I recently sent an email to sound designer Philip Moroz after reading his book and writing a post as a literature review on how to become a sound designer.
Philip is not a major player in the sound design industry, but i figured he would be one of the best opinions to get as he stands as a general working sound designer, which is where I aim to be. So therefore I am addressing him as a standard industry professional.
I emailed him about my project and what I hope to achieve out of it, along with a list of questions that we’re not covered within his book due to their nature being entirely subjective. The questions I asked were as follows:
‘What is the most stressful task of the job? – such as, picture lock, dealing with the director, keeping all your clients happy, keeping productive etc.’ – I wanted to know about the struggles in a professional environment when working with a director, waiting on picture lock etc.
His answer was as follows:
‘I think all the aspects you have stated play a part in the stresses of a job/project – some more than others sometimes! It’s often a struggle to understand exactly what the director/client wants in terms of sound design. A client sometimes doesn’t exactly know what they like/dislike until they hear a draft or example. This can often lead to re-designing sections to have a different focus or even just designing from scratch …and with time always being of the essence the project can so easily run out of time before they can clasp onto what they imagined their project to sound like. To get around this I ask the client what they know they DON’T like. By knowing this I can make sure to stay away from elements/references they are not keen of and this ultimately saves time and hassle down the line.
Try to be selfless with your work – if a potentially better idea is found then don’t be afraid to try it and see if it works. It can definitely be frustrating when you’ve created an awesome sound but the client thinks it needs to be modified. Similarly, if you have designed a sound in a certain way for a specific reason (for example so that it works around a dialogue line or you want to punctuate another sound effect shortly after), try to convey these thoughts to the client so you can perhaps reach a middle ground so everyone’s happy.’
From his response it seems to me that problems when working in post audio and sound, really varies from project to project. it depends on who you’re working for or with. As a sound designer it seems to me that part of the job is to assume that the director or client … knows nothing, and it’s a part of your role to mock up something FOR them to like. When I pitched my music initially to the Satsuma team, they didn’t really give me a lot of direction to what they wanted, I pitched to them what I thought was best and they agreed. But when I wanted more direction I deliberately made something that sounded off, so that they would start talking and discussing… it was only then that I got an definite answer from them for what they actually wanted, maybe this is what Philip means, although it would be wise to take heed of Philips advice of asking the director what they don’t want it to sound like to avoid any disputes or confrontation.
It’s also interesting to hear about his idea’s of selflessness, trying new idea’s and such, it makes me think back to my first learning outcome of having an adaptable skillset … to be able to find a middle ground to keep everybody happy in the long run.
My second question was:
What is most essential to you when starting a project? whats always the thing you do first? and why?
To which his response:‘Beyond talking to the director and asking what they would like/not like, I usually begin with clarifying the workflow between the video editor so we can minimise any issues that could occur such as timecode sync, video edit updates etc. This, again, saves crucial time. Definitely make sure that you clarify whether the video edit has been picture-locked. Projects can get very complicated and messy if you find out down the line that there’s an updated version of the video edit that you haven’t been working to!’
Of course clarifying the workflow between the editor is key, making sure that you’re going to get the correct edit to work on with picture lock so that you’re not wasting time, working on a project that is going to get overwritten essentially.
Third question:
Do you ever use the same sound twice in multiple projects? I know it’s important as a sound designer always to have an up to date sound library.
Philips response:
‘Over the years I’ve collected lots of sounds and they have come into use in many occasions. Sometimes I record a sound with the intention of it being used only for the project I am working on at the time, but on occasion I have found that I need that sound again for another project down the line. I do however think it is important to keep collecting variations of any sound, such as a car passby or a dog bark, so as to keep your sound design new, fresh and more interesting each time you have to dig into the sound library.’
In all honesty I think this was a bit of a stupid question of mine, although it’s good to know that sounds that have been recored to be project specific, aren’t frowned upon to be used again in a following project, I guess it means that it’s okay to use the same sound twice… but not all the time. As Philip states, it’s good to have a fresh sound library always available.
My final question was about copyright and negotiating the terms with director:
Do you have a lot of trouble with copyright within your work and negotiating terms between you and your director?
His response:
‘copyright with using sound effects collections? When using a sound effect that you do not own it should state what kind of license it has. Usually it will say ‘Royalty Free’ or ‘free to use privately or commercially’ but be sure to check just in case the owner has specific restrictions for it’s use. I have always followed the license terms and have never had a problem.
Copyright of your work for the director’s/client’s project? I have never really had a problem with this, but I think it’s important to clarify to the client that your work must not be shared outside of the project. If it’s for a smaller project perhaps draft up a small document with your copyright requirements and get them to sign and date it. By doing this you have a grounding to work from if you ever find that your rules have been broken.
It’s a very important topic and it is great that you have thought about this. Your work is unique, and if people use it without your permission it is troublesome.’
It’s great that Philip has stated the importance in copyrighting work, making sure that people don’t use your work without your permission, it’s also good to remember to check the licenses of the sounds that your using to make sure you don’t run into any trouble.