MPSE Wavelength

Winter 2023

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76 I M PS E . O R G I feel these similarities transcend time and have always been part of the state of the business. I do think the 'working at home' current reality, which technology has in many ways made possible and feasible is the one new part of the equation that wasn't as easy or viable many years ago. Remote working seems a new phenomena but it's actually been around for many more years than people realize. It just wasn't as accepted or embraced by as many parties as it is now. Many people in the industry, not just composers, music editors, music supervisors and picture editors experience the value of working remotely. PL: Any prominent themes or dissimilarities in the collaborative processes? SS: Overall. there were fewer dissimilarities. There were some interesting approaches about networking and career development. Let me give you a few examples: Joseph DeBeasi shares: "It's a great question—be a friend. You know just how would you continue a relationship with a friend? You call—you don't just say, 'Hey, what are you working on.' You say, 'How are you doing, how's life, how's the family?' Sometimes that can be tricky—there are some people that I know I can only go so far in that friendship and that's because they want to maintain a separation between work and friendship— and that's all right—I'm all right with that. And then there's others where you go have dinner with, you talk about life, when you're not working—be interested in them as a friend would be interested because you're building a friend relationship." Anne-Kathrin Dern says: "Good question. Most of my relationships, I got out of someone else recommending me. Someone just going, 'Hey I can't do this gig, but Anne probably can, you're going to like her.' Or someone hearing my music somewhere. I now have a manager so she's introducing me to a lot of people. I use IMDb Pro to just reach out to people that I think might be interested in working with me. But I frequently use mutual connections, that's kind of my 'go to' at this point." Craig McKay says: "Well, I think the biggest piece of advice as a mentor I would give to somebody is, 'If you want something, don't be afraid to ask for it.' I remember, I wanted a couple of jobs with directors and I said, 'I want you to give me this job—I want to do this job.' I would ask, I would not sit back and just let them decide. When you're starting out you have to make yourself clear—a lot of people would be afraid to say that. I fortunately wasn't and I got a number of jobs. Even with Demme who I did seven films with, I'd hear about the next one—I look at him and say, 'I want to do this one, I want you to hire me for this one.'" PL: Any surprises given your extensive career? SS: I was surprised at my expectations for what the book might reveal and how it actually came out. I initially had a spreadsheet of about 75 questions with different topics and how each question would read for each interviewee. This of course, was way too many questions. I had to narrow it down to core areas, "You,""The work," "People," "Living," and "Future or advice to others." From there, I customized some questions as I was interviewing. I did not want to emphasize the more traditional questions around how they got started. It seemed more interesting to know how they interacted, collaborated, and influenced each other. Essentially, how all four careers were intertwined. The reader will find these shared experiences and stories interesting, insightful, and fun. PL: Any particular themes or points you'd like to communicate about the work? SS: In many of the book's interviews, there is a common thread of how being at home and remote has opened up a refreshing way to work that allows for, in many cases, a more balanced life. The other side of the coin is that those personal connections and relationships that we experience by being 'in-person' with others on the team, are critical for interpersonal collaboration. Whether in the cutting room, at the composer's studio, on the recording stage, on the set with song playback, or at the dub stage for the final mix, those experiences cannot truly be replicated remotely via Zoom or other interfaces. The experiences of working together with new colleagues and past friends contributes to a successful, fun, and positive experience. PL: What do you hope for the reader to take away from this work? If the reader finds some inspiration from these words of wisdom and a guide for their own path and professional dreams, that would be fantastic. I hope they will find stories and experiences shared in this volume that will help them navigate their career choices and give them hope as they will surely find struggles along the way. It would be great if this book were enjoyed by not only musicians, but sound people, post-production supervisors, filmmakers, producers, directors, attorneys, really anybody interested in or has an appreciation for movies and music.

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