sound Devices 788T + CL-8 (8 channel recorder): $200/day

Sennheiser mkh 416 shotgun mic: $25/day

Lectrosonics SMQV wireless transmitter (x1): $50/day

Lectrosonics UCR 411a wireless receiver (x1): $40/day

Sanken cos-11 lavalier microphone (x1): $15/day

So these are the basics, not including wires, batteries, boom pole, bag/cart, or any of the accessories you need to make these things actually work together. According to these figures, it costs $105/day for one wireless lavalier microphone system. But we need seven. So thats $735/day just for lav systems. So the total cost for just these basic things is $960/day. So giving your independent sound guy a couple hundred dollars/day for his kit rental is sounding like a pretty good deal at this point. But dont make him/her work for free, we need a day rate, and a kit fee. It costs us a lot of money to be able to provide these services for you, and there is a reason why on big budget productions the sound mixer is one of the highest paid people on set. In my experience, people trying to do a low budget film will still pay a high rate to the sound department, while everyone else takes a pay cut. Even the DP and director. Why? Because they all have something to gain from this production, and have a hard time getting hired onto projects to do those things. For me, if you do not want to pay for my services, someone else does, so I have no problem turning down work because as a sound person, I am always busy and being approached for jobs. You also want to make it worth my time, because if someone offers me more I will probably jump ship onto their production, and replace myself with someone else. This can cause problems on your end, even though technically the sound department is covered. But you do need to make it worth me staying around. And it is not just me that will do this, everyone will except maybe someone young and inexperienced, in which case you maybe dont want to have that person running your sound anyways!

Back on point: One man show, good for some things, but not all. If you dont have the budget, dont shoot until you do. There is no point in shooting a film if you do not have a proper budget, because it will not turn out that well and your film will more than likely fail due to bad production or any number of other things that come with not being financially prepared. A Sound Team is what you need for your narratives if you want to do things right. This will save you a lot of money in post as well, heres why:

Your sound mixer is making that on the fly mix. This is intended for dailies, but a good amount of it does make it into the final mix of the film. Now since you are spending less money on someone doing your post audio work, you are saving money. Your production Sound Mixer is making mixes on the fly, not all will be completely usable, but those that are, are done in real time. In post, your mixer will go back and fourth many times on one line, taking considerably more time to do the same work. So let's say your production mixer makes usable mixes for 2/3 of what was shot in one day, which is let's say about 7 pages in your script out of 10. Seven pages of mixing in post may take all day, it may take a week depending on what needs to happen, but saving the majority of the days worth of work is worth it's weight in gold because you are cutting post time into a third, and you are usually paying a post engineer and renting a studio, which costs more than a budget production mixer. So you do the math: Spend more up front, get better quality results, save on money in post. Cut corners in all the wrong places, get an inferior product, spend more on the back end.

The choice is yours, will you make the wise decision?

Slates and Slating

In this article I will be talking about slates, their various forms, and how to appropriately slate a scene. I find more and more people do not know how to slate correctly, or even know what a slate is for, which leads me to believe that film schools really are just a cash cow, and the education they provide is far from accurate or complete, let alone well rounded.

The slate has many purposes. It has a front panel with sectioned off areas where you label information about the production, as well as the scene and take information. This is so when you look at your footage, you can see what clip you are looking at without having to watch the whole thing. The clapper part of the slate is there so that resyncing audio to picture in post production is easier than trying to line up the sound to some movement in the scene.

As you can see in this picture, the top part of the slate is labeled "Prod." which stands for Production. This is where you put the title of the production you are working on. "Roll" means camera roll. Since we primarily use digital cameras these days, you would put "1" for the first tape or memory card. when you switch tapes or memory cards, you change that number to "2", and so on. If you are shooting with more than one camera, you designate them as camera A and camera B. In this case you would label the roll A1/B1 for the first tape or card in both cameras, and change the numbers whenever you change the rolls. Simple enough right? This is so that the editor knows which clip came from which camera and which roll, so piecing your film together is easier.

The scene is the number that designated which scene you are shooting. If this is scene 1, you write 1. If you are shooting the same scene from a second angle, it is called 1A. If you choose to go for a third angle, it is 1B. And so on. Sometimes when you run out of letters in the alphabet, you go to double letters: 1AA, 1AB, 1AC, etc. We tend to skip letters l, o, and sometimes s because they look like the numbers 1, 0, and 5. When slating scene numbers with letters, 1A should be slated as 1 Alpha, 1B as 1 Beta or Baker, 1C and 1 Charley, and so on.

The take section is self explanatory. Take 1, take 2, etc. If you shoot scene one three times, you have three takes. If you only do two takes of 1A, you have two takes. Etc.

Beneath that is where you put the name of the director and the cinematographer or DP (Director of Photography). If you are shooting more than one camera, you often will put the name of each camera operator so we know which camera is which.

