Sound is Half the Experience

Hello readers!

So I was sick most of last week so I this week's article will be short.

Updates:

Still working on the 5th draft of the script. It's taken a lot longer as I've been getting more frequent freelance gigs. That, and I'm making some significant changes to the script. But I hope to be done with it by the end of this week.

I went to an advanced screening of an independent film I worked on this past winter and had a great time reconnecting with the crew. I also was able to share my endeavor to get my feature made next summer with these crew people and most offered their services to me. So it looks like I may have a few more volunteers.

Still finishing my short, "Marta's Last Exit." Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the completion of principal photography. It is by far the longest time it's taken me to finish a movie, but in my defense my previous three were made in college and film school when I ate, slept, and bled film. Not that I don't know, but I got student loans to pay! It'll be done soon, however, as I have an October 19th deadline to submit it to Alice's Three Minute Film Festival.

Sound is Half the Experience

So my producer Virginia introduced me to her good friend this weekend who happens to be a production sound recordist. Which is great because I'm in the hunt for a quality sound person. This particular crew position is responsible for the sound that's recorded on the set of a movie or TV show. It's a thankless job as often times even filmmakers neglect what the production sound person needs to properly record clean audio.

Therefore, I simply wanted to write a little about how the audience should pay closer attention to just how amazing movies sound. The next time you're at a movie theater remind yourself to listen to the sound that's being offered to you. You'll start to catch little subtitles you certainly won't here on your TV's little two inch speakers.

Now this isn't all the thanks to the work of the production sound person, as a lot of "sound design" goes into the post production of a movie. Nonetheless, if the movie had a good production sound recordist then most of the dialogue you hear will be the actual dialogue recorded on the set. And saves a lot of correction work in post-production.

And when the two are combined what you get is scarier visuals, more heartfelt drama, and more riveting action. Sound helps create offscreen space and more fully creates the mood the moviemakers attempt to put you the viewer in.

So trust me, I'll be putting as much attention to the sound of my feature as I will the visuals. It's something I learned as early as my first short film and something I'll forever use to further enhance the overall experience of my movies.

That's all folks have a great week!

Forward!

-Gustavo