That follow up may seem redundant as we’ve already moved on, but it show’s you’re willing to spend time on these dead-ends (which later to some may seem was wasted) because you understand the importance of the process. If they don’t believe that, they might try and save you the blood, sweat and tears the next time a creative opportunity comes up, and thus deny you the opportunity to explore it.

I dont know if thats a fair critique Robert- the problem is not so much a sin of commission in many cases- perhaps its the over-optimistic ignorance of thinking that the audio post team can recreate the nuances that production missed- I mean, it is relatively difficult to shoot a period costume drama without the intrusion of modern sounds into the shoot- some directors are more sensitive to that, and take all the measures they can to redo takes and or shoot wild lines to repair sonic intrusions like that- an example I ran into was when I supervised (and largely did most of the design and editing) on Jay Russell’s film “Tuck Everlasting”- one of the principal locations was next to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, and the location which was on a river, was a rustic house set in the late 19th Century- I remember Jay telling me how many extra takes they had to do with Sissy Spacek and William Hurt who spoke in quite delicate tones, becuase there were daily artillery barrages that the Army conducted. It did cost production a lot to film the extra takes, and wait for the Army to do what it does, but it was a priority to him to get the best sound he could- (and he had an OUTSTANDING production audio team who bent over backwards to please him). So I would say that in many cases, the problem is that the Producers and Directors have simply grown accustomed to the amazing we audio folks can do in editorial and mixing. That being said- if the story is bad, the end product will be bad- and sound has rarely wrecked a film which had great writing and acting.

If, a movie director doesn’t know anything about the sound, and, each his step during shooting ruins a future soundtrack… Doesn’t it MEAN that a movie also will be just a piece of sh*t?

I mean, if a director cares about his movie, then he cares about all its aspects. Like a mother about his child.

Why bother about movies whose director is just an ignorant person, making another purposeless picture?

the one thing that I have to say is that most Directors and Producers dont seem to appreciate the storytelling resource that sound is- this is most evident in hearing comments from Academy Members, who even after significant outreach from the Sound Branch, cant seem to wrap their heads around the difference between “Best Sound” (mixing/production sound) and Sound Editing- and it seems that some even think that somehow there is “production” sound in animation and VFX. This is a tragedy. Its akin to someone eating bacon and having no idea of where it comes from. I do think that sound as an artistic tool needs to be emphasized in Film School to a far greater degree than it is- which seems like an obvious matter- but is met with the same sort of antipathy the bacon eater has for the pig- As a person who has a child completing a Drama degree at CSUN, I have to say that to hear her talking about the disinterest the Drama and Film students have for ALL of the crafts outside their area of interest is a little unsettling.

For me, from a game developer’s perspective, on different projects, at different companies and working with different folks, I’ve always tried to place the responsibility for collaboration squarely at my own feet, and never at the feet of a director or a producer. It is probably the only thing that we actually *do* have any control over. If something is frustrating about a process, it is my responsibility (and duty) to respectfully & professionally (and enthusiastically!) talk about it with as many different opinion holders as I can, and work towards getting something in place to fix it, or at the very least least, improve it next time around. Often this means adjusting *my* work methods, pipelines, and expectations, at least as much, if not more, than any change I would expect to see on the ‘other side’. I’d say, always be prepared to make changes on your end first. Ask yourself, how would I like someone else to respond when I offer them an idea or a suggestion? Next time someone offers you an idea, that’s your opportunity! Default to YES! An idea/suggestion is only a starting point!

I realize I’m very lucky to work in the video games industry where technology, workflows, and attitudes are changing (fast) all the time, and industrialization is often seen as a hindrance to staying current with the functionality of the game (and agile as an industry). With that comes a lot of opportunity and a lot of flexibility, in a sense we’re all making it up as we go along, and every project feels (and is) very different. I also think that every ‘culture’ (environment, team) you work in operates differently, and this is important, because to fix issues of collaboration requires unique approaches specific to, and operating inside of, those cultures and the people inside those cultures – empathy and listening skills are massive wins here.

Getting a collaborative group working well together is also something that you don’t just ‘fix’ once, and never need to go back to the way it was before. It is the work of every day, every email, every conversation and every action. In the end, it is just something you are always doing. You are always explaining sound, talking about sound, in often very basic terms, but you’re also talking about art and visuals and pacing, timing and presentation, and before you realize it, you’re not really working exclusively in sound terms any more…

This kind of work is an enormous part of the work I find myself doing every day, on every project, and will likely continue to do, every day on every project. It is constant communication, constantly changing, It is an effort that will never end – and I feel like I work on the actual material of sound creation and implementation- maybe 30% of my job – (Maybe a case of being careful what you wish for here, but if you enjoy sitting in a studio working through a list of sounds, then maybe the collaborative end of the industry isn’t for you – if you enjoy certainty and clarity, then maybe it isn’t for you either, if you enjoy stability and predictability, then its not those things – and it really isn’t for everyone – and that’s OK! – it can be abstract, challenging, political, throwaway, frustrating, rewarding, inspiring, depressing, and ultimately is about working in the world of ideas and not sounds, long before a sound has been made – but, when its all said and done, working on the sound can be so much more rewarding)

Thanks again for a good read Shaun!

Ooh, and, for those attending GDC this year, I’ll be yakkin’ about this very topic … http://schedule.gdconf.com/session-id/825801
Looking forward to continuing the discussion!