Writing the date is very important when you are shooting for more than one day. Again, this helps the editor keep your footage organized.

The next things written are things you circle to help the editor. Day, Night, Int(erior), Ext(erior), MOS, Sync. If the scene takes place in the day, you circle day, if it is interior, you circle Int. simple enough. MOS is circled when you are shooting without sound, while Sync is used when you are shooting with sound. MOS stands for Motor Only Sync or Motor Only Shot. There are other funny theories as to what MOS stands for, and Im sure youve already heard them.

Filter is if you are using a filter on the camera. In the space next to the word Filter is where you would write what kind of filter you are using. Some slates also have an FPS alongside everything here at the bottom. This is where you should write your Frames Per Second. You should always do that, AND tell your sound person so they know what rate to record at. If you do not tell us, we will assume it is one thing or another, and if we guess wrong your audio may drift from the picture!!!

So now you know what a slate is. The appropriate way to slate is to place the slate in front of the camera to where it can see the entire slate in focus, with the clapper open (if you are recording sound with this take), or held like the picture below to designate that this take is MOS.

You can also simply hold the sticks closed. This is as an added reminder to the picture editor to not look for a corresponding audio take because none was recorded.

Once the slate is in place, the Assistant Director should call "Roll Sound". Once the sound mixer says "Speed", the AD should call "Roll Camera(s)". Once they call "Speed", the Assistant Camera or whomever happens to be slating should then call TO THE MICROPHONE "Scene___ Take ___", then let the sticks fall (not slam them, unless the sound person/mic is far away from the slate) then call "Marker", and quickly get out of the shot. Marker designated that the sound of the sticks is in fact the sticks, and not any other sound. IF the camera is very tight on an actor, and the slate needs to be placed in front of their face, you would call "Soft Sticks", and very gently tap the sticks together so as to not offend, bother, hurt the ears of, or take the nose off of the actor just behind the slate.

Once the Camera Operator says "Set", then the Director or Assistant Director will call "Action", at which time the talent should take a beat, then begin. If they do not wait for "Action" chances are they will ruin the take because the technicians around them are not ready.

Any other method of slating will generally make you look like an amateur, and people will recognize that! Slamming the sticks hurts the sound guy's ears, and causes unnecessary Sound Pressure Levels to potentially damage his expensive microphones. Dont Be A Jerk, and slate properly!!!!!!

Smart Slates! Why? I'll tell you. Smart slates are used when your CAMERA and SOUND both are using Time Code to sync to eachother, again making things easier for the editor to resync the audio to the picture. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY FOR TIME CODE USE!!! But is only used when time code is in use. What I means by that is that the sound guy with a professional kit will have a built in Time Code generator into his recorder. It is very precise, and an expensive feature to have. Do not ask for time code if you are on a super low budget, because like I said, it is an expensive feature for the sound guy to have.

The sound person can jam sync the camera to his time code, effectively putting the camera in sync. For whatever reason, cameras tend to not come with a good internal clock (which isnt much more than the technology of a quartz watch might I add!), so everyone looks to the sound person for sync. So then, if one can simply jam the audio and video sync, why use a time code slate? Well, the Smart Slate will freeze the Time Code that is on its display once the clapper has been shut, so with an exact sync point displayed, resyncing audio to video in post is that much more simple. But do remember that a smart slate is a very expensive item, and it does not help the sound department in any way do their job. So DO NOT expect your sound department to have one, unless YOU are willing to pay an extra kit rental fee to your sound department.

I usually do not offer time code services of any kind unless a minimum rate is met, because these are added expenses that dont help me with my job, and actually added tasks that I have to do on set. Many times I dont have time for these sorts of tasks, so asking me to take time out of my limited time to fumble around with something that doesnt help me do my job is not something I want to do unless Im getting payed extra for it.

And to be clear, MOST cameras that indie film makers are using DO NOT run time code!!!! DSLR cameras have no time code options, neither do many lesser types of cameras. Even cameras like the RED One do have time code, but cannot keep a constant time code because they werent built with very good precision. In the event of using a RED or any other time code camera that loses it's sync once powered down, or tends to drift, should have a lockit box attached to it to keep sync. THIS IS SOMETHING THE CAMERA DEPARTMENT RENTS! It is not something you should EVER expect your sound department to provide, as it is something to keep THE CAMERA from drifting off of time code. If it were sound that had problems with drift, sound would have one, but it is ALWAYS the camera that needs a better Time Code generator than the one it has.

The last type of slate I will talk about is the Insert Slate:

This little guy is something that your Assistant Camera person should provide. It is small and primarily used to label an insert take, which often times are a close up on an object or action that will help detail the scene. Since a lot of inserts do not require sound, these slates do not have sticks on them. Though sometimes you do need to roll sound on an insert, in which case there are small slates with sticks available, or you can tape a C47 (clothes line pin) to the top of the insert slate and flick it to create a tiny snap sound.

