Audio "Post"

Trends in Audio

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:54:00 +0000

Yesterday I came across a report by the AES Technical Council discussing the Technology Trends in Audio Engineering. By the way, for those of you who aren’t familiar with AES, it stands for Audio Engineering Society. The technical council tried to define standards for different audio uses and is made up of numerous committees specializing in these divisions. I advise anyone who is interested in audio to keep up with AES and check out their website. It has a lot of valuable information on the industry and gives you a chance to connect with an abundance of creative audio professionals. If you’re in the area when they’re hosting one, their conventions are one of the biggest in the industry to attend, which could prove to be a great way to network.

Anyway, what I like about this report is that not only do they talk about technological advancements, but they also break it down by the committee divisions I wrote of above. Perhaps one of the more relative divisions to audio post-production is Spatial Audio. The report speaks about how the trend was to go from 5.1 surround sound to 7.1. The loudspeaker layout didn’t catch on as planned, but the Society projects 3-D layouts, including height speakers, in the future. They’re currently working on 9.1, 10.2, and 22.2 layouts.

Another trend is spatial audio techniques since the rise of 3-D films. The Society claims there haven’t been much advancement in this area, but see more of a focus coming in the future. For average home listeners, and more basic theaters, stereophonic sound is still prevalent. The next step is creating special audio for these mediums to keep up with the visual depth of the 3-D effects.

As I near graduation from an Entertainment Business Master’s program with a recording background, I feel prepared to excel in this area. I have had the opportunity to work on a few post production projects that allowed me to learn about spatial audio and surround sound mixing. I think that being a recent graduate shows I’m willing to learn more about the process. I hope that 3-D loudspeaker layouts do catch on. I would be very interested to experience it in a theater. I wonder if it would ever progress to a point where we would have smaller speakers in a dome-like setup in theaters. Imagine the hair drying domes with the holes in it at salons, where every hole would be like a speaker placement. It could be quite the audio adventure!

The Motion Picture Sound Editing Process

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 05:15:00 +0000

Although I am fully pleased with the information I have discovered throughout the year, and that I have shared it with you throughout the process, I realized I have strayed a bit from the true topic of audio post-production. While doing some research on the subject, I came across the website for Motion Picture Sound Editors, or MPSE, as you will often see credited at the end of an editor’s name in a film. What I like about this particular website is that it isn’t written by people interested in the field, or just a random author, but it is written by motion picture sound editors Bruce Nazarian and Scott Haller.

The editors broke down the audio post responsibilities as “production dialogue editing, ADR, sound effects design / editing, foley mixing / editing, music composition and editing, and mixing.” For those of you interested in learning about any of these, the editors go on to fully describe each of these processes. As I have stated in previous posts, my interest is mainly in music editing. This is the person in charge of designating when, in the film, music is played, which songs or compositions, and which parts of those selections are used for the set amount of time.

Although I have studied quite a bit about the general process of audio post-production, Nazarian and Haller offered numerous tips I haven’t heard of during the making of the film. For one, they suggest, before anything, to hire a high-quality production dialogue mixer so most of the dialogue work will be close to, if not already, finished, leaving little to no editing to be done. This sounds like fantastic timesaving advice. Another thing they wrote about is the term “locked cut.” A locked cut is basically the ending film product. It’s not until the locked cut is made that the audio post crew can spot for ADR, sound effects, foley, and design.

The MPSE site goes on to describe numerous other helpful terms and processes of audio post production. If you are really interested, there is an entire Education tab where you can learn all kinds of things, as well as read interviews from award-winning editors.

Adapting Pro Business Plan Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:26:00 +0000

After learning more about business plan writers, Sumnar Douglas, Karlee Patton, and Christie Karis from my last post a few weeks ago, I started thinking about how I could incorporate what they see as strong points in a business plan into my own. Karis is very big on making sure the business plan meets the interests of the intended viewer. As of right now, I am just simply organizing each section of my plan individually so I have the overall work finished. However, once I choose my intended viewers, I will reorganize the structure to make sure the overall look is of simplicity and interest to the audience, mine most likely being for bank loans and investments to cover start up costs and technology upgrades.

Something the VC Plans group, Douglas and Patton, focus on is incorporating social media into their plans. I truly believe that social media has taken on such an impact on today’s society that it’s not only seen as a “friend-finder,” but can be seen as a networking device. Social media has progressed into this medium for professionals to network with each other and also is a way of marketing. In my case, I will use social media to market myself into the industry. By keeping up a blog site, I can show industry professionals that not only do I keep myself updated with current things in the industry, but I also like to interact and encourage communication from readers. Having my own site and possibly a social media site like Facebook or MySpace and allow me to share samples of my work for potential employers to listen to or view.

One more thing I really liked about the VC Plans pair was their view on simple cleanliness and clarity. I have always been a huge fan of keeping things very simple and to the point. A clean look of a plan makes a reader less confused and more willing to read further. Avoiding jargon and simply stating the point and what they would be interested in is the quickest way to tell them what the want to know and not waste their time while still getting your message across. For these reasons, I plan on utilizing that tactic in my own business plan development.

As a sole proprietor, I intend on pushing my business plan toward bank investors for loans. These people are most likely interested in the financials and how well the returns will be, as well as how fast they will see that happen. This will also tie in with competition and market in the area. If there is high competition, they could shy away from investing in a large market. If the area is really good, they may be more willing to invest in my business. If I get all the facts and statistics properly prepared and place them toward the beginning of my plan, the structure should work well and benefit the bankers.

