Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475409
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S I 19 Curt: "There's less time to sit with the fi lm..." Amanda: "Things evolve in this industry all the time, things change, and just 'because we've always done it one way' does not necessarily mean that that is currently the best way to do things," referencing the need for a fourth person on the production sound team. Brent on checking an actor's contract for an ADR clause: Without one, that single word from a secondary character that the director wants can be "...a twenty-fi ve hundred dollar line … that's two days of sound editorial." Opened up to questions from the audience, the panel was asked about how COVID aff ected the workflow. It created the need for remote monitoring, which slowed some processes and created some more effi cient ones. (i.e., multiple ADR sessions in a day). And what project are you most proud of? Amanda: Lady Bird as it was a smaller budget fi lm that was worthy of my extra eff orts. Brent: Elephant White, it was one of the most I'm creatively proud of because sound design was so featured. Michael: Black Hawk Down because it was such a great sound job that we had to put together on an accelerated schedule to make a Christmas release. "As a producer, you should not shortchange yourself," insisted Michael. The consensus is that we need more time and more money. After the two-minute video, which was received with enthusiasm and applause, the moderator for the PGA, John Sylva PGA, post production supervisor (Dune, King Richard, Greyhound) was introduced. He in turn introduced the panel: Amanda Beggs CAS, production mixer (Lady Bird, Finding Ohana, Skyfall); Curt Sobel MPSE, supervising music editor (Ray, Ghostbusters: Afterlife); Michael Minkler CAS, re-recording mixer (Black Hawk Down, Chicago); Brent Findley MPSE, supervising sound editor (Ted Lasso, We Crashed). John started the panel by re-quoting Steven Spielberg: "We allow audiences to see with their ears" from the clip, and then asking what inspired each of the panelists to pursue a career in sound. For Amanda, it was seeing the same names in the credits across many well-made movies. She wanted to be one of those professionals. Curt, growing up in a musical family that went to the movies often, was inspired by the music and made the drive to Hollywood to pursue his career. Michael, having grown up in a family that was in sound, was in awe of the big pictures of the sixties like Lawence of Arabia, The Great Escape and West Side Story. At an early age, he knew what he wanted to be doing as a career. He started working at 17 and has never stopped. Brent was influenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey's sound design for its portrayal of the absence of sound. He listed a few other fi lms, ending with Saving Private Ryan as the beginning of his desire for a career in sound. John then asked a series of questions that all were directed at giving advice to the producers in the room. Here are some of the important and concise responses. Get us involved as early as possible. Our ability to help avoid problems is increased the earlier we get involved. That includes production mixing, as well as all of post production. It's hard to budget when we don't have a clear picture of what is going to be fi lmed. We need to develop trust in both directions. We're here to fulfi ll your vision. Networking is the best way to fi nd a good sound crew. Michael made the point that as digital has become the standard, budgets and schedules have decreased because of the perception that everything can be accomplished faster. "Because you can do so much more, it takes fi ve times longer... We can do a single task faster, but the overall, it just means there is more time to make more decisions." L-R: Amanda Beggs CAS, Brent Findley MPSE, Michael Minkler CAS, Curt Sobel MPSE, and John Sylva PGA.