So, now that we have talked about slates and slating, I hope to see better ACs out there who know how to slate properly without calling the scene and take numbers to the camera and not to the microphone, and without slamming the sticks and hurting my ears. I also hope to stop getting calls from so called producers asking me to provide a smart slate on a shoot that is going to use a Canon 7D! Yes, this happens all the time, and it just makes you look bad, so please do your research before you make a fool of yourself!

Recording to Camera: Do's & Dont's

I work on a variety of productions for both Film and Television that ask me to send the audio to the cameras. The intention of this is usually to have the audio already linked to the picture so that they can save on time (and money) in post production.

Why this is a bad idea:

While this sounds like a good idea from a financial standpoint, let alone the ease of editing or playback, it is actually going to hurt your production more than you think. Professional sound equipment incorporates expensive and precision parts that ensure the quality of the sound coming into the machine is as good as it can be, while offering outstanding recording options. Sending to camera requires all tracks to be mixed down and sent into the camera's inferior recorder. Many cameras do not offer the dynamic range that an audio recorder would offer standard, and the converters arent always adequate either. The biggest problem however is the trouble with the mixdown.

It sounds nice on paper to have your audio pre mixed and already attached to your picture, but mixing on the fly for final results is like starting a project from a very weak connection. In camera perspectives, it's like shooting your film or TV show with your iPhone. Sure, it's HD video, but the quality isnt there.

These days we see more and more "One Man Band" type audio guys on sets, whereas not too long ago it was standard to have a mixer/recorder and a boom op. This setup is like having a camera operator and an assistant camera. Operating your camera, pulling focus, and doing all the other tasks involved in shooting a picture (be it for film or television) can be quite daunting, and one cannot expect a one man camera crew to do as good of a job as a two man crew. The same goes for sound. When I am holding my boom over my head, how am I supposed to adjust levels during the take? The simple answer is that I cant. So if I cant actually do an on the fly mix that is being sent to camera, what am I sending? All the tracks together with the levels kind of set where I think they may be best at, but I cant do a proper job while booming.

Another problem that can occur is how the signal is sent to the camera. Many ENG teams use whats called a Break-Away cable, which has your audio sends, and monitoring returns. Normally this would tether the camera man to the sound mixer. The camera man could quickly release the cable if he needed to move fast. Of course at that point no audio would be sent to the camera until the sound mixer could catch up with the camera man and re attach the cable.

Other times we use wireless sends to the camera to avoid the tether. But the wireless devices are considerably expensive, and use a lot of power. Batteries dying during a take are pretty common, and the possibility for radio interference or drop outs are very high, and happen quite frequently.

Whenever I am asked to do this type of thing, I always record all my tracks separate on my recorder as well as send to the cameras because more often than not some sort of problem occurs. I have saved many projects from being thrown out or re shot because the on camera audio was no good, and they were able to take my recorded tracks, re sync, and do a proper mix in post. This does not mean I am sending my audio incorrectly, it means that I cant be responsible for the integrity of my audio if it is being recorded on a machine that I would never use, and operated by someone who knows nothing or very little about what I do.

This of course is why it is important to always remember to slate every take, even if you are shooting non scripted material. Programs like Plural Eyes are also very helpful in quickly syncing sound to picture, as well as multi-cam shots. With inexpensive programs like that, the need for time code or cutting corners and going into camera seem expensive to the sound department, lazy, and irresponsible.

A recent film I worked on had an on site DIT that would ingest footage from the camera's cards, as well as my audio, and sync them on site. That way he wasnt bored all day, and the editor already had everything set up for him to just jump in. Knowing that this was going to be the case, I attached a small discrete mic on the camera so that the DIT would also have an audio reference (though not my audio) so that he could hear what was happening in case of a mis labeled slate, or to use as a reference track in Plural Eyes to sync with my audio tracks.

To me this is the absolute best solution for saving money on your production without compromising the quality of your sound or picture. Chances are you already have someone on site ingesting your media as you shoot, so why not put them to work syncing audio to picture? That will keep them away from hanging out at the crafty table or bothering the makeup girls!

That will also help coordinate media specifications so that everyone is on the same page. 90% of the time on an Indie film shoot, no one tells me what frame rate we are shooting at, whether they want me to deliver mono or poly files, how they want things labeled, if they want sound reports, or anything. Usually the only direction I get is whether or not they want me to send to camera. Often I will be asked at the end of a shoot for sound reports, but if no one asked me to make them before we began shooting, I cant deliver them. I also wont do sound reports if I am mixing and booming at the same time. I need three arms to mix and boom, and a fourth to make sound reports. You try doing it and tell me how it was easy to do all your jobs correctly and simultaneously. If there was a DIT on site however that was concerned with syncing things up, they could tell me to shoot at 23.98 or 24 fps, how to label my tracks so things are easier for them, or a number of other things that will help streamline the process and minimize room for failure.

