Blurring the lines ...

[KenNickels]

Those of you who work in film, with the evolving technologies, do you find yourselves compelled to wear more and more hats in addition to the essential job of writing music? Like sound design, Foley, etc. If so, how to you feel about this? A good trend or not?

[cowtothesky]

Interesting you brought this up. I just finished a short film that I was supposed to get 30 days, but by the time the editors were finished locking in the film, I had 7 days to repair the audio, do sound design, and write and record the music score. It was accepted into a festival that had to have the film for the judges yesterday. Fortunately, I finished it in time. But, repairing the audio and the sound design was a major pain in the ass. I really prefer only concentrating on music.

Another film I'm currently working on had a sound guy who flaked out and didn't finish his job. So, I started working on that, as well as the score. Fortunately, they found a sound guy in Houston who is willing to tackle the job so I can concentrate on the music.

However, there are advantages to this for the music. I can control the overall mix of the film and highlight the strong music moments, where someone else may miss it. Also, a lot of people who watch films do not separate the audio from the score. Meaning, if the film audio sucks, it affects the perception of the music. So, it is to my advantage to clean up the audio so that the score sounds better.

The disadvantages are that it is a bitch to do audio work and it is very time consuming.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I will generally try to do the audio editing if I can, as well as the overall sound design. In the case of the latter, it should (IMO) integrate seamlessly into the score and if the composer has the skills and resources to design sound, why not? Of course, we are not talking studio blockbusters here, just indy and smaller films.

The ineptitude of even some award nominated sound designers and post-audio guys is astonishing. A few "directors" don't even realize the words "audio mix" and "dialogue editing" exist - that is until someone says something about levels or noise. Often they turn to the guy who did the score and dump it on him.

I've done that many times, but never again as part of my composing fee. Each hat I wear has a different bank account.

[KenNickels]

It is good that you have more control on the overall sound and good that you can get more work. But wearing more hats means having less time to germinate a musical idea, which you acknowledge. Switching from Left-brain thinking to right-brain thinking sucks because each wants to steal time and resources from the other, and you become disoriented like a driver on a slick road.

Do you think producers trivialize your efforts by giving you so little time?
I mean ... 7 days is a pittance. I'd be like a deer in the headlights with such a deadline.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I think it has always been that folks who make compose music for a living do so at an unimaginable rate. It comes with the gig.

I love it.

[FMiguelez]

I actually think that having that skill (composing/producing great music super fast) definitely helps setting one apart from the pack.

And I admit speed is not one of my strongest points yet... I mean, I can write fast, but not as fast as I'd like.
I'm getting better, but I still need to keep working on it, though! It's just that I tend to be too much of a perfectionist... too much. Sometimes I must make myself putting the "finished seal" on the project, otherwise I'd never finish tweaking and tweaking. It actually takes some discipline.

The good thing about crazy deadlines is that one doesn't have time to fool around too much and one is forced to focus. That's why I prefer crazy deadlines: then I have to finish fast and move on to the next project, but when the deadlines are relaxed it always takes me forever... not very productive

[cowtothesky]

It is good that you have more control on the overall sound and good that you can get more work. But wearing more hats means having less time to germinate a musical idea, which you acknowledge. Switching from Left-brain thinking to right-brain thinking sucks because each wants to steal time and resources from the other, and you become disoriented like a driver on a slick road.

Do you think producers trivialize your efforts by giving you so little time?
I mean ... 7 days is a pittance. I'd be like a deer in the headlights with such a deadline.

Yea, I was freaking out on that deadline at first. But, once I spent a solid weekend on it, I felt really good about it. I guess I wanted to see if I could pull it off under pressure. Turned out that they loved it. So, it worked out well.

You are right about the time thing. I would have had at least 2 more days to concentrate on the music if I didn't have to clean up the audio. I know of several things I would have liked to have added as far as orchestration.

FM brought up tweaking. I have gone as far as to tweak a finished project just so that on my version of it, whatever bothered me has been fixed. lol.

[FMiguelez]

FM brought up tweaking. I have gone as far as to tweak a finished project just so that on my version of it, whatever bothered me has been fixed. lol.

Ha!
I do that all the time too

It's not too hard to find improvable things in rushed projects, especially when listening to it again with fresh ears and perspective after a few weeks.

[clark5901]

Thanks for the nice information in the post...

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I smell a bot... Nice info guys. Nice!

[kinnylandrum]

Interesting you should ask this. I am about the embark on something for a film that I have never done: ADR. My son has written a film that was actually shot in our house and yard, and I offered to do the ADR for it as a favor. We all know what happens when you offer to do favors...

Anyway, although I've written music for dozens of films, this is the first time I've ever done something like this. I'm actually glad I'm not doing any music, since I really would not like to be involved in a "creative" way on this project. But I'm glad to do something technical, especially if it saves him and his friends money.


But I must admit to a little trepidation. I'm never actually done ADR before, and I have nothing but respect for people who do this well. Good audio makes film composing SO much easier. But you know what they say about no good deed going unpunished.... Anyway I'll let you know how it goes next week.