Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1451070
"We deliver many, many tracks and everyone who speaks gets wired because you never know what is going to happen with three cameras. Casts are getting larger, and my hope is that the mix I do will be the one used for the dialogue. I use iso's on everyone so that whatever happens, the editors will have flexibility. My hope is that I'm giving the director what he wants for that scene. In order to do that, I have to convince many people to work with me, and the only way I can do that is that everyone sees it as a collaborative process and sees that I am not doing this for the sound department; I'm doing it for the movie. The topic of this discussion is problem solving and I'm a conflict-avoidance person. I want to do the best job I can do without poking the bear." Gary asked about a scenario of when you need more time or have another issue, who do you go to on set to talk to about alleviating the problem? Lee replied, "The first assistant director manages time on set, and I usually make sure I have enough of a pre-call so that I can take care of timecode needs and communications and everything I need to do before getting to the mix. My team sets up booms and wires the cast and that all needs to be done before the shoot so that I don't have to ask for more time. Gary followed, "How far in advance are you given a call and how much prep time are you given after reading the script?" Lee informed, "Generally, they would like me to show up 15 minutes before the cameras roll. [The other panel members laughed.] With Michael Mann, I am with him on the scout so I can see the issues very early. I had a month and I listened to the noises coming off the cab for the movie Collateral. Sixty-five percent of that film is in that cab. But I'm not joking when I say they want me on set 15 minutes before the cameras roll because all you need to do is put mics on the actors and you're done, right? I still want to be able to control the sound the best I can." Gary asked if Lee ever had discussions with location scouts to make sure that there wasn't a freeway nearby when the film should not have any cars and other extraneous sounds. Lee replied that when they shot The Patriot, there was a train nearby and they got the schedule for the train so that they wouldn't be shooting dialogue when it came through. Lee said he can't do a good job without cooperation and that it's for the movie, it's not for the sound department. Gary asked about low-budget movies and inexperienced directors not understanding the place of sound. Lee replied that he convinces the director and producers that having quality sound is what is going to elevate a low- budget movie, and bad sound will make sure it is seen as low budget. Craig Henighan CAS MPSE – Supervising Sound Editor/Re-recording Mixer Alex Gibson – Supervising Music Editor Lee Orloff CAS – Production Sound Mixer Dane Davis MPSE – Supervising Sound Editor Alyson Dee Moore – Foley Artist Gary Bourgeois CAS – Moderator