Well, I got a little off topic, though related and important. So the point I am trying to make, plain and simple, is that recording audio to camera can be done, but dont plan on using it for anything more than a reference track. There are too many reasons for it to fail, and then you will be left with nothing at all that's useable. Do things right, and you will save money in the long run.

If you are looking to save money on your production, there are countless resources on the internet (and my web site: http://cymbaline.org) about stretching your budget to get the best bang for your buck without compromising the quality of your project. The minute you start making decisions that your department heads should be making is when you are setting yourself up for failure. You hired the expert, take his advice when he talks to you.

An Open Letter from your Sound Department

This article is derived almost entirely from the article "An Open Letter from your Sound Department" from filmsound.org. I have added parts here and there that come from my own experiences on set. If you think you know a thing or two about film making, even if you are a 30 year veteran, do yourself a favor and read this. I guarantee you that you will learn a great deal.

This letter is being written by audio professionals to help directors and producers understand how good sound can be recorded on the set. We want to help you make the best film possible.

For this piece, we will not discuss the topic of mixing itself, as this is the "hocus pocus" part that you trust us to do so well.

We want you to have information that will enable you to evaluate what is interfering with good sound, before a hasty decision is made that can harm the quality of your film's sound. To help you make your decision you need to know about some of the obstacles that we sound people face, before we can even begin to get usable production sound on the set.

This is after all, the age day of digital sound. Theaters have wonderful THX(the audience IS listening) and SDDS with 5.1 surround. Home audio is often better than many theaters as a sophisticated audience demands DVDs with 24 bits. Yet, today's sound at it's source on set is suffering like never before.

THE PROBLEM

We, the sound crew, are the ones that you depend on to create and protect YOUR original sound tracks during production.

Unlike the work of the majority of the people who are working for on-camera results, the mixer's efforts can not be "seen" on the set. Almost no one hears what the microphone picks up. Too few are sure just what we do. Only the most obviously bad noises are even brought up for discussion.

Included in our job is to monitor the sets for unnecessary, accidental, ignorant and sometimes even malicious actions or lack of actions that may compromise your sound track. To emphasize this point: WE DO THIS SO YOU WILL HAVE THE BEST TRACKS POSSIBLE; IT IS NOT FOR US.

We are too often frustrated by the state of conditions that now exist on most sets. Many times we are expected to solve all sound problems alone. Instead, this should always be a cooperative effort with the assistant directors and other crafts.

Sound mixers are often perceived as pests or even a hindrance to the film's progress. We don't like being put in this untenable position because it is humiliating and unnecessary. We don't like to be considered adversarial to the rest of the production and we certainly don't want to be the "sound police"!

A mixer on a tough show, who fights alone to get you good sound, stands a good chance of burning out from all the excuses and defenses put up. It's hard to put it all out there without support. The temptation is to cave into the pressure and just go with the flow, and no good can come when that happens.

The problems that we face may lead you to believe that good sound cannot be achieved without set disruptions and added costs. This would not be necessary if reasonable measures are anticipated and endorsed by you both in pre-production and during production.

We know the limitations of our equipment. For example, microphones are just tools, they don't make miracles happen. If on-set audio problems are not dealt with immediately, they will only be back to haunt you again in post production.

You can help us do a better job for you. Good sound can most often be achieved by using reasonable preparation to avoid pitfalls.

We need your understanding and your backing.

THEN AND NOW

To understand the sorry state of audio affairs today, you must go back in time.

There once existed a major studio system where an assembly line of crafts worked together to churn out film products. No matter which studio we worked at, all crafts understood they were expected to take reasonable measures within their purview to allow for good sound recordings. It was instilled as part of their job description. These duties were passed on to the young apprentices. Grips cut microphone shadows sharply with flags. The electric department would change out a noisy light that buzzed. Camera assistants would try everything possible to quiet camera noise and many is the time that an operator had blankets and pillows over them and the noisy camera. Every other craft would do whatever was deemed reasonable to help get good sound, because it was considered to be part of their job. No one had to try to persuade them to do it. It was an era where reasonable co-operation with the Sound Department was the normal way to make good movies.

Today's crafts still have pride in their jobs but it seems they NO LONGER consider sound assistance to be a part of their job description. The problems began when the in-house studio training system broke down as non-union independent films proliferated. Along the way, the process of learning what their jobs entailed changed the way they perceived sound. The other crafts now don't think they should do anything to help YOU get good sound for YOUR movie. There is no longer an apprenticeship system to pass along this knowledge. They now learn on the job under fire through osmosis.

