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UPGRADES!

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This past Wednesday (June 12) was my birthday and I bought myself a little gift.  I made my first foray into the production sound big leagues by upgrading to the Nomad 10 Recorder/Mixer.  

 

In one word, “gamechanger”.  There are many ways in which this little white box steps things up tremendously from my old kit.  At first glance, I’ve lightened my kit big-time.  I no longer carry two devices; now one device does the job of both mixer and recorder.  Look a little deeper (or rather, listen), and you see that it’s a device that records and digitizes sound in a way the other competing recorders don’t.  

 

And look even further and you see how forward-thinking it is with it’s inclusion of the propriety WiFi feature “Zaxnet”, which turns the Nomad into a veritable transmitter of information.  You can alter the trim settings on the actor’s mic-packs in the middle of a take, while you send stereo audio with timecode to two cameras, while you send scratch audio to a dozen people.  Traditionally you can’t do the former, and to do the latter you’d need to buy (and subsequently carry) even more equipment.  

 

Nomad’s patent-pending “NeverClip” technology allows signals to come in hotter than the 24-bit range and record clean, so long as you properly calibrate the mixer parameters they provide.  Being a 100% digital device, it’s mostly free of some of the limits of analog technology, the main one being “self-noise”.  Listen really closely to a very, very quiet recording from even a high-end analog-to-digital device and you’ll hear the noise floor, the hiss.  The nomad is basically devoid of that, being totally digital.  

 

The Nomad gets some heat in the sound community for not exactly being the most intuitive recorder.  I do agree, but I wasn’t going to let that deter me from enjoying the benefits of a superior-sounding and feature-rich recorder.  The price of being revolutionary is that, along with the good changes, a few tried-and-true methods will get toyed around with as well.  

 

And yet after this monumental upgrade, there’s plenty more to expand.  It’s both a sobering realization and an exciting motivator to work a ton and build, build, build.

SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY


Hello Again!

Yes, It’s been a while, but I wanted to wait for something big. Winter kept me busy with tons of great stuff — an Adult Swim pilot, a documentary with the NYC Ballet, a verite-style feature with a Soprano’s cast-member (can’t say who yet), and many other shorts, pilots, commercial spots — BUT all are still in the arduous process of post-production.

SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY, directed by Drew Tobia, is the first feature I ever worked on as the sole location sound mixer, back in January 2012, and it’s the second feature film I mixed and sound-designed in post. I completed the final mix in the wee hours of March 5 and it premiered at the Chicago Underground Film Festival on March 10 to a very pleased audience who went on to vote and bestow it with the festival’s “Audience Award”.

I can proudly say I was the one-man-sound department from start to finish on this one! I found the post process fairly smooth, mixing the same dialogue I recorded one year prior. I certainly had all the inside knowledge as to why something didn’t work immediately, and where to find what I needed in order to patch things up. Though traditionally not a common workflow at all, a one-man sound department in the era of low budget independent filmmaking kind of makes sense.

I didn’t know ahead of time I would be the post mixer, but I always roll sound as if I’m going to be. Therefore, I was aggressive when it came to collecting sound effects on set. Ambiences and room tones were a gathered frequently, as well as highly distinctive sound effects that would work best in the final mix when recorded directly from the source on set.

A drama-slash-dark-comedy, there are tons of scenes that rely heavily on creative, almost eccentric sound design. And because the film frequently intersects serious and often over-the-top drama with raw (and frequently-nonverbal) humor, the sound design needed to act like a guide walking you through the constantly-dramatic lives of these three very-flawed principal characters.

Drew was insistent that certain scenes push the limits of abrasiveness, jarring-ness, bassiness, sometimes absurdity when humor was the focus. There are multiple “fight” scenes, for example. Some purely dialogue-driven, others very physical. For heavy drama we went with bass and heightened ambiences, to create a more point-of-view effect. Other times I simply added incidental sounds like sneaker squeaks and borderline cartoonish swipes. There’s even a scene where Mona, the main character, barfs endlessly on the sidewalk, after a meltdown at a party. But we don’t see barf everywhere; we mostly hear it splashing comically on the pavement. Sound design is the guide.

And I leave you on that note! Check out the trailer. (But please be aware it’s not intended for younger ears, not like any children follow my sound career…)

Best,

Brian

“The Graveyard Shift”



After a solid year in the works, I’m pleased to share with you the pilot episode of The Graveyard Shift web-series. I spent two of the three days on location recording dialogue, but I’m especially proud of my contribution to the post-production side.

On the third day of shooting — the day I couldn’t work — there was conveniently no dialogue, so they decided to go without rolling sound altogether. What this meant was that the entire second half of the actual episode lacked any recorded, or diagetic sound — the sound we hear, or expect to hear, from actors’ actions and the environment itself, implied or seen, on screen or off-screen. (This therefore does not include the score, voice-over narration, and dramatic sound design embellishments.)

In the process of creating the final mix, I had to reconstruct, from scratch, a sizable portion of the physical soundscape. An extensive sound effects library helped and a few hours spent with director Thomas Dunn recording the location itself a month before shooting paid huge dividends in Post. 40 gigs of sound effects is great, but sometimes it doesn’t come close to the real thing.