Creating a Business Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:04:00 +0000

This month I have started a focus on business plans. In my case, I am looking more at a focus on small businesses even though I have no interest in actually starting or owning a business. However, this is the closest thing I could find to being relevant to a sole proprietor. In my research I found two professionals that write business plans and read about what their views and missions are for their work.

Christie Karis, a business plan writer based in Washington, specializes in writing up plans for small businesses. Her site boasts 30 years experience of working with clients like coffee shops and marketing consultants to professional services and venues for special events. What I really like about her is that she “develops business plans that are market specific” and “assures that your market intelligence, communication strategies, and financial performance are fully developed, integrated, and projected with clarity.” Just like with legal papers, if there is jargon or other words they don’t understand, you will lose their interest and possibly risk insulting the individual’s intelligence. Clarity is extremely important in these matters.

I really think that it is important to focus on who will be reading your plan and form it around their interests. As Karis avoids, you do not want to write a plan that is extremely template-based and is obvious you simply plugged in some key words like your name and a few numbers, etc. You really have to research not only the industry, but also the individual you’re aiming the plan toward. If you know they’re more financially driven, you probably want to feature these number sections toward the beginning and bullet point your successes to make them stand out and ensure they’re not passed over.

Another business plan writer I found is actually a business called VC Plans. They offer services for investor plans, startup plans, bank plans, and even presentations. The company consists of Sumner Douglas and Karlee Patton. According to their site, Douglas “has worked with Zions Bank, University Venture Funds, and recently has been the lead consultant for high-profile clients.” He has a “professional background as a CEO, international investor, analyst, and venture capital associate.” Patton has a background of journalism that she has applied to business planning through a business consulting company. She “specializes in business plan writing, market research, marketing strategy, and design.”

Something I really liked about their site is that they applied social media into their services through a blog site so that potential, and current, clients can get a better feel for whom they are and if they believe they would be a good fit. Another is the option for site visitors to visually see what their plans generally look like through an interactive, click-through model. They have strong views on creating quality plans by the deadlines agreed upon. VC Plans believes that a clear image and concept to avoid confusion is important to get across to the reader. For that reason, they use comprehensible communication throughout their designed plans for which they also provide the market research necessary to execute it properly. According to their site, “[VC Plans] business plans communicate the concept to potential investors by providing market statistics, concept illustrations, management qualifications, profitability forecasts, and multiple scenario analyses including milestone trees.”

If you are looking to make your own business plan without paying for the services, you want to make sure you include the staple of a business plan. As mapped out by Entrepreneur, the business plan should include an Executive Summary, Business Description, Market Strategies, Competitive Analysis, Design and Development Plan, Operations and Management Plans, and Financial Components.

Investors mainly want to know the financials, your executive summary, and the market strategies you have. If you can’t get them to read past the executive summary, there’s a good chance they’re not interested. Other than that, they want to know that there is a market out there looking for your service or product that are willing to pay for it, and know that your business can survive. Finally, they’re going to look at how much you want from them, your history of financials, and where your money will be spent as well as where you predict your profit will be coming from and how much. No one wants to put money into a business that no one is looking for and/or has a horrible financial background or plan. This is what makes these sections extremely key in your plan and why you should put a lot of work and research into perfecting these.

Marketing Tools for Creative Freelancers

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:55:00 +0000

This week I came across a short article entitled, “10 Useful Marketing Tools for Freelancers.” I thought this had a lot of interesting and helpful ideas for those of you out there, like myself, that are freelancers trying to get their name out there. What I really enjoy about this article is that it still allows you to be completely creative while making sure you are covering the self-marketing essentials. This is great since we’re in a creative industry and need more chances to show what we can do and stand out to potential clients and/or employers.

A big part of this article focuses on social media. While a lot of people may consider this more on the casual, unprofessional side, it is a reality that this type of media is a very strong influencer on people’s lives. That being said, with the abundance of sites out there like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging sites, etc., Vuong mentions ping.fm as a free and simple way to update everything at once. It is a fantastic feature for those of you on the go.

LinkedIn is one of my personal favorites that she mentioned. It’s similar in connections to Facebook in the way you befriend people. Instead of it being a very casual scene where people post pictures to comment on and write about their everyday lives, LinkedIn is more on the professional networking side of things. Something I really like about it is the ability to join groups that professionals or even people trying to make it and share their creativity with others are in. It allows you to share messages, make plans on new projects, and build relationships with potential clients and employers. You can also link your page to your more casual networking sites, blogs, post your resume, and even have references from LinkedIn write wonderful comments about you on your page, suggesting your work to others.

On a more technical and marketing research point of view, there are sites like SEOMoz Tools and Google Analytics. SEOMoz Tools is something new to me. Vuong describes it as a site that allows you to, “stay on top of your SEO with free tools that allow you to determine the strength of a website, whether or not pages are being indexed on the big search engines, and analyzing how targeted a page may be for specific keywords.” This is a good, free way to find out if keywords you place in your site are really helpful in bringing in relative visitors. You want to have relevant words to your industry and business throughout your site to ensure that your site pops up as one of the top results when people search those keywords. Google Analytics is extremely helpful in finding out who your visitors are, where they’re coming from, and even how long they stay on your site! Knowing this information is extremely important in finding out who your demographic is, if it is reaching the right people, and maybe where your flaws are. Perhaps you want people to stay longer, or you only get repeat visitors and not as many new ones. This will help you reformat your marketing plan and see what is really working.