They must now be requested in each instance to do reasonable things, which are necessary to protect YOUR sound tracks, because they just don't consider it to be a part of their job anymore.

The Sound Department would gladly cut the shadow on the back wall of the set ourselves or cover the noisy camera, but that's not how the game is played. Instead, we have to convince, cajole, coerce, plead and use every other psychological persuasion technique to get the other crafts to help us prevent sound problems.

That last second, scrambling time on set should only be used to fix the unexpected problems which will inevitably occur. Instead, that last second is the first time that the sound mixer finds out about changes in dialog, staging or unwanted noises from on or off of the set.

All of the other departments work for what is seen and not heard. Every single person on the production from make up and wardrobe to grips and props concentrates only on what's seen in the viewfinder.

Because the other production crafts work only for picture, no one knows or cares what's happening to YOUR audio.

You are the only person on set with the power to allow us to get you good sound. It is always tempting for sound to give in and not go against the grain when circumstances impose impossible barriers.

Film schools are going to need to add psychology courses to their sound mixing curriculum soon. The situation is often that bad. That is why we want you to know as much as possible about the audio minefield lurking on every set.

What may often seem to you to be a lot of complaining, is in fact simply communicating negative factors to you, so that you will know what you are getting on your sound tracks, and what sound problems can be fixed NOW. For bottom line, these are YOUR choices. Just because we hear a noise does not make it a sound problem. It is your problem too. After all, we turn over the tracks to you at the end of the day.

After reading this, hopefully it will be much easier for you to make the informed decision about when it's really the time to loop. It's far too late to reverse a sound calamity later in post.

Even though this topic is last in the chain of events, we should start first by talking about why ADR is not a fix.

LOOPING

It is important to understand the gravity and consequences caused when the words "We'll loop it" are used.

You are obviously aware that extra ADR adds a financial burden to your budget, but the consequences are much greater than that. Looping is only an answer for situations where all else fails! It's not a quick fix later if the original set problems could have easily have been rectified with just a little time, knowledge or communication. Looping means that you are also making a huge artistic compromise that damages the film in many other ways in which you may not be so aware.

Obviously, you realize that the actor's performance is always better in production than in an ADR booth. Making a film is an artistic endeavor that lives forever! You cast great actors to bring together the collaborative efforts of film making and then you lose the essence of the scene by looping! The voice of a great actor totally in character, moving and interacting with other actors in three dimensional space is a treasure. It breathes life into the film.

Sure, ADR will have less noise than even the best set recording made with cameras rolling, but in fact we know it lacks any spontaneity, as well as the emotional truth of what's captured when you use your artists talents on the set. It can't be duplicated. ADR is not acting. The greatest method actors all hate it and at best, it is only a close recreation of the original scene.

Looping also just eats into a post budget's financial and time constraints, which would be far better spent utilizing their magical tools to enrich the film.

And as any independent film makers knows, they are always over budget by the time the film gets to post sound production, so do yourself a favor and allow us to get you the best sound we can on set!

When you just have to loop, the new forward thinking by many respected post sound professionals (such as Randy Thom from Skywalker) is to loop it immediately on or close to the set and as soon possible after the scene. These advocates know that the performance will be better so soon after filming the scene and the sound will be more natural if done in the same environment with the offending noises locked down. There are companies that specialize in on set looping using the video assist tapes for picture in portable studios.

Looping at best is usually fiscally irresponsible. Be sure that the audio problem really can't be fixed BEFORE you make a decision that you will regret later. Never allow the simple impatience of the moment on set be your real reason to loop! Be sure you have first covered all reasonable alternatives.

SOUND PROBLEMS ON THE SET

The majority of events that ruin sound tracks are totally predictable and happen over and over, show after show, year after year.

These are obstacles that are clearly identifiable and quantifiable. The difference between getting good sound or bad sound is often determined by how many of these predictable negative factors take place on your particular show and how they are handled.

There are few problems that don't have solutions if proper diligence can be taken in advance. The sound mixer is your advocate here. Let's try to identify the audio problems which each craft brings to your film.

PREPRODUCTION

Good sound begins by anticipating the outcome well in advance. Communicate early and often with your mixer in pre-production. Pay the mixer to go listen to potential problem sets ahead of time. Let them make a mock recording to see what can be dialed out in post. Do this before the locations are locked in and before the scouts with your key department heads. If the mixer is still on another show, have them designate a trusted associate to go for them. In the end, it's cost effective.

LOCATIONS DEPARTMENT

More can be done here to save a film's audio than any other department. Picking sets should have consideration for sound. At least try to weigh in environmental noise factors! We just ask that a minimal amount of consideration be given to potential audio problems. Often, we shoot in a place which could have easily been substituted for another location or on a weekend. Many times we film at a location which has construction, traffic, schools, airplane patterns and other background noise which are quite obvious. Only shoot those kinds of locations when it's absolutely necessary and essential to the film.