What ensued for me was weeks of meticulously adding footsteps on a variety of floors and surfaces, unnerving machine drones, clothing rustle, girl breaths, and cold reverb effects to match the rooms and hallways. I relied on the technique of Foley — the process of recreating/enhancing aurally what you see on screen, through whatever objects at your disposal, be it the exact objects themselves or something randomly different — to make it work.  (For example, how do you get the sound of someone sliding a bookbag over their shoulder to keep it from sliding down as they walk? You record it yourself.)

It’s important to thank composer Sam Tyndall for his contribution to the episode. The score, in my opinion, overlaps greatly into sound design territory for it’s creepily evocative ambient quality. Haunting dissonances and harsh drones combine skillfully to put the audience directly inside Emily’s experience through the hallways of a defunct psychiatric hospital.

Creators Tim Covell and Alexander Lane, I am told, have over a dozen future episodes written. The pilot episode has been building up some buzz in on the web thanks to http://bestwebseries.tumblr.com/ and I’m psyched to see what comes next for them.

“30 Seconds to Air: The Making of the Bill Cunningham Show”

In my quest to book more documentary work this year, I got the opportunity to join forces with Tribune Creative Group for this reality-style, 30-minute TV documentary, revealing the making of an episode of Bill Cunningham’s daytime talk show. This fall, it was televised on Tribune’s NY affiliate PIX 11.

Though not my first documentary gig, it was first true reality-style shoot where, when you miss something juicy, it’s truly gone. Even “reality TV” is mostly scripted. This wasn’t.

The goal of the documentary was to capture the 5-day work-week, which is precisely how long each episode takes to make from scratch. Potential guests are mined through craigslist postings and referrals, and the stories are solidified by each of the five producers and their teams. The stories have to be TV-worthy, sufficiently complicated, real, and the guests have to be 100% on board and sold on the idea of dropping what they’re doing and flying to NY the next day. (Probably the only true incentive is it’s free.) But guests flake, as you can see, and the stress levels from Day 1 to T-minus-30 seconds go from bad to “Man, I hope this poor producer doesn’t get fired.”

Behind-the-scenes work is really good fun. You’re expected to get your hands a bit dirty and sneak into the center of the action at a moment’s notice. There’s a sort of journalistic excitement to it. You also learn to work in a small, lean and efficient team (director, camera and sound) which I truly enjoy over a huge set any day of the week.

The 30-minute documentary has been officially selected for the Big Apple Film Festival this fall and will be screened November 17, 2012. I wish director Jeff Pinilla and producer Andrew Oshan the best of luck and hopefully it is the first of many such shoots with them. Enjoy the clip!

Jeep

I recently acquired the final cut for one of three Jeep spots from this past summer. This one is my favorite of the three, featuring the inimitiable DJ Whoo Kid. Other spots included moments with Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks, and fashion designer Maxwell Osbourne.

The Boss on this shoot was the same for the unforgettable Harley Davidson shoot from Atlanta-to-Daytona last spring. Coming up weekend will be my third excursion with Team Satten as I head back to Atlanta for, well, I can’t spoil it. Stay tuned!

New Gear!

New Gear!

This past month I’ve been rockin’ some new gear in the wireless department. I’ve taken a big step and upgraded to Lectrosonics, a long-time industry standard for wireless equipment in location work and live sound. Pictured in the center is the “SRa5P” dual-channel diversity receiver, flanked by two SM transmitters. Also pictured are two coiled-up black B6 lavalieres, also brand new.

The receiver (SRa5P) and transmitters (SM) absolutely rock. Working together, they sound cleaner; they’re more robust against interfering radio frequencies; the physical range between me and the actor can be longer; and they’re built to withstand the elements (i.e. an actor sweating profusely all over my expensive gear.)

It’s easy to geek out to the SRa5P, and honestly I’m still digesting the manual, but suffice it to say, it’s a proper piece of gear. It receives two channels, not just one, so I have more space in my sound-bag. I’m now able to perform a thorough scan of available radio frequencies with a helpful graphic display. And it’s stocked with proprietary Lectrosonics features, like variable noise reduction to reduce hiss. (Lavs always have higher noise than standard microphones.)

The SM (“super mini”) transmitters, which are worn on the actor, were bought used and selected specifically for their size and weight (and price!) The only unimpressive quality to them is their short battery life (approx. 3 hours with AA rechargeable NiMH) but that makes a lot of sense considering they operate on one single battery. There’s a limiter feature, which is also immensely helpful. And they’re built from a single aluminum block and finished with the same non-corrosive material used by NASA for interstellar vehicles (R.I.P. Neil Armstrong).

The B6 lav mics were chosen for their size (and, of course, sound.) I find that they absolutely shine outdoors. With small size comes flexibility. Flexibility means the mic potentially can be positioned more ideally than a larger mic. They also come with small protective caps that help prevent moisture damage to the capsule, as well as providing different high frequency boosts for when the mic has to be buried under clothes.

Once Chase gets their cash (don’t ask) I’ll be back shopping for more awesome gear. The quest never ends, you just sort of get comfortable for a while until some client says, “Wait a sec — you don’t have a ______ ?!”

