Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1353865
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S I 21 and that you're giving them a deal. This lets them know that your work on their film took 45 hours (or whatever the amount is) and that if you get paid $500 per nine-hour day, your work is worth $2,500. But you're only charging them $300 a day. 3. The rule of thumb is the further out the deadline, the better it is to work for the paltry amount they are paying me. The tighter the deadline, the more it will cost. That's only fair. You must weigh the pros and cons for yourself. 1. Will this project's final sound job help you get more work? 2. Is it challenging? Maybe a genre you haven't done yet? 3. Is the project something you'd be proud to have your name on? The best advertisement for future work is our name in the credits and the good words from the filmmaker about our work and work ethic. If you take on a project that you complain about, "They're not paying me enough to do this!" or "This film is bad. I can't stand working on it," it will strain your relationship and the filmmakers won't hold a good opinion of you. You'll be labeled as "hard to work with." If you're going to take on the project, be happy with your decision. Work on it as if it's an Oscar contender. Do the best work you can regardless of what they pay you. Be proud of your work whether or not anyone ever notices or knows what you did to get it to sound good. Remember, my mantra of sound: If it sounds good, it IS good. In addressing the last part of the questions, "What do you do more or less of to save time in these instances?" Educate the filmmakers if they need it but not in a condescending way. My mom often reminded mixers and other "technical" people to think of themselves as "filmmakers" not as "technicians." Speak to the director/ film editor/producer as a fellow filmmaker. You want to make their movie sound the best it can be. Tell them about the sound issues. Give them a game plan on how you will dig in and fix it. Let them know how messed up it is and what it will take to fix it! They need to know. "The scene you shot above the freeway overpass is pretty unusable. We may have to ADR it. We will need to rent an ADR stage. It will cost $$$. If you don't ADR it, your audience will have a hard time understanding the dialogue. If you ADR dialogue, you will also need Foley to add the footsteps and other movement that disappears when the production sound is gone. I can cut Foley from a Foley library but it's always better to have Foley artists perform exactly to the picture." It's a rabbit hole, for sure! What bugs me (and this happens a lot) is they tell me they don't have enough money to pay me but like magic, they find the money for a 5.1 mix and/or to rent an ADR studio! You can also mitigate the damages of low-budget film projects by finding out and examining their tracks before you commit to it! Here is a list of questions I ask the filmmaker before I commit to a project. 1. What is your deadline for your finished film? 2. Do you want/need a stereo or a 5.1 mix? (A 5.1 mix will need a mix stage or someone with a 5.1 setup.) 3. Do you think the production sound was recorded well or do you think it will need a lot of cleanup work and would you need a lot of ADR? (Replaced dialogue) 4. What genre is your film? Is it a horror film? Then it will be a lot more intensive sound effects-wise than a drama (dialogue-driven) film. 5. How long is it? 6. Is it locked or will you be making more edits (changes)? If it is not locked, you will be chasing new versions as you're editing and you should charge more for that. (Or at least tell them you will charge more and maybe they'll lock it sooner than later!) 7. Are the actors available to ADR if necessary? 8. Do you have a Foley budget? 9. Will you need an M&E (Music and Effects) version of the film for foreign distribution? (This affects whether or not you have to get a full Foley job. (To replicate all the footsteps and prop movements that are under any English dialogue.) 10. Could I get an OMF or AAF, as well as a QuickTime with sound so I can evaluate the tracks? I can't evaluate the sound with just a QuickTime. I need to SEE the session in Pro Tools. 11. What was your recording process? Boom? Boom and lavs? Did all the mics get put into your edit session? 12. Do you have a lined script? 13. Do you have the production mixer's sound reports? (Most indie productions won't have 12 and 13 but it's letting them know they really need these.) 14. What is your budget for sound editing? (Notice this is last!) For sound editing? For mixing? Or both? (M&E mixes are usually separate budgets that a distribution company pays for.) Develop a relationship with the film editor. They can tell you if all the mics were ingested into their timeline. Some editors edit with a combine track and you'll have to be a DIALOGUE DETECTIVE to figure out if there are better mics available. Better mics mean you may not have to ADR as much as they thought! And you will save the day! Use your judgment. Weigh your options. Examine the tracks. Figure out if it's worth your time for the amount of money offered. Be a filmmaker who specializes in sound. Most of all, you need to enjoy working on it! Please answer or ask any questions by dropping me a line in time for the next issue! Visit Vickie Sampson: Dialogue Detective on facebook or contact me through Wavelength magazine.