Best of luck on getting your names out there! Make sure to utilize the sites Vuong suggests. Each one is helpful in a different way and can only benefit your publicity. Do your research and learn throughout your experience how you can mold your tactics to get the ultimate marketing plan, or even learn from competitors. Some of these sites and tools allow you to do that, which is a huge opportunity some people overlook and a chance for you to be a step ahead.

Digital Marketing in the Entertainment Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:04:00 +0000

For freelancers especially, digital marketing can be a key point in getting your name out there and helping your image. A lot of people, however, overlook the importance of it and miss out on a lot of opportunities. In an industry where impressions play such a huge role in ones career, it’s important that not only can people easily find you and that you are accessible, but that your online image stands out in a positive and professional way.

Bigger companies and more well-known people will always be one of the first results that show up if someone is Google-ing your service. If you’re a freelancer, this is why you should make sure you know how to get your name at the top of the searches, or at least find someone who knows how to do that for you. People rarely search beyond the first 2 pages. If your name is on one of those, imagine how that would positively affect your career!

For you computer savvy kids out there, put your site into Google Analytics, as was advised to me, as well as Google Webmasters. These sites will allow you to see who your audience is and what they were searching for when they found you. That way you know what words to use on your site to increase traffic and get your name to the top of the search list.

Retrieved from http://www.amentertainment.com/images/logo_long_w.png

For the not so computer savvy, I found a company, A&M Entertainment, that specializes in doing this for you if you are willing to pay for their services. They have a vast history working with many big names in the industry, including Grammy Award winners. You absolutely can’t go wrong with a successful company that does all the digital marketing for you. They cover social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, will work on paid advertising and marketing, mobile apps, help you blog, and even keep your site up to date (which is extremely important in order not to lose your clients).

Best of luck in your digital marketing! Remember to use words throughout your site that you believe would be words your potential clients would search for to find you. The more matches, the more your site comes up in searches, the more traffic to your site, and more business!

"40 Years of Sound for Film" Overview

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:32:00 +0000

In the excitement of the Academy Awards, I stumbled upon an event they decided to host this year. The Academy’s Science and Technology Council hosted “40 Years of Sound for Film” March 6^th. Luckily, Oscars.org archived the event hosted by sound mixers, Tom Fleischman and Chris Newman. You may have heard Fleischman’s work in films like this year’s Oscar-winning film, Hugo, Marley & Me, Goodfellas, and The Departed. Newman is known for his audio work on film greats like The Godfather, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Exorcist.

The two professionals offer some great advice as they walk you through the process of how audio is made, chosen, and put into films. They call the initial sound recordings the foundation for the rest of the audio. Newman says, “It starts with me getting crew and my myself to decide where to put the microphones, what’s going to work best, what’s going to work best for the particular director, particular actor, particular location.” A lot of people don’t consider all the factors necessary to get a specific sound right for a certain shot or film. Sometimes you may feel it would make most sense for a sound to be a particular way, but the director wants it to be completely different. At that point you may have to sacrifice your creative input for the sake of direction.

Fleischman touches on more of the music editing side of things when he says, “The editors take that track and they add other elements to it. They add other sound effects to bring realism, music is composed and brought in…that’s an emotional connection.” I think a lot of average audience members would be surprised to learn all the different aspects there are to a film’s soundtrack. It’s very important that the music editors create a realistic sound while grabbing at their emotions to draw them in. I feel if they’re doing it right, the audience wouldn’t realize it, but rather it’s when they become aware that they’re sitting in a theater or on their couch and think, “was that right?” that something probably went wrong in the process. Newman says “I try to deconstruct the sound elements in the space that we’re shooting…and the sound editors and Tommy reconstruct in a balance that is favorable for both a director and the audience, and for the story.”

The two men go on to speak about analog vs. digital, technology advancements, as well as discuss the audio work on their films. For example, Newman speaks of the problems he encountered doing audio for The Godfather, and how he overcame them. The overall discussion is something truly inspiring and educational that I advise any audio professional and hopeful to observe, especially if you’re interested in doing work in the film industry.

Tormey's Legal Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:32:00 +0000

This week I had the pleasure of speaking to entertainment attorney, John J. Tormey, III in New York. Tormey specializes in intellectual property, copyright and trademark, liabilities within the music, film, and television industries. He not only makes sure these liabilities are avoided for his clients, but also offers them legal advice if they are searching for professional services in their line of work.

Tormey was very knowledgeable about the industries and his craft. He was able to go into detail with me on all the things you would have to consider clearing to make a film. For example, not only would you have to clear the proper licenses for the songs used in the films, but, more on the film end of things, you would also have to consider the story’s characters. If you have a character that is too similar to someone’s likeness, you could end up liable and owing the inflicted person a lot of money. He suggested paying the person off instead of taking it to court, if possible. He claims in most cases, this would be less expensive and less time consuming.

Another thing he suggests you take into consideration it your workers. If you are in the position of a music editor or supervisor, or really any role that allows you to be in charge of a group of people, it is advisable to take deep consideration over their contracts. He believes you really want to keep your workers happy. If, for any reason, they become displeased and decide to leave, you have an enemy out in the world ready to ruin your image. This is why it is ultimately important to look over the contract and make sure everyone is pleased in the relationship.

Overall, Tormey was very informative, but could not spend a lot of time talking. I have, however, checked out his website that offers several articles he has posted that provide a great deal of information for different areas of interest in the entertainment industries. If you are interested in the legal side of things, I suggest you check out this website and read up on his experiences and examples at tormey.org.

Industry Liabilities

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:51:00 +0000

My focus this month is returning back to entertainment law pertaining to music editing. After reading about different ways to protect your intellectual property to ensure your creations aren’t stolen, I found some articles online that show what could go wrong that I’d like to share with you.