Lock down all the noise problems before we get to the set.

• Always consider the control of the air conditioning. This is a must! Without a/c control, the audio background will change from shot to shot as the air goes on and off. If it is a large building, have someone standing by with a walkie-talkie to turn the air back on after each shot. When exterior, it can be just as important to kill a/c units that are near the set.
• Have control on all noise makers in sets such as bars, offices and hospitals. All refrigerators, computers, ice makers, x-ray and other machines must be able to be turned off.
• Ask to schedule filming during non- work times in locations such as bars and restaurants.
• Avoid tin roofs during rainy season.
• Make sure sets can be cabled by electric and still keep windows, doors and openings closed.
• Be sure your location is not near busy streets or intersections.
• Be aware of trash pickup days, delivery days, etc. As well as nearby police and fire stations!

ART DEPARTMENT

• Confer with the sound department when adding noisy set furniture, computers and machinery.
• Try to consider overhead mics before building low covered ceilings, hanging lamps and cross beams.
• Inject foam into constructed stairs and steps to get rid of hollow footsteps over dialog.
• Whenever possible, carpet sets to deaden echo and live rooms. Especially consider these taking this step in rooms where the majority of dialog takes place.

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS

None of these implementation plans will succeed if the ADs don't support YOUR sound on the film. Sometimes they don't! The crew will take their cue to stop co-operating if it's clear the ADs react at the expense of getting good sound. Derogatory statements like "waiting on sound" and "just loop it" are unproductive and sap our spirit.

• Get police traffic lock downs when possible.
• Get quiet lock ups on set. Do not allow any walking. Station your PA's at key locations outside, and most especially under windows. (Keep the PA's from talking too) "Lock It Up" means that we should not hear any work noise from our crews. No engines, talking, etc. Have your walkie set up with priority override function so as to announce the roll across all walkie-talkie channels being used by all departments.
• Allow the sound department to make quick corrections that are reasonable.
• Enforce pantomiming from the background extras.
• Allocate a reasonable time and place for an actor to get wired. It won't help go faster if you push the sound crew to wire faster if the actor insists on getting wired at the last second on the set. Conversely, don't make the boom operator sit outside a star's dressing room just wasting valuable time that could be used to work out other sound problems on set.
• When there are closed rehearsals, make sure the boom operator gets to see at least one rehearsal before the actors leave the set.
• Honor wild line requests before releasing the actors.
• Honor room tone requests before breaking the set up, and stop all talk and movement. Room tones are very important to get before the ambient sound changes.
• In plane infested locations, roll as soon as the engine noise tails out before another plane comes in. Keep the set quiet enough to determine the status of the incoming and outgoing planes.
• Be sure to inform Sound Department at least two days ahead of playback days. Have the office send a post approved tape with sync. Don't expect that a CD or cassette will suffice.
• Have all walkie-talkies, cell phones and pagers turned off during takes and final rehearsals. They can wreck havoc on wireless microphones.

PRODUCTION MANAGERS

• Budget in a third sound person and the proper amount of audio equipment. A third person is invaluable in getting sound problems fixed in the crucial moments between the takes and scenes.
• Don't say "no" to any additional sound related costs without considering the entire post budget too.
• Book and check that stages are quiet. Even the newest and most modern stages often have dimmer banks located on or so close to the stage that they are a terrible problem.

CAMERA DEPARTMENT

Camera assistants: 

• When (not if) there is camera noise, make all reasonable efforts to contain it by using barneys, glass, blankets, tweaking, etc.
• Don't turn the slate on and off as time code will then be wrong. Let the mixer know as soon as a slate shows any problems.
• Let the sound mixer know what frequencies are being transmitted in case it steps on wireless mics or comteks. Be prepared to kill the panatape when it causes microphone interference.

Operators:

• Hold only the frame size to be used and no more.
• Communicate and work out any problems with the boom operator before the first team is called in.
• Be willing to operate in a pinch with cover or blanket over a particular noisy camera.

Directors of Photography:

• Light the set so that a boom can swing overhead.
• Don't use Xenon lights unless the director was informed ahead of time that the whole scene will have to be looped.
• Don't ever say "loop it"! It's not the DP's prerogative! If the DP conveys to the crew that sound matters to the film, they will follow that lead and be more attentive to potential sound problems.
• When shooting practical car scenes, try to consider sound problems and light so that windows can be closed where possible.
• When shooting with multiple cameras, do not attempt a wide and tight shot at the same time. Unless you plan on having close up and distant visual perspectives both with a distant sonic perspective, or you plan to add to the productions post sound budget. Speak with your AD or Producer on these matters.

SPECIAL EFFECTS DEPARTMENT

Make a reasonable effort to keep the offstage noise making devices away from the set and baffled whenever there is dialogue in the same scene.

