Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1178376
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y F A L L 2 0 1 9 43 From left: Wylie Stateman delivers the keynote speech. Photo by Kurt Kassulke CAS; the keynote crowd; Tom Kenny, editor of Mix magazine. R e c a p b y S t e p h e n F i t z m a u r i c e C A S The main thrust of this panel was about the expectations of directors and the process of refining the finished score and how to deal with deadlines. Paul Haslinger said that the composer's job is to be a translator After a brief welcome and introduction from Mix magazine editor Tom Kenny, Wylie Stateman took the podium to deliver the keynote address. Mr. Stateman touched on the ways in which sound is essential to the filmmaking process. He marked more than the ways in which we can contribute to and augment the story, he talked about the importance of being able to communicate with directors and producers in an effective way. To this point, he shared what he felt was some of the most important advice he received in his career from director/writer/producer/showrunner William Brown: One should always consider your interactions with other creatives, spoken or not, with the four words, "In terms of sound…" In using these words, we frame the conversation, both for ourselves and the person with whom we are speaking, in a way that clarifies and underscores the contributions that sound can offer to filmmaking. Mr. Stateman outlined how there are three major roles in the field of sound: director, producer, and designer of sound. Directors need to be primarily responsible for the big picture ideas behind what the needs of a film are. Producers are responsible for the financial/logistical process, and designers are, of course, primarily responsible for the creative aspects. As sound professionals, we need to be intimately familiar with the complexities of each other's responsibilities as problems can come up unnecessarily when there isn't good communication and understanding between the roles. KEYNOTE ADDRESS OBSERVATIONS b y P e t e r K e l s e y C A S of what the creators are describing, and Pieter Schlosser said that talking about music is like dancing about architecture. The first point that was asked was about how they handled deadlines and Pieter replied that "Deadlines are amazing, a beautiful thing. Without them, we wouldn't finish anything," and "I believe in failing faster." It is important to get in as early as possible in the process so that the director will get used to your music and not a temp score that then the composer will have to copy. When asked about creating a unique soundscape for each project, Paul said, "You need to have some rules and be ready to break them at any time." Pieter added, "They just want to see the sausage, not how it is made, and it has to sound great from the very beginning." Keep building, keep refining, don't throw away anything. It is a constant process of changing things until it matches the creator of the show's vision. When asked about giving advice to someone coming up, they both said to meet as many people as you can and cultivate relationships. They also suggested starting as an assistant so that you can fail faster from a safe space. COMPOSERS LOUNGE: COMPOSING FOR FILM MODERATOR: Greg Ondo (Steinberg) PANELISTS: Pieter Schlosser (composer) and Paul Haslinger (composer)