The first is about a small firm that met the reality of trying to confront the big names in the business. “Sounding Off: Tiny Firm Accuses Disney, Warner, Other Studios of Patent Infringement on Film Soundtracks,” by Apodaca tells of Drexler Technology, Corp. and how they believed two patents of theirs were being infringed upon by “Disney, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20^th Century-Fox Film Corp., Paramount Pictures Corp. and Savy Pictures Entertainment Inc.” These patents were for digital sound technology and data storage. As is turns out, the infringement happens to be the widely used, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) technology. In the end, a few companies offered to get the patent rights from them, but were declined. They also did not pursue any further after being ignored due to lack of funds.

It is my opinion that I believe this happens every day. We’re told to protect our creations and do the right thing, but still get taken advantage of by the big guys and “the system.” It’s not unlike such big companies to find the newest technology in order to beat the competition, so I do believe Dexler’s patents were infringed upon. The fact they ignored him also says something. Maybe they feel such a lawsuit wasn’t worth the time and negative image of fighting the little guys, but the fact that almost all of them neglected to talk about it says they’re probably guilty. That’s not to say it isn’t worth it to get your things protected properly because you never know whom you’ll be up against, but I wouldn’t give up if you were in this situation.

The second article I found was “Lionsgate Sued Over Music Used in LeBron James Documentary,” by Gardner. A little like the previous article, this is about Mason Hall’s original composition for his school that was put into a documentary without his permission. The problem here is proving the song actually was his and not originally by YaBoy, whose rendition is in the film. If you’d like to make the comparison for yourself, the article has links to videos with the songs in them.

After listening to the songs myself, I have to say I think Hall is just looking for some money. I’m surprised he would go after infringement for a song he created using the famous chorus melody from Steam’s, “Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)”. They’re clearly different aside from the sports theme, rap genre, and the words, “we ready.” In conclusion…I guess I give Hall credit for trying, and it’s always doable if you actually believe your song was infringed upon, but be realistic. In this case, copyrighting your work would also have helped give that extra proof in trying to show the judge he had the song first.

Lastly, an article entitled, “EA Sued Over Soundtrack Infringement,” by Jackson mentions a song that was believed to have been placed in a video game without permission from the owner. Gerald Willis wrote a fight song for his school teams that went on to be placed in several NCAA video games by EA. Upon realizing this, he is now faced with going against a big company in order to get his asked $150,000 per infringement. If he gets ahold of them,

I believe if Willis can prove he is the original composer of the song like her states, and that EA never asked for permission, I think his odds of winning his cases are extremely high. Whether or not he’ll get his asking price is beyond me, but it’s a pretty good debate. Should the song be covered under copyright, it will definitely help his case. A possible videotaping of a game for the team he wrote the song for showing that his song was (and is) played at the sporting events since that certain date would also help.

Artist and Product Management Skills for the Sound Supervisor

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:32:00 +0000

In continuing my findings on how audio post for film and television uses some skill sets one would use in product or artist management, the position of sound supervisor popped in my head immediately. Admittedly, I haven’t wrote about this position in a while as my fascination with music editing grew, but I assure you many of the same skills can transfer to music editing and other audio post jobs just as well. Although through my studies, the main artist in question regarding artist management is usually a recording singer or actor or some sort, I believe anyone creative is considered an artist. In the case of audio post, think of the composers, the field recorders out there recording crickets, or the sound designers blending bears with wolves and lions to create a new animal.

In any career involving getting creative individuals together to work on one piece of collaborative work (like a film), there are bound to be differences in ideas and possibly conflicts within the team. Someone in the position of, say, a Sound Supervisor is in charge of keeping all these people moving forward, keeping them inspired and working hard, while keeping the director happy. The ultimate goal is to have a fantastic product everyone is pleased with.

I found one article online concerning the tasks of the Sound Supervisor that I suggest you take a look at from Skill Set. This is probably one of the best job descriptions I’ve seen of this career. Along with the technical audio skills of an engineer, this individual, according to the website, is in charge of “planning meetings to ascertain sound requirements, specifying crew levels and equipment, planning post production and dubbing, occasionally choosing locations, explaining and solving potential problems, overseeing all the Sound personnel works,” and more. All of these tasks remind me much of what an artist manager would have to consider when in charge of, for example, a singer’s career. That manager makes the artist look and sound great through a series of planning, employing, overseeing, problem solving, and knowing the field. Their end “product” is the artist that appears so effortlessly cool while that manager is backstage running around frantically on phone calls or keeping an eye on the crew to make sure it’s all running smoothly…much like a Sound Supervisor would do to ensure their product of a great-sounding soundtrack is up to par with the director’s and audience’s expectations.

Farther than overseeing the audio crew, the Sound Supervisor is in charge of this soundtrack that has so many different layers to it that many people don’t think of. There’s music, sound effects, foley, source music and futz, along with the voices and overdubs. Although we’ve come a long way, this person’s job is no doubt stressful, but extremely fun for the creative audio person. I also found this video of Matthew Wood speaking about his role as a Sound Supervisor and Voice Actor for leading post company, Skywalker Sound. Along with some fantastic advise for the audio post hopefuls out there, he takes some time to talk about how the technology has changed throughout the years, as well as music editing and sound design. Check it out!

How Artist Management Skills Aid Music Editors' Products

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:16:00 +0000

This month I'm studying more about artist and product management. A music editor may have to work with artists and composers if they're working on films, but not in a managerial position. While I can pull some information from certain aspects of artist management to improve my communication and workflow when dealing with these types of people to make sure we collaborate and create something that sounds amazing, it's the end product I would be worried with. Of course there are manager characteristics a music editor would have to have to have some control over the sound department.

