Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/711111
47 Q3 2016 / CINEMONTAGE to the sound department. We also have Aspera services for any production wanting to use it." "Everyone has his own workflow and the quality of the on-set production dialogue will determine which aspects take priority," Cloud stresses. "Sync is very important; maintaining sync is something the picture and sound teams strive for at all times, unless something is being cheated on purpose. When ADR sessions occur, it's the assistant's job to make sure all the materials are at the stage in a timely fashion, from picture and guide tracks to cue sheets and Exhibit Gs [production time reports]. If the ADR is happening in a separate location, the assistant sound editor should work with the picture assistants to get watermarks identifying the stages burned into the reels. If footage gets leaked, watermarks identify where the reels came from." Nanaumi will also check that the EDL matches the TV production audio. "This allows me to correctly build the assemblies with audio that matches sync to the picture reference," he says. "After building the audio assembly, I'm then able to make sure things like metadata and sync are correct. A report is generated that tells me what appears to have been assembled, and what has not. Common issues include metadata discrepancies, missing audio and file corruptions; I then go through and make any necessary fixes." He says he's very proud of the folder structure used on Sony's server. "It keeps our shows extremely organized," Nanaumi adds. "The structure follows the exact order of our workflow from top to bottom. It begins with the very start of the sound turnover materials — picture, guides, assembly, etc. — to editorial work-in-progress, and ends with the final elements ready to be loaded onto the dubbing stage for the final TV mix. To avoid any confusion on versions or formats, I'm adamant that every file coming out of the assistant's room follows a very specific naming convention. I also like editors to tag their initials at the end of their final session folders, so we know who cut the session. Little details like this have really helped keep the assistant's room moving forward and the department firing on all cylinders. "Sometimes the picture department requests sound effects prior to turning over the TV show to sound, so that they can use them in their Avid playback," he continues. "And they turn over individual scenes that may require effects, cutting and/or unique sound design throughout that is heavier than normal. Other early requests involve us taking a close look at a scene's dialogue quality. After these are cut and fixed, I then make sure they are exported in a way that the picture department can import them back into their Avids." One of a sound assistant's other duties is making sure that the sound editors have whatever DAW plug-ins they need, according to Cloud. "At Fox, this is often done with the help of the engineering staff by tracking which plug- ins are on which iLoks using iLok Manager," he explains. "I have to ask editors which are their favorites, as it seems to change almost yearly!" Nanaumi's dialogue and effects editors each have their own preference on the plug-ins they want to use. "Everyone has a different preference on what helps them — from cueing ADR to cleaning up dialogue tracks," he adds. Addressing the question of where they expect to be in their respective careers three years from now, both assistant sound editors remain highly optimistic. "I think assistants make for great supervising sound editors, because they're well versed in a wide spectrum of tasks involved with post sound," offers Cloud. "Playing to one's strengths and having the self-awareness to delegate seems to be a really efficient way to tell stories in an exciting and fun way; I just hope I continue to have those chances." "If I were to pick a couple of possibilities, they would be either re-recording mixing or cutting effects and dialogue," Nanaumi posits. "In a perfect world, I would love to keep assisting while also being able to cut the show. A part of me would always love to have a foot in the door of the assistant room." f "International production sound crews often organize their recordings very differently than we do here in the States, which makes it more difficult to cross over into our Pro Tools environment." – Kevin N. Nanaumi