Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/237968
S W O T: [ Cont.from 27 ] and told to just go nuts and do whatever we want. We are able to fill a world with every sound we can conceivably make, and people don't bat an eye at that anymore. I think, given that kind of flexibility, it's also keeping us from making tough decisions about what sounds people absolutely need to hear. Mobile, I think, is one of those opportunities where we can grow. "Take that experience of a cool sounding game, where you have this infinite number of channels, an infinite number of sounds, an infinite number of UI tracks, and all this situational music that can cross-fade, and all sorts of different emotional pieces completely dependent on the game-state, and turn that into something someone can play on an iPhone. Of course you can't do that because you have this very tiny sound budget. But, I've often felt that working within those constraints, where you only have 10MBs to make it sound good, I think that is now where we're going to see some good innovation. Candy Crush Saga is a good example of that, where the UI sounds, and the candy crunching sounds, are absolutely perfect. It's very nicely put together. The sound palette is perfect for what it needed to be. That is where we have an opportunity to grow as creators. The lessons that we can learn from working small can help us when we grow upwards." THREATS: "I work in a very small studio. Right now, it's just me. I think a very real threat is the fact that there are no mid-sized houses anymore. It's becoming an either/or situation. A lot of game companies are massive, with huge budgets, and the ability to throw 30-40 audio designers, composers, orchestrators, and live performers onto the project. So that's one extreme you have. The other extreme is, you have these tiny studios with 10-12 people working on the game, and they hire an outsourced audio person, just one person, to do all the sound for their little game. There is very little in-between anymore.There are very few mid-level houses. I think that's a little scary. There are two worlds you can live in as an audio professional. You can either work with the titans that stride the landscape, or you can work on really small stuff. There doesn't seem to be a lot of the mid-level houses." OUTLOOK FOR 2014: "GameSoundCon this year had the most people we've ever seen. A lot of those people were there for knowledge, to learn how to do what we do, to learn orchestration, to learn UI. There are a lot of people who want to get involved, who are working on this stuff but may not have worked with someone experienced. I had the benefit of mentorship when I came up at Blizzard Entertainment. We worked on the stuff together; we figured it out together. We worked on UI. We worked on ambiences, and coming up with creative ways to make ambiences happen. We figured everything out as a department and I learned a lot at the hands of Glenn Stafford. "A lot of audio departments don't have that anymore. Either the work is being outsourced, or they have one person doing it all. We don't necessarily get to share. So, all these people were there at GameSoundCon, and they had a thirst for knowledge. I think, for game audio, once we begin to open up and help the younger people learn the craft, then we're going to A U D I O see a lot of innovation. A lot of the technological issues we're working on are problems we've been trying to solve for awhile. For example, how do we make variation in the sounds so it's not repetitive? How do we make worlds sound more real, and more engaging? How do you make these things work on the various platforms they're going to play on, like mobile or the next-gen systems? "Also, the huge next-gen systems: what are we going to do with that? Now that you've got 7.1 audio, in 192k, all that storage space, and all that bandwidth, what are we going to do with that? There are a lot of challenges, technologically, that we need to face going into the future. "In the next year, I think we're going to see some interesting independent games in addition to the huge budget, 'impressomatic,' crazy, sound-design-smorgasbord games. It's going to be a mixed bag, and I see it growing in an exciting way." Classifieds Help Wanted Advertising Sales Rep. Ad Sales Rep needed for advertising sales in Post Magazine and Computer Graphics World. The purpose of the position is to generate classified advertising sales for the publications CGW & Post Magazine in the areas of Rapid Prototyping (3D printing), Camera, Displays/monitors/projectors, Workstations (mobile, desktop), GPUs/CPUs, Input devices (mice, scanners, etc), Motion-capture, Storage, Service provider, Education/training, 2D modeling, 3D modeling, 3D animation, Compositing, Rendering, Lighting, Editing, CAD/CAM/CAE/CAA, AI/VR (including headmounted displays), Game engines, Middleware, Texturing, Simulation, Plug-ins, Web content tools, Music Libraries, Stock Footage, Large File Transfer companies , Studios. Full-time position. Operates from office when not traveling. Skills/Qualifications: Customer Service, Meeting Sales Goals, Closing Skills,Prospecting Skills, Negotiation, SelfConfidence, Product Knowledge, Presentation Skills, Client Relationships, Motivation for Sales. Rick DeLena & Matt Dubin Send cover letter and resume to: ksafaryan@copcomm.com. Executive VP & VP Business Development (respectively) Formosa Group West Hollywood, CA http://formosagroup.com CSR - CUSTOMER SERVICE REP. Our local office in Glendale, CA is seeking a Customer Service Representative to be the first point of contact with our print customers. Our customer service representatives are passionate, customer-focused professionals with outstanding people skills and the desire to help us grow our business through hard work and innovative thinking! Formosa Group is a full service audio post company, located on historic Hollywood landmark, "The Lot," which they share with their sister company, Audio Head. Formosa Group caters to independent and studio filmmakers, and content creators. Since opening their doors this summer, Formosa Group has attracted some big names in audio post, from Oscar-winning supervising sound editors to veteran re-recording mixers who have worked on Hollywood's top films. Recent works at Formosa Group includes Metallica: Through the Never, Walking with Dinosaurs 3D, and Frozen. STRENGTHS: "There were a greater number of films being produced, particularly in the independent sector." WEAKNESSES: "Shifting and compressed post schedules make it harder to deliver on-time and onbudget soundtracks." OPPORTUNITIES: "A shift in the facilities landscape has created an opportunity for smaller, more nimble companies, like Formosa Group, as we are able to address post production sound as a more collaborative process." THREATS: "We prefer to not focus on negatives." OUTLOOK FOR 2014: "We anticipate a sustained output in the 'studio' and 'independent' sectors and are optimistic that progress will be made in gaining California tax incentives, which will further expand production. In addition, we see the New York incentives as a benefit to the post production community and an opportunity for Formosa Group to support filmmakers." As a customer service professional, your responsibilities will include: • Responding to service requests. • Investigating and resolving customer questions and concerns efficiently and compassionately. • Preparing and distributing reports (utilizing various proprietary systems) on a regular and timely basis. • Assisting with various administrative duties, such as filing, data entry, and ensuring SOP compliance. • Participating in inside sales activities. Successful team members also possess the following qualifications: • A High School Diploma or equivalent. Preferably a College Graduate. • At least 2 years of experience in a customer service or call-center environment. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Strong data entry/typing skills. • The ability to multi-task and prioritize multiple assignments. Send cover letter and resume to: ksafaryan@copcomm.com. For Advertising Rates & Schedules: POST Magazine, 620 West Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204; Western Region 818-291-1153, Fax: 818-547-4607; Eastern Region 781-255-0625 Fax: 781-255-0431 www.postmagazine.com Post • December 2013 45