One of the books I'm currently reading is called, "This Business of Artist Management," by Xavier M. Frascogna, Jr. and H. Lee Hetherington. While the main focus is on artist management from both perspectives, they mention some great points I can use toward a music editing position. For example, they state artist managers are planners. I agree with this completely. The position calls for a creative mind to make sure the audio in the film is not only believable and realistic, but also draws the viewer and listener in and evoke emotion. Under strict deadlines and budgets, it's an absolute must that someone in the position be, not only a great planner, but a proactive problem solver. When someone puts you in charge of song selection and placement, as well as having input on an original motion picture soundtrack, things can get really crazy really fast. If you're unorganized and don't plan for potential problems, you'll be in big trouble.

The authors of the book wrote, "they are also catalysts that make things happen; movers, motivators, and communicators who work with record companies, producers, agents, promoters, publicists, and anyone else with a stake in the artist's career. The objective is simple: To make sure everyone pulls together with effectiveness and enthusiasm to make the artist shine," (pg. 13). I take this as a fantastic interpretation of my prospective career. If you were to view the term "artist's career" as a current "film project" you were working on under certain direction, it could still be taken the same way. You want to make sure the "artist," or "film project" stands out amongst the others once released, while also pleasing the directors and producers in charge. To do that, you'll need to be all those things they claim managers are to make sure your sound section is, well…sound. I will write again when I have some more information and ways of conveying how a music editor's work takes "artist management" skills to make sure their product succeeds.

Becky Howard's Emotional Negotiations

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:09:00 +0000

This week I had the opportunity of interviewing a professional in the entertainment industry, Becky Howard. She is an agent and manager working with numerous actors and recording artists. With 15 years under her belt, she’s managed to move up from being an intern at a recording studio. Due to confidentiality and legal contracts, the names of her clients can’t be divulged, unfortunately. I spoke with her this week about how she deals with negative emotions that come up while negotiating. Unfortunately for this blog post, this successful woman is a busy woman and was called away after only a few questions and casual conversation.

How do you deal with negative emotions whilst negotiating?

“Well, I start by getting to know the other person. I really try to find out whom they are outside of work because that will tell me more about how they react and why. When it comes to emotions, I don’t necessarily show them up, but I do explain to the other person how I feel so that they also understand where I’m coming from.”

How long would you say it typically takes for you to get a good gist of the person and how they may react to certain things that are said?

“I’m a big people person. I take about 5 to 10 minutes just to talk to the person before we actually get into the negotiation. If it takes more than 10 minutes, fine, but I usually take the time to remind the other person that we are in a comfortable setting so that they feel more at ease.

What do you do when you suddenly strike a nerve in the person that you didn’t foresee happening?

“I just continue to listen to what they have to say and find out why they feel that way. If you allow them to vent out, and are able not to take things personally, you get to see what’s really making them feel that way. Maybe it’s an outside thing that leaking in to your negotiation that is completely irrelevant. Whatever it is, you just steer it back in the direction that’s suited for the negotiation and try to stay away from that nerve. If that nerve is related, I suggest you pick out the core words and figure out what they’re truly unhappy with. That allows you to focus on the problem.”

I hope even this short Q&A ahs proven insightful for those of you out there that are planning on entering, or already are in, a position that requires frequent negotiation. Hopefully I get that chance to talk to her again when she’s less busy! I’ll make sure to update it here to fill you in if I do. Thank you for reading!

Investing in Music

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:48:00 +0000

I came across a blog post through CNN Money this week by investor, Brad Svrluga entitled, "Investing in the music business, where 'you can't make money'." Svrluga writes about investing opportunities and analyses which to pass on and which to take up. In this particular blog post, he writes about why he thinks the music industry is one that shouldn't be ignored when considering which opportunities to put your money into.

Most people are aware of the music industry's reputation for being a rather risky one with many outside, and inside, factors constantly changing it. Consider technology. With more and more advances, the consumer's music medium changes. We've seen cylinders, records, tape, digital CDs, and audio file downloads. Along with that, genres change, artists are more eclectic, and we see things like the controversial auto-tune. With each new idea, change, "advancement", etc. we are constantly thinking, "Will this last? Will this be the new norm?"

Any businessperson can tell you taking risks is a good thing. Obviously, you want to know as much as possibly to make a sound decision. With something like technology and the music industry, it changes all the time. Because investors aren't too fond of throwing their money out to random opportunities in the hopes that one will be successful (and frankly, who is?), they often pass up the music industry as an option.

Svrluga noted a well-known business mogul stating, "as Warren Buffett famously said, 'the time to get interested is when no one else is. You can't buy what's popular and do well'." I couldn't agree with that statement more, and I'm glad Svrluga recognized someone so powerful in business. If everybody is trying to get a piece of one thing, everyone will be hurt financially. By going against the grain and choosing the music industry as an industry that takes good risks and does well, he claims it has done well for him. "I look for investment opportunities that run counter to conventional wisdom. I pay attention when I see a music opportunity. Knowing that, fortunately for me, it's unlikely that many of my peers in the business will also pay attention," Svrluga wrote. You should take his words of wisdom if you're interested in taking on such investments.

So while some people see certain factors changing the music industry possibly for the worse, they've never failed in my eyes. Music will always be there, just like most of the entertainment industry, and shouldn't be overlooked from investors. Yes, some music companies are declining due to digital download thieveries and related unfortunate happenings, but there are always ways to make those lemons into lemonade. Investors should take advantage of the opportunity to earn from the opportunity, as well as help out those companies that may be looking for extra support.

