Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542296
P H OT O : H U L U ORDER IN THE COURTS: A scene from "Reasonable Doubt." Colette Dahanne. 43 W I N T E R Q 4 I S S U E F E A T U R E duction. We have to set up all the vendors. We also plan out the dailies workflow with production so we're ready for the footage to come in. We join the production prep meetings and break down the script with all the department heads to know what will be needed from post and budget, accordingly. Once production begins and the crew starts shooting, the editors get going. We try to anticipate their needs by searching for stock [pre-recorded music licensed for media use] based on the script, but we're on standby to find other options or provide them with anything else they might need. Jen and Whitney are fantastic; they always sent the scripted needle drops to the edi- tors early, so that was one less element to chase down. Then there's everything else in terms of picture and sound finishing: online, color, visual effects, ADR, mix, etc. T h e r e a r e a l w a y s m u l t i p l e t h i n g s h a p p e n i n g s i m u l t a n e o u s l y b e t w e e n prep, production, and post. The calendar becomes my best friend; it's all about the deadlines and knowing exactly where you are in the process on each episode. To keep track of it, you really depend on your team; everybody has their own list of duties and helps keep the machine running. Robin Whittaker: Colette, I don't know if you'll remember this, but we both lived and worked in the UK at the same time. What are some of the workflow differences between the two countries? C o l e t t e D a h a n n e : W h e n I w a s i n London some 20 years ago, liquid lunches were popular. Joking aside, mixers in England back then seemed to be full-time employees of post-production houses. It was a bit of an adjustment to be freelance when I moved to the States. Also, here in the United States, the union really protects you, whereas in the U.K., it was pretty much nonexistent. Robin Whittaker: Go union! And Colette, how did you get into the business? Dahanne: Growing up, I always appreci- ated music and film. I studied film and TV in France, then I did a university exchange in London. My mom is English, so it was going back to my roots, too, in a way. Then, when I finished university, I felt like they didn't re- ally focus on sound in a practical way. It was all theoretical. So I did an audio engineering course in England. But it's funny: the course was all music, music mixing, music record- ing, and nothing to do with film. After that, I must have sent my resume to a hundred different places that had any- thing to do with sound. My first interview was at De Lane Lea Studios, a major film post-production house in Soho London. At the interview, I was given a tour of the studio, which was so amazing, as this was my f irst glimpse into this world. I was shown their Foley stage. They had so many