Multimedia
Blogs
Forum
Affordable HD
Whitepapers
Newsletters
Events
Advertisers
DCP Directory
MillimeterSound Advice
Sep 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Bill Miller
Audio professionals say the largest problem they face is a lack of communication.
Several months ago I was chastised for inadvertently omitting the sound department from one of my articles about shooting. In an effort to atone for my sins, I sought some sound advice from several good folks so that we as videographers can better assimilate them into the mix and achieve better sound on our video. Think about it: Very few people make silent pictures anymore.
To a person, all of these sound gurus told me the biggest problem they encounter is a lack of communication. Often, members of the sound department are the last to know what is going on, what the location is like, what sound problems exist, how many people need to be miked, where the camera angles are, or what the blocking is.
Charlie Collias, of Boston, told me that too often on small crews he has to watch the gear while the videographer checks out the location. This means the DP has to be a good listener and check for sound issues as well as scope out the visual aspects of a shot. Frog from Burbank, Calif. (that's the way he wanted to be identified), says he wants DPs to think of the job as a 50/50 partnership. “The sound mixer has to be attentive to the visual needs or compositions presented. DPs have to remember that what looks good may not always sound good.”
Sound guru Nick Kitinski, also of Burbank, says too many videographers light in such a way that it's impossible to get a boom microphone anywhere near the talent without creating a shadow. Then the videographer blames the boom for being in the shot when he makes a mistake. “Most sound people are too anal and complain more than trying to resolve problems in a good way,” Nick also says.
This brings up a universal problem: Many sound artists are seen as geeks. Sound man Dave Schaaf from Denver, Colo., sees it this way: “Sound mixers are often perceived as pests or even a hindrance to the [video's] progress. We don't like being put in this untenable position because it is humiliating and unnecessary. We don't like to be considered adversarial to the rest of the production, and we certainly don't want to be the ‘sound police.’”
Sound man James Mase, of Los Angeles, says sound guys often add to the perception that they're whiners. “No one wants to be around a whining, simpering sound geek. … It just feeds into the stereotype.” One way to resolve this problem is to learn how to communicate your concerns in a reasonable fashion. Again, from Frog in Burbank, “Know how to communicate your problems diplomatically, firmly, and knowledgeably.” We are in the communications business, after all.
Sound guru Fred Burnham, of Boston, says he doesn't like surprises, especially unannounced changes in focal length, blocking, or actions. “Then the sound department is not given enough time to make necessary changes,” he says. Another thing that irks Fred and other sound people is when the shooter announces in a booming voice, “waiting on sound,” after the sound folks have not been given enough time to wire the actor or find a suitable place to hide a microphone after these last-minute changes.
Trying to catch the attention of the videographer on the set is often impossible. Nick Kitinski suggests making friends with the gaffer, production manager, or even the associate producer. All of these folks can help solve sound issues. And remember, all of the other departments are working for what is seen and not what is heard. The sound department is often alone, isolated from the rest of the production. The videographer needs to remember that sound is an equal part of the video marriage, and kindness goes a long way in making that marriage work.