If you'd like to read more of Brad Svrluga's posts, you can do so through his site, "Can I Buy A Vowel?" or follow his twitter account, @bradsvrluga. Happy music investing!

Business Thoughts for Creative Minds

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 23:10:00 +0000

Focusing on the financial aspects of the entertainment business this month, I found an article that proves very helpful for anyone considering starting their own creative business. Personally, I plan on being a freelance service provider, so Bob Koch's, "The Business of Creative Services" had valuable information for me to keep in mind.

Koch mentioned sales as being one of the more important aspects of entrepreneurship. I've told many people before, as well as wrote in this blog, about the differences and sometimes complications of people in the entertainment business that are strictly of creative skill, and those that are strictly of technical skill. It's not often mentioned in trade publications the business-minded individual. You want to sell your service to as many people as you can, which may be more difficult if you're your own business and trying to beat the well-established, go-to guys out in the business. I cannot emphasize the importance of networking enough in the entertainment industry. Koch suggests you, "evaluate the client roster on a regular basis. Provide attention to solid clients both in production as wells between project. And consider parting ways with high maintenance, low-margin clients." Once you get yourself out there, it's just as important to maintain contact with these people in your industry so they don't forget about you. To make sure you're not being taken advantage of, cutting that high-maintenance, low-margin client will only benefit your profits…and your stress level.

Aside from networking, the next best thing to get your name out is an advertisement marketed toward your desired audience in your field. If you do this in something completely irrelevant like "Toaster Enthusiast Magazine," or even something too general in your field and expect great results, you will be disappointed. Place an ad, hire publicists, attend conferences, and reach out introducing your specific service and niche you cover. Tell people what sets you apart from the rest and why you're the best on out there. Marty Neumeier suggests in his book, "The Brand Gap," to convey 3 meaningful answers to 3 important questions, "who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter?" (p. 31) to your prospective client. The link I've provided goes to a summarized slideshow of the book. Just make sure you're operating smoothly and living up to your word. If your clients are happy, they'll spread the word and be another form of marketing for you within the industry.

Finally, you will want to be very organized and plan appropriately. Even daily functions running smoothly will better your business. The sloppier you get, the more likely your business will crumble. Imagine losing contacts or important financial documents or deliverables for your client! Unacceptable. What will also help you is planning financially. Make sure you know how much you need to make in order to pay your bills on time. Koch says, "accounts receivable is a problem for many small firms. By developing a rapport with a key financial person on the client side you can find you can get paid sooner." That is fantastic advice for those creating a business. Starting a good relationship earlier in the process will benefit you greatly in the end.

You'll obviously want to do better than just breaking even, so if you're making more, I suggest you invest a good percentage back into your business instead of your pocket. Being in the entertainment industry, technology changes and improves every day and you'll want to make sure your equipment is up to date. Don't get ahead of yourself and buy every new item, though. Research and make sure your purchases are wise and beneficial.

I wish the best of luck to those of you thinking about creating your own creative business. I can only hope you take Bob Koch's advice and possibly read "The Brand Gap," as it will only help you learn about how to properly market your brand, being your business.

Julian Treasure's Study on How Sound Affects Us

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:58:00 +0000

Something interesting I came across this week was a TED speech given by Julian Treasure entitled, "The 4 Ways Sound Affects Us." Currently studying business storytelling and brands, I was greatly surprised to find this talk that truly tied in my interest of music with business branding. Julian makes an effort to describe to the audience how any sound affects us and how branders should use that information if they're making a commercial tone.

Julian Treasure has studied the different ways we hear and comprehend music and has broken it down into 4 major parts. By providing auditory examples throughout his speech, he explains how you hear the music and respond to it either physiologically, psychologically, cognitively, and behaviorally. By studying these responses, marketers and brand builders can use this information to work backward if they plan to make a commercial tone for their business. Treasure used the example of the Nokia tone. Almost everybody knows that tone and immediately thinks of Nokia. This company has done a superb job in building that association in the minds of the people. Branders should think backwards and ask themselves, "what emotion do we want to evoke in the consumer's mind?" Doing this will end in a, hopefully, successful tone. Pretty soon, as soon as someone hears that tone, they'll think of your business! This is great for broadcast ads and internet marketing.

I've stated a few times within my blog and in many discussions where I've had to describe the duties of music editors and supervisors, as well as my passion for music, how much music means to everybody and in so many different genres. It's amazing to me how many different emotions music can evoke and in how many ways. Music is tied to memories and experiences, as well. This is why you can sometimes offend someone by saying, "You actually LIKE that song?!" …and why I refrain from doing so. As a music lover, I always keep an open ear out and respect all forms of music. Different things mean great things to different people, it's a very personal experience to listen as we interpret things differently.

It is a music editor and supervisor's responsibility to properly select the right music or sound effect to evoke a certain emotion at the right time. Maybe you're looking for a build up in suspense. In that case, you need to place the music before the impact scene. Maybe a couple reunites for the first time after years of the husband being at war and an orchestra enters just upon meeting up. The right choice of song and style means everything to a scene, even subconsciously. Julian spoke about how waves and bird chirping are seen as calming sounds. These are things you don't even think about when watching a film, but the music editor and supervisors consciously think about all the time to make you feel something and make the scene believable.