“FOPS”

A few weeks ago I had the hilarious privilege of working with the brilliant crew from PERIODS. (Check out www.periodsfilms.com)

Created by Victor Quinaz and Anna Martemucci two years ago, PERIODS is historical comedy/period shorts. Sometimes they parody a classic work of literature or film (Deerhunter, Ethan Frome); and other times, they take one part history and one part reality TV and end up with something like “FOPS”. (You’ll get the pun within the first 10 seconds.)

The making of “FOPS” also symbolized some progress for the PERIODS family. When I first arrived and introduced myself to everyone, I was given delightful mock-praise for being their first genuine sound-guy. Also, “FOPS” features actor Wille Garson, who you may have seen on Sex in the City as Carrie’s friend Stanford, and most recently on White Collar.

Working on this was a blast mostly because everyone from the PERIODS family is just down-to-earth funny and positive. Shooting a short under 6 hours, fully improvised, run-and-gun style can be quite stressful on a crew, but by virtue of their awesome-ness, everyone made sure the process was precisely what it should be — fun as hell. They also appreciate good sound, which makes me thrilled to do my job.

(Again, check out www.periodsfilms.com)

My first national television spots!

Back in March I teamed up with Cortell Communications and whiz-kid cinematographer Adam Milt for two national television commercials for Smart Living Company. I was lucky to be working with a few other friends as well, including Etan Gidansky, who was the Assistant Director. (Etan was the first person to hire me as a sound recordist back in January 2011, and I also got to score that same film.)

Above is the first spot, shot on location in Stamford, CT. The one below was shot the next day at the legendary Palace Digital Studios in Norwalk, CT:





Can’t wait for the next two!

“Once Upon A Time In Bolivia”



I’m only a few short days away from finishing the sound design and final mix of Patrick Cordova’s micro-budget feature “Erase Una Vez En Bolivia”, (see translation above). It will be my first feature-length film as a sound designer/post mixer, and I’m proud to have been a key part of it.

Shot entirely in Bolivia two years ago, and independently financed in the UK, the film recounts a strange and life-threatening road-trip of two half-brothers during the infamous 2003 protests. In an attempt to escape the country for a safer, more prosperous life in neighboring Chile, the older brother hijacks his younger brother’s borrowed car and they set off into the unknown.

They fail miserably, narrowly escape death numerous times, and end up profoundly changed. (Of course, there is a beautiful twist at the end.) It’s not merely an action film, however. In between the suspense is the eternal fight of the two extremes — power and virtue — played out in the tense quasi-brotherhood of Rocky and Nene. The older brother, Rocky, is ruthlessly selfish, dark and cynical, and values nothing but wealth and security. The younger brother, Nene, is sheepish, innocent, and devout. He tirelessly believes in his heritage, his people, and his God, and cannot fathom leaving Bolivia, for leaving would be the ultimate act of selfishness and betrayal.

Oh, and it’s entirely in Spanish. I had to get my chops back, and of course, refer to the translated screenplay (and to Patrick himself, who was exceptionally patient in guiding me through the subtleties of the story.)

Here is the (unmixed) teaser:



It was an excellent learning experience as a sound designer. As my first feature film, it was, without a doubt, a challenge simply because of it’s length. The most notable quirk of working in Post Sound is having to be tirelessly meticulous while constantly heeding the big-picture. That sounds completely self-contradictory, but that’s really how mixing works, even on a 5-minute short.

I had a great time finding the right ambiences for the desert-like, mountainous exteriors, and adding foley to sweeten the hits to the fight scenes. My extensive sound library helped too. Of course, 90% of my time was cleaning up dialogue, but even that has its own satisfaction, for therein lies the story.

Thanks for checking in!

“What I Did For Spring Break”

Bike Week in Daytona, Fl. is probably the most legendary annual motorcycle experience in the world. I’m not a biker, so I can’t say for sure, but I am a sound-guy, and I can definitely say it’s one of the LOUDEST places in the world.

I was hired by Harley Davidson via Travis Satten of Team Satten, and joined by talented cameramen Matt Mitchell and Real Sprague. Our mission was to follow and document the life and times (and the riding) of a band of Black motorcyclist friends, each from various Georgia-based Black biker clubs, from Atlanta to Daytona and back.

The stereotype that Harleys are for white guys is slowly eroding, and Harley Davidson is helping to continue that trend by reaching out to all the Black riders out there — as well as educating everyone in the process — through their new web series “Iron Elite”. We learn that the common Harley rider obsession with meticulous customization — almost to the extreme, from the chrome, to the pipes, to the high-fidelity on-board sound systems — is shaped quite a bit from these early Black riders who went to town on their bikes in past (and much different) times. The tradition continues today as you can see in episode 2.

Highlights of the trip included, but not limited to…

1.) Roaming around the parking lot of the largest Harley dealer in the world asking people “Hey, can I record your pipes?” and ending up with about 7 hours of motorcycle sound effects.
2.) Recording interviews in tough-for-sound, but gorgeous locations.
3.) Jumping in the Atlantic at 3am on the last day.

Stay tuned for Episode 3!

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