Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512183
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 93 no question of specialising in film sound or doing just TV drama, so you naturally need to work on all sorts of productions. Over the years, I have worked on documentaries, animations, ads, short films, feature films, smaller scale TV comedy dramas, and higher end TV drama. I have recorded ADR and Foley, I have mixed for TV and film and I have worked as a Foley editor, an ADR editor, a dialogue editor, a sound effects editor, and a sound designer. I would say I am a 'jack of all trades, a master of none but an avid student.' CM: Can you describe how sound artists in the Irish post-production community work in freelance, or staff positions? NB: Over the 25 years I have been working here, the community of post-production sound professionals has increased in number but it is still rather small. I would say I know or have worked with most people working in film or TV drama sound in Ireland. I have always worked as a staff member at a facility as that has suited me and how I function. I'm currently very happily working at Outer Limits Post Production facility, alongside a great team of editors, sound mixers, VFX artists, and the two founding members of the company and very talented colourists, Gary Curran and Eugene McCrystal. At this stage, I would say the post sound community is a 30:70 mix of freelance professionals and those working at post-production facilities. "The freelance community has gotten smaller over the last few years and it is my perception that many freelancers take the opportunity to become staff members with a facility if the chance arises." I think this is due to the fact that freelancing can be quite precarious as productions can go on hiatus, sometimes leaving freelancers without work, and as the industry is relatively smaller here, there is not necessarily an abundance of other work to fill those gaps. However in a facility, there is generally always something to be done, as there can be more day jobs like single-day mixes on a broadcast magazine show, VO records, TV ads, etc. This scenario is probably common across the world, but in my opinion it is certainly a characteristic of the Irish post- production sound community. CM: Tell us about some of the more significant projects you have been a part of and how they affected your career journey. NB: I had been working consistently as a sound editor and supervising sound editor on features, docu- mentaries, and TV drama series from 2001 to 2009 but I think there was a real gear change to the work in 2010 and 2011 when series one of Game of Thrones was produced in Northern Ireland and posted in the Republic of Ireland. I cut sound effects on four episodes of that series. This was a very interesting show to work on by virtue of the scale of it and by the fact that Stefan Henrix and Andy Kennedy led the Field recording of Niall Brady paddling at the jetty for the feature film Frank (2015). Photo by Steve Fanagan.