Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1351516
48 S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I believe the best way to start this process is in pre-production. Ask to be included in technical scouting. Not only can you get a sense of unusual needs, but it's a great time to meet all the other department heads and to hear the director and DP explain their vision and plan for the scene. When a special need comes up, it can often be discussed then, without the pressure of limited production time. Sometimes it's necessary to request to be included in the production meeting. It's another great opportunity to informally meet other crew and to see the expectation for each shooting day. I like to follow up with questions by phone or email, accompanied if necessary by special requests for other departments to allow time for them to be considered and worked out. This includes POST SOUND. Obviously, production sound has a symbiotic relationship with post. A good relationship with continual communication can save time for both, and can greatly enhance the fi nal product. Production sound needs to know what post needs. Post can make requests from production that carry extra weight. It can make the difference when production then asks for time or resources to capture certain effects or other wild sound. Matched expectations for recording standards in terms of technical specs or levels can make everyone happier. This discussion should start well before production begins. b y Pe t e r K u r l a n d C A S Playing Well with Other Production Departments " There's a war on between sound and wardrobe and I'm the battlefi eld." -Tommy Lee Jones Entertainment is a collaborative art. Even Mozart needed someone to help him carry the piano. Filmed entertainment requires many more skilled people, each with an interest in excellence in their craft and, hopefully, also in the overall project. This often means compromising in one's quest for perfection so that others can further their own work. When done well, this can make everyone's work better. I have often thought sound people get more "opportunities" to compromise than most.