Treasure's speech has done nothing but aid my understanding of how sound can affect people. This information will prove nothing but beneficial as I continue in my audio post-production career. I plan to share his speech with others in hopes they, too will learn about how everybody responds to all different kinds of sounds. I highly recommend you watch his TED speech. Even if you're not going into the post field or anything entertainment-based, I bet you'll find what he has to say informative, relatable, and interesting.

The RIAA's Effect on Film Music

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:52:00 +0000

The Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA for short, is probably the most popular association amongst the audio industry. Even those entering the audio post field for TV/Film are often members and keep in touch with other leaders in their audio fields to collaborate, network, promote, or even meet up at events and conferences around the country. It's a fantastic way for these professionals, and even students, to share their ideas and keep up with current happenings through long distances or short. Mostly, however, the members are labels and songwriters or composers who are marketing and distributing their works and want to do it legally in order to obtain royalties instead of being ripped off by piracy. That's right, downloaders and rippers...you're not hurting the "rich artist" in most cases, it's the behind-the-scenes guy (or gal) who is trying to get the royalties earned for their creative genius! Show them you appreciate the amazing, aural masterpiece gracing your eardrums by pitching in that few 99 cents.

Music supervisors in films have to pay great detail to licensing and rights. As I previously mentioned in my past blog, The Music Supervisor, a huge part of their job is clearing the rights and budgeting. A lot of times, especially when working on a tight budget, a requested song may cost too much to clear the rights for to use in their film. When this happens, you have to substitute it for another, cheaper song in hopes it will still serve the purpose and suit the scene appropriately. If you don't clear these and pay for the rights, you could be sued for copyright infringement. Even those scenes where an actor is singing karaoke needs a certain type of sync license.

Under the News tab on the RIAA site, there is a section called, "Music Notes Blog." This blog is the RIAA's way of keeping members and site visitors up to date on recording industry happenings. This is also a good place for music editors, as well as supervisors, to read regularly. Some information gives you news on who was recently hired to what business, which is important in networking. Other information may be about new music trends, which is extremely important in the roles of these particular career-holders' tasks. Knowing what the latest trends are in music affect composition for original scores, and music selections for appealing to certain age groups in the current times.

The RIAA hosts a great site for members to market and legally protect their works. Networking with others and standing together, they fight to gain deserved royalties. The audio post-production industry constantly pays attention to this to ensure they stay out of a lawsuit and the writer gets paid. If you'd like to learn more about the RIAA, they attend a lot of audio conferences and events, but they're often costly to attend and/or require membership. Do click on their site, though. You may learn a lot about how copyright infringement truly affects the owner of the work.

Richard Glasser's Take on Direction, Revenue, & Budgeting

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:13:00 +0000

I stumbled upon an interview online this week through Indie Supervisor. For those interested in the career of a Music Supervisor, I advise you to check it out. It's written and created by Music Supervisors, provides interviews and blogs, and even allows you to ask the professionals questions about the business or about music licensing.

This interview was with Richard Glasser and his experiences as a Music Supervisor and Music Executive on several films & television. His past work has included movies such as The King's Speech, Our Idiot Brother, The Illusionist, and The JFK Conspiracy. He is also a past motown recording artist, and a current composer and songwriter on the side. He has accomplished a lot in his career and has worked on some well-noted films. He currently works for The Weinstein Company located in New York City.

Glasser spoke about the direction The Weinstein Company, TWC, is taking. He mentioned they were currently working on a music library for their movies and he was personally creating a organizing everything systematically. This way, it becomes easier for their workers to navigate through their files.

Glasser also looked at this new library of old material as a way to easily license it out to other companies either as individual songs and files or in library groups. This is a fantastic way he is bringing revenue into the company he just joined. In turn, Glasser has shown his company he's a capable leader that can bring them to new successes.

Some overlook the impact it has in a film. Try imagining Pirates of the Caribbean without their signature score, or how scary a horror film would really be if there were no tension build up from the background music, or even if it were to be playing the newest bubblegum pop hit on the radio in the scariest parts. Not only would the audience not feel immersed in the scene, but in the case of the horror films, the scenes wouldn't be taken seriously and lose the production company money. A good point he made was about the importance and role of music. Glasser mentioned how even reality TV shows like "American Idol" gain even iTunes and YouTube money with downloads and hits, so everyone benefits. These productions should be taken more seriously in the music industry as it brings in revenue for different media outlets.

Budgeting was a topic he spoke about out in the interview. He suggests that if you're working with a low budget as a music supervisor, you have to know where you can make cuts that won't hurt the overall projects. Although, you should not give up on aiming for a better budget, but to be ready and willing to negotiate.

For those aspiring Music Supervisors or Music Executive reading this, Richard Glasser was kind enough to share some advice on starting out in the business. If you haven't heard it enough already, he urges the importance of networking. He suggests you go out to conferences and film festivals to find up and coming directors and producers. Tell these people what you do, offer your services, and in the chance they become a big name, they'll more than likely take you with them to the top. If not, then it's just added experience and achievements for you.

In closing, if you're interested in this career, Richard Glasser is a great leader to learn from. He's been in the business for a while and is more than willing to help people out. My recommendation would be to follow his career and to possibly attend a conference he speaks at if you have the chance. You can learn a lot from him and his successes.

The Music Supervisor

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:40:00 +0000

Lately I have been learning more about leadership and project & team management. I began to think about who the leader of the audio post-production world would be. It didn’t take long for me to come up with the answer.

If you've stayed long enough through the credits at the end of your favorite movie, you may have noticed the position of Music Supervisor scrolling up the screen. Depending on the type of film, whether it be independent, documentaries, blockbusters, etc., the tasks this person takes on varies greatly. However, the consistent duty this person has is to obtain the rights and licensing permission to legally use certain songs in the projects or films they are working on.

