MPSE Wavelength

M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S I 31 movies and I know just about every library, and I can hear all these library sounds, and it drives me up the wall sometimes. I try not to put library sounds in, or to find something at least that's unique sounding. Sometimes I'll come across this library sound I've never heard before, and someone will say, "Oh, I've heard that before in something else!" [I'll say], "Okay, great. Get rid of that, and let's do something else—record it all brand new." So start recording sound effects. Todd's right, you can have all these fancy tools and make something really complicated. Gregg Landaker was one of the greatest mixers in our industry, and he would always listen to every sound, but he would also know the sounds he needed and the sounds that he didn't need to tell the story. He was really a genius at being able to say, "We just need this right here, and now we're going to move on." Sometimes, less is more— finding that special sound that will carry the scene. Also, try to work on as many non-union things as you can to gather your hours, so that you can be eligible to join the union. Also, check with the unions to see which non-union shows are eligible for hours. In the past, I felt that there was a ceiling on opportunity and how much could be produced by the studios. But things have changed now, especially with streaming. There's been a boom and it seems like there's a lot of opportunities. I think there's so many different ways for you to contribute your talent into all different types of mediums. TT: You have a better chance if you're willing to work on shorts, documentaries, indie features and things like that—there's more distribution. I love documentaries, but finding an outlet used to be tough. But it seems like there's a lot more of those. Anybody who wants to get into sound, there's so many different things you can do that's all tied together. It's all helping tell a story. Just do whatever's out there. Get your hands on it. There's no right or wrong—just try to make it sound good. But if you want to take it to the next level, you really need to find people with experience and learn from them. That's one thing I do worry about. There used to be more formal apprenticeship programs to teach young people how to take the next step. It seems like that's falling off. EM: In your spare time, do you have any hobbies that you like to do when you're completely away from a computer? TT: Lately, I find I have to unplug and get away from devices, and I prefer to be outdoors hiking. I find that's the best way to reconnect with nature and reality. So, even if I can just step away for a couple hours, that definitely helps a lot. I also like to listen to music and spend time with my family. I do like to paint, and try different forms of art, you know? I find I do that stuff more when I'm on a project where maybe your creative ideas aren't really appropriate for that director or project, and you become more just serving the picture. The nature of the job changes, so I find that I'll try to supplement that with outside creativity. OB: I like to walk, too. I try to walk every day. I have a little trail that I go on. I've been trying to learn how to mix my son's music. His music is sort of in the vein of the Foo Fighters, The Beatles, Harry Styles and that type of stuff. Mixing this pop music is a whole different world than sound effects editing, so I do really enjoy digging into that and learning it, and then I end up taking some of the lessons that I've learned from that world into what I'm doing in sound editing. Like Todd, I like to paint, too. And it's much more nerdy, but I like to paint figurines. [laughs] It's like The 40-Year-Old Virgin. [laughs] But I've been doing it since I was 11 years old, and just recently I went into a hobby shop and that whole market has gone ballistic with all sorts of really fun stuff. During the pandemic, I had a lot of time to myself and I said, "Oh, let me just try to paint more." It's a lot of fun. And it's definitely something tactile. When you're sound editing, you're always on a computer. Like Todd was saying, I would suggest to paint or to do something with your hands. Do some sort of craft—something that is physical. I think that's just good for the soul. EM: Todd and Odin, this has been a real pleasure. I can't thank you both enough for your time and for just being so generous. I really appreciate it. TT: Thanks, Eric! It was great. OB: Yeah, thank you, Eric. It was fantastic. Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you.

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