Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1529890
C I N E M A A U D I O S O C I E T Y. O R G 29 in a production mix. We talked in great detail about the effectiveness of lavaliere mics for noisy environments and unique on-camera actions. Stephen outlined how the production mix plays a critical role for on-set monitoring, dailies, and during the picture edit. Next, I asked Stephen to talk about his workflow with the picture editors for Modern Family. "In Modern Family, the editors typically would use a combination of my mix track for rough cuts and pull from the ISO's when necessary. And for certain set environments, like the Disneyland episode, we used all wires for the mix because of the high-noise shooting environment. So, sometimes it really depends on the location [to decide] what's ideal to use for the production mix." mixers had brought up to production and nothing would get done. It literally took the re-recording mixers to come visit the set to get something done about it. I can't emphasize enough the importance of getting sets quiet to maximize the use of the boom and coordinating closely with post." The Picture Editor Next, I decided to reach out to picture editor Julie Cohen ACE. I had the pleasure to work with Julie on two seasons of Hulu's new series Tell Me Lies. My experience with Julie is she's committed to excellence in her craft and has a strong understanding of the technical and creative process. First, I asked Julie how the mixes are usually completed for the rough cuts and how that works in her typical workflow. "In episodic, typically it's in the edit that the first mixing happens in the post process. I'm making sure all the elements are audible in a scene. It's my assistant editor who does most of the mix balancing, adds sound effects and other elements, which allows us to work efficiently. This team mix effort is a common workflow amongst editors. Also, sometimes we'll add voice filters or other tools to help match perspectives. And oftentimes I'm using iZotope on the production tracks to help quiet background noise and clean up the dialogue." It's also my experience that the wires offer better signal-to-noise performance when you're dealing with challenging environments such as a noisy or an overly reverberant environment. Speaking of signal-to-noise, one thing that we both feel is important is getting noise makers turned off on set, and it's something that we both work very hard trying to achieve. This is one of the reasons Stephen prefers to stay in close communication with post throughout principal photography. "I remember working on the show where there was a transformer on the stage buzzing, which the production I was surprised to hear that noise-reduction tools were common in the edit bay for Julie, but considering her delivery goals for a rough cut, it makes sense to me. It certainly speaks to the necessity for everyone involved in the production process to put more momentum toward improving set background noise for dialogue capture. Those who work as production mixers on the front lines understand that the logistics and politics involved are painstaking and often fruitless. In my experience, how quiet and acoustically Stephen Tibbo CAS Julie Cohen ACE