In my search to learn more about this position, I came across an article on filmindustrybloggers.com that spoke to a few industry professionals about the role and responsibilities of a music supervisor, primarily in television. If you’re like me, then my basic knowledge of this position was thinking they simply chose the right songs for the film, the placement for these songs, and worked with the composers to set the right tone and vision for the film. According to Dominique Preyer, they can expect to “clear rights to the songs, make calls and e-mails to publishers, record labels, artist management, songwriters and musicians, draft and/or review license agreements, negotiate licensing fees, read scripts, create cue sheets and more. On several films…create the music budget” (¶5). Let’s just say I was on the right track, but it goes much farther in depth than that.

That being said, I always thought they were a hands-on person on the creative end of things, sitting in the sound booths and mixing rooms giving direction. That may be a part of it, but I tended to ignore the “supervisor” part of the title. As I learned more about leadership and team & project management, I realized how vital this part is in the title; it changes everything. It takes on the duties of planning, leading teams within the audio realm, creating budgets (a key part of any production), and overseeing the execution and assuring customer (director) satisfaction in the end. Preyer advises, “If you can’t do the administrative side of music supervision, don’t call yourself a music supervisor. To more accurately paint a picture of the workload, the creative side takes about 30% of the time and the administrative side takes about 70%” (¶8). You may read more about Preyer's accomplishments here.

So if you were thinking what I was, that the role of Music Supervisor was something mainly creative that you could work in every part of the audio aspect toward the film, you’re mistaken. If you are, however, interested in a more business end of things while still having a major impact in the soundtrack for films, this may be something you should read more into.

The Tim Nielsen Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:54:00 +0000

Using my PLN to check the latest news and updates in my field of interest, I clicked on to Google Reader and found an interview with sound designer Tim Nielsen. If you’re interested in reading it yourself, you can find it here: Tim Nielsen Interview. Admittedly, I have never heard of Nielsen, so I did some searching and found his credits on IMDb. As it turns out, he’s extremely well-credited, having worked on film hits like Toy Story 3, Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, and There Will Be Blood with positions like sound editor, designer, and recorder. You can see what else he’s worked on here: Credits.

This interview basically tells readers how Nielsen got started in his career, who his influences are, and tips for sound effects recording. He, too, hard started out in college, attending University of Southern California, and is believed to be the first intern at Skywalker Sound, learning from the great Gary Rydstrom. Through his time there he networked, which eventually helped him land a job as an assistant after he graduated, and eventually began his credited works.

Tim Nielsen stated he never took advantage of a position and was always grateful. I appreciate professionals that don’t gain so much of an ego that they think they’re better than people. He learns something new from every designer, no matter how experienced. He did, however, speak about one specific person, “I find Ren Klyce’s work incredibly inspiring, his tracks have such amazing detail, and all the sounds are just perfect” (¶8). This is someone we sound designers should obviously learn about if you haven’t already. He did the sound design for Fight Club, if that helps you. In fact, here's an interview I found with him speaking about sound design: Ren Klyce Interview.

I’ve learned a few things from Nielsen's interview. He emphasized the importance of fast, quality editing. I believe that with such a technology-based industry, it is expected that you be proficient in your chosen platform, such as Pro Tools. There are so many people out there and schools teaching such platforms that it would be extremely difficult for someone without the knowledge or experience to get a job in the field, no matter how creative they may be. This is a good thing, since we’re progressing, but compared to the past where professionals were openly willing to teach others, it’s slightly disappointing. You do have to consider the fact that it's much more competitive these days, though.

If you’re interested in sound design, Nielsen says, “it’s paramount that you get a recording rig and start building your library. Nothing will prepare you better for your career than a sound library of your own creation that you know well” (¶19). Another thing I’ve learned that is especially helpful in my case, as I tend to be a perfectionist, is to know when to let something go. I’ve realized often times my original sound I thought wasn’t good enough sounded a lot better than after I kept tweaking it. Also, you don’t want to become so attached to your work because it may not even be used or a higher-up may ask you to change something about it.

Finally, he brings to attention the challenges of the industry. “Facing your own self-doubt, learning to juggle egos, especially your own, and running a crew, and learning what to do when people come to you and actually want you to tell them what to do! Politics can always be challenging on any show too” (¶28).

Tim Nielsen is an industry professional worthy of following and taking advice from. The site, Designing Sound, is also a great place to read up on interviews, news, or watch tutorials about sound design. I highly suggest it. They also have a monthly tribute to a different artist, which was pretty nice. Peter Albrechtsen conducted the interview with Nielsen and did a fantastic job. Add them to your RSS feed, twitter, facebook, etc. There is a link button bar on the side of the interview to lead you!

Post Studio in Orlando Area

noreply@blogger.com (Fletcher) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:06:00 +0000

This week I decided to click on to Post Magazine's website. If you're unfamiliar with this literature, it's a great source for those interested in any aspect of the post-production part of the entertainment industry, whether it be for film, audio, new media, etc. Since I'm interested in the audio post production aspect of film, I went ahead and searched for the newest happenings in that industry. Interestingly enough, I had come across an article about a new studio that just opened up in the Orlando area, about 15 minutes from Full Sail's campus!

The new studio is called Ideas; if you're interested you can find them here: Ideas Orlando. I found out they work not only in TV, but also motion pictures and have had several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for their work. I will take this as a fantastic opportunity to network with the employees listed on their site through social networks or contacting them directly. I'm positive they can provide me with advise and lead me to opportunities to start my career.