• When making rain, put the rain machines and water truck as far away as possible.
• Use hogs hair to muffle raindrops on roofs and when it's seen out a window.
• When a fan is used to blow a curtain or plant, work it out with the sound mixer before the noise problem crops up after the first take.
• When using fireplaces, try to limit the hissing gas sound.
• Heaters close by on cold sets need to be shut off well before rolling to eliminate the crackle and pops from shutdown.

WARDROBE DEPARTMENT

They can help in creatively placing the wireless in the best possible position on the actor's body, when asked. They should never make negative comments about bulges that make the actors overly conscious about wearing a body mic on them. Think about avoiding noisy clothing, especially when the principal actors will wear much of the same clothing throughout the film.

• Never allow the actors to wear silk underclothes, especially bras. Cotton tank top T-shirts should be put on actors when possible to help avoid clothes rustle.
• Silk ties should be avoided or at least modify the inside with cotton for primary actors wearing the same wardrobe in several scenes.
• Be sound conscious when choosing chains, necklaces and other jewelry.

***** Stiff clothing such as starched shirts, large threaded fabrics, and other noisy fabrics should always be avoided. These things WILL ruin the sound for wireless mics, and the Boom will have to be relied upon entirely, which means that camera and lighting have to consider this, which in most cases they wont!*****

PROPS DEPARTMENT

Make an effort to keep noise making props as quiet as possible. Especially in the following most common problem areas:

• With guns, always let the mixer know if it's full, 1/2 or 1/4 loads, and how many shots plan to be fired and when.
• With table scenes, try to put down a pad or felt underneath the tablecloth to muffle dish-clattering noise.
• Use fake ice cubes in drink glasses.
• In kitchen scenes, put a cloth down where possible dish noise will occur. Spray shopping bags with water mister to get rid of paper noise.

GRIP DEPARTMENT

• Use cutters to kill boom shadows.
• Use all reasonable measures to reduce dolly squeaks. Put a dance floor down if floors creak. Use talcum powder when needed.
• Use blankets to deaden outside sound from open doors and windows.
• Make baffle covers for the loud set machines, fans and ballasts.
• Fasten down scrims that rattle in the wind.
• On insert cars keep extra stands attached to speed rails from clanging.
• Only use silks made of SILK in windy or outdoor scenes, NOT any form of plastic sheeting!

ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT

• Keep the generator as far away as is reasonably possible. Always use a minimum of 3 banded lengths (150 feet) to the first box, and go back from there. Supply base camp power where possible to avoid loud generators.
• Use all reasonable measures to keep lights and ballasts from making any noise on set, and use extension cabling to keep noisemakers off set.
• Run cables so that windows and doors can closed.
• Put variacs on problem dimmers.
• On insert cars, clip and wedge funnels to keep down the rattling sound.

CRAFT SERVICE DEPARTMENT

Set up away from sets so that the coffee makers and other devices can't be heard, especially on stage.

Do not provide lots of snacks that come in plastic wrapping. These find their way onto set and ruin takes!

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

• Plan on pushing or pulling a particularly loud vehicle out of the scene using human manpower when it's possible during close-up shots.
• Park the trucks as far away from set as reasonably possible and keep the individual generators off during the shot. Put base camp at least 1000 feet from set in quiet locations such as deserts and mountains, and 500 feet away in city locations.
• Help keep insert cars quiet.
• Be prepared to park a truck in front of the generator.
• Instead of running car engines, use alternate quiet power for picture vehicles that must run flashing light effects during the coverage.
  • Reward the companies who have taken reasonable steps to keep quiet driving to a maximum. Especially ask if the tail pipe has been rerouted to the front of the truck and if the on board gennie is quiet.
  • Use only one key alone in the ignition to eliminate clanging keys.
  • Don't Armor-All the dashboard, and use Simple Green to remove it where mics need to be planted.
  • Keep car interior floor area free of all the noisemakers such as the chains, removed side mirrors, nuts and bolts.

   

ACTORS

To mixers, a good actor is a loud actor. Whenever we get together to discuss our jobs we always talk about how good a voice an actor has. Actors who have done a lot of stage work tend to have learned the art of projecting their voice.

• Don't refuse to wear a wireless mic when it is necessary.
• Don't ask a boom operator to get out of their eye line. (Acting has been done with the boom for decades. This is a dangerous precedent we have recently started seeing.)
• Warn the sound department when you will do a much louder or quieter take than was rehearsed.
• Please speak louder when asked. We only ask when we really need it.

DIRECTORS

Collaborate frequently with your sound mixer as you would an editor, composer, DP or writer. We can also enrich your "vision" through sound images. Find out what problems and solutions exist. Don't fall for the trap where you hate to see your mixer coming because you know it's just bad news. Your mixer will feel that vibe and start telling you less and less until sound is no longer a vital part of collaboration on your film.

