Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1335010
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 37 Do you show movie clips in classes? If so, what clips do you use? TF: Yes, I do show clips. I put great emphasis in my classes on storytelling and how sound can be used to help move the story along. I play clips from my own work which demonstrate this and explain how we decided to use particular sounds to advance the story. MF: I shift creative examples around but like to have students watch—and listen to— Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound. DB: Like Matt, I also use Midge Costin's film Making Waves, but usually insert it on a day I would have had to cancel class otherwise. I tell my students on the first day that if I have done my job correctly, I will ruin the movie-going experience for them, because I will make them active listeners. I also point out that I generally only notice problems in the soundtrack when there are much bigger problems in the movie. If I am enjoying the story and characters, it's unlikely that I will have time to think about the sound design during the first viewing. If interested, I keep a list on my blog of films that I show in class or suggest to students for learning sound design. It can be seen in its entirety here: https://bondelev .blogspot.com/2018/10/recommended-viewing.html Do you find any resistance from students to using faders to mix, instead wanting to mix with the mouse? TF: No, not really, and I wouldn't object if they did. I think that using the gear has to become second nature. A mixer has to know what tools to use in any situation and how to use them to achieve the desired result without having to think about it. This is always a personal process and requires time, and trial and error. The student will find the most comfortable way for them to mix. Some will use the console surface to control the tools, others will use the keyboard and mouse. It's totally personal preference. MF: Some students are really jazzed to be able to use a control surface and some are so used to using a mouse that you need to nudge them to use faders—even though that sounds nuts to us. I consider faders to be like an instrument that I play, that I feel. Faders allow you to focus on the interaction of elements instead of worrying whether you're clicking on the right part of the screen to adjust an element. That tactile interaction is something I try to stress and that students are, generally, receptive to. DB: This is another of my pet peeves. Students are very resistant to using faders. They have developed bad habits mixing with a mouse before they get in my class. It's odd because many of them have done work in live sound, yet still mix their projects with a mouse. What is the hardest part of mixing? TF: Matching dialogue. Making the dialogue, ADR, and GROUP ADR work smoothly is THE most important part of the mixing process. Once you have a good dialogue pre-dub, the rest is just fun, making the picture play. MF: Probably having dynamics while retaining intelligibility. Presenting a strong spectral presentation that translates across various monitoring scenarios is also challenging. Something may sound full and awesome on your " WE'LL CONCENTRATE ON WHAT THE STUDENTS 'SHOULD' BE HEARING, WHY THINGS SOUND THE WAY THEY DO AT A PARTICULAR POINT IN A PROJECT, AND GO FROM THERE. " —MATT FOGLIA CAS