A good rapport with your mixer will allow you to know information about what was borderline and what you can barely get away with. If you simply trust that the mixer is getting good sound, you may be mistaken. It is always possible that the mixer has given up fighting the good sound battle and succumbed to the lack of any positive response to their efforts.

Very often, sound problems are not discovered until the last moment after the other departments have done their work and the set is finally quiet enough to hear through the microphones. The shot sometimes evolves into a sound problem that was unanticipated. Also, we may need a moment or two to make adjustments when creative changes have been made on the spot. Like it or not, sound is a part of your entire film making process from pre-production through production and on to post production. You might as well do it right. If you convey this message to your troops ahead of time, you will be freed up to spend more quality time with other pressing areas of film making.

Remember that certain crew departments such as the UPM and ADs are compelled to watch their production budget, and are not always concerned about the entire cost of a film all the way through post production.

The difference between good sound and bad sound on many shows is only about 5 to 10 minutes a day of doing some added tweaking here, another mic planted, a wireless changed there, quieting footsteps, siliconing a door squeak, room tone, a well placed blanket, killing a machine that came on during a take, powder on a dolly wheel etc. Usually by the time you print a take, the problems have been solved. If not, another take may be in order. ADs or other crafts who stifle this process will cost you dearly later in post.

• OVERLAPS - When possible, it's always better not to have them at all unless absolutely necessary because you can only be in one cut or the other. You may decide later you want to see both sides of the actor's dialogue. Remember, it's always easy to create an off camera overlap later if you still want it. Usually, the overlaps are simply because of a belief that the performance will be hindered. That argument loses credibility when the face of one of the overlapping performers won't be able to be seen at all. Of course there are times that overlaps must happen and both sides must be miked.
• USING TWO CAMERAS - There is a proper way to use 2 or more cameras and an improper way. It is perfectly acceptable to use 2 cameras of the same approximate frame size at the same time. The sound mixer's nightmare is running one camera wide and another tight at the same time. This means that sound will be compromised because all the actors must be wired because the wide camera will not allow a mic to get close enough to the tight camera size. This can be resolved by the second camera only filming non-speaking actors, or not working at all during the wide master shot. Then, go to 2 cameras for all your coverage.
• REHEARSALS - These are very important to the whole crew. It's fine to have closed rehearsals for actors only, but give one to the crew or at least let the boom operator see one. Otherwise, we can only guess where and how the sound will be delivered. The words we dread the most are "let's shoot the rehearsal". You might get lucky, but don't shoot rehearsals unless you are willing to do a lot more sound takes to work out the unknown problems.
• AD LIBBING - It's impossible to mic lines no one knows will happen. If you want to keep an ad-lib, do another take for sound if they didn't get the line the first time.
• AIR TRAFFIC - Probably the single most frustrating audio problem on set is being in a plane traffic pattern. It's a problem that might have been avoided by better location scouting. You know it's no good, we know it, the actors know it, the whole crew knows it's no good. Yet, after awhile, you have no choice but to plow through and start printing those takes anyway. In that case, rather than looping, it's much better to get through the scene with lots of short clean pieces that can be cut together later.
• LOUDER ACTORS - Sometimes we really need you to get the actors to speak up in order to save a scene. When in loud scenes such as a crowded bar or stock exchange, it's best to force the actors to speak unnaturally loud. If not your added post sound will be thin and they won't be able to add the rich background effects that make it sound real.

FINAL NOTES

The key at all times with sound is the word "reasonable". Reasonable efforts should always be made to do all these things in a reasonable amount of time. We don't want to take over the set and make the film, it's just about getting good sound. Nor do we want to sit quietly in a corner while YOUR sound tracks are butchered.

We are only asking that we go back to a time not too long ago where this was all common practice. We won't debate why this happened, but there is no question that an anti-sound attitude now prevails. That was then, and this is now. Being a set politician is always an important forte, but your tracks should not be forced to ride on the outcome of those verbal altercations.

Don't tell your sound mixer that you hate looping unless you are willing to back them up with your on set support.

Today, it is up to you to demand better sound for YOUR picture. This can be easily instilled on the first day of pre-production. Give all the keys a memo and a verbal direction that you want every reasonable effort made to get good sound on YOUR film.

We are not asking for power on set, just a little respect for your sound. With your newfound support, we promise to act reasonably at all times and not expect that the sound be the most important part of the film. We know there will be times that sound must be looped after it was given due consideration. We just don't want it taken lightly either. The word "reasonable" applies at all times.

Most importantly, find the time to communicate with your sound mixer because you need to know if you are getting the best sound tracks possible.

We have written this because we want your film to be great! It will live forever and we always want to be proud that our name went on your film.

Sincerely, 
Your Sound Department