The Way We Watch

The On Location Audio Engineer You Never Want To Let Go

 
I received lots of good feedback on twitter on the Editor You Never Want To Let Go post.  Here's the next one in this series of people you never want to lose:  On set audio people. 

In all my projects (over 200) I've only worked with one female audio engineer and the rest were males.  I'm not entirely sure about why that is.  My guess is that some jobs require booming which can be physically challenging. 

If you are a female audio person, chime in and let me know how you started so we can get more of you in the industry.

So here we go. Top ten qualities of an audio engineer.

1.  He smells good. Clean breath and no BO. Yes, you read that right.  Audio people have to get very close to the talent.  They have to attach a tiny microphone on someone's lapel.  If you smell bad, then that's going to effect my talent somehow and probably negatively. 
2. He looks like his mother would be proud of him.  Have you ever asked a female talent who is wearing a blouse to string a mic up her shirt.  If you look like a bum, the whole thing gets awkward.
3. He knows that the cans on his head are not the way the audience will hear what he's hearing.  The best audio people will ask how is the tape is being used?  Will there be music?  Will it play over a loud speaker or on the web?  With the information in hand, a good audio person will edit in his mind what ambient distractions are worth doing a re-take for and what can slide by.
4. He's discreet.  The audio guy will be the first person to know if something doesn't sound right.  I appreciate engineers who can pull me aside or find the right moment to say, "Hey, something didn't sound right on that last take." The wrong way to do it is to whip off your cans and shout, "That one sucked, people!"
5. He treats his equipment like a newborn.
6. He's great with figuring stuff out.  The best audio people that I've worked with, I like to imagine, have at some point in their childhoods, took apart radios, computers and other electronics just to see how they worked.  Then, they had the brains to put it all back together.
7. He's a team player.  Yes, sound is their domain.  But the guy you want, pitches in after he's all set up.  He's putting tone down in the camera.  He's taping cords to the floor.  He's tested his feed and checked playback.  
8. He has no ego.  Great sound people love to support.  It's in their blood.  They are essentia, yet the great ones blend in as just a part of the crew.
9. He's slightly crazy.  Yes, to be in love with sound and sound alone - you have to be a little nuts.  They know more about audio than you'll ever want to know.  And that's a good thing.
10. A great audio guy reminds you to get room tone before the talent has left the room. 
    

Tell me about your audio engineer...

Photo credits: Rusty Sheriff creative commons license.

 

The Video Editor You Never Want To Let Go

Look for video editors that have these qualities:

• He has ten years of experience.  There's just no substitute. Editing is a skill like any other.  But if you haven't put in the time, you're not going to be on my "go to" list.
• She looks at all the footage.  Sounds nuts not to look at all the footage but it's easier not to.  Some editors just grab the first things they see.  I've seen people do it.  There's no short cut.
  
• He's musical. As a general rule, the finest editors I know also are pretty competent musicians. It makes a lot of sense... editing is all about timing. Having an ear for beats is invaluable.  Certainly there are exceptions, but it helps.
• She's funny.  Editing is about surprises.  You want to shake up the audience to keep them watching.  Someone who can make me laugh tells me she can catch me off balance with her edits as well.
• He dabbles in After Effects or Motion.  Certainly some projects don't require it, but the editor who can nimbly switch from AE to FCP is a keeper.  It also shows me that you're willing to stretch and learn new things.
• She is a collaborator.  Is it going to be a battle every time you elongate a shot, delete a white flash, or have to trash the last hour of work? Stick with editors that listen and then make your ideas better.
• He is persistent.  Editing requires time in the seat. A 9 to 5 mentality is not going to do it for me or the project.  And it's not only time, it's a drive to make it work, to finish and to conquer.
  

 
What makes your editor great?

Photo credit: CC Techhie

Making Great Video Stories Part 2 - The Obsessionist Video

As a video story teller, I'm always looking for a way into the story.  How can I tell this story in a way that is interesting?

In Part 1 of Making Great Video Stories, I wrote about the Process video.  Another way to ensure you're telling a compelling story is to tell your story through someone who is obsessed.

People who are obsessed are fascinating.  They usually have to juggle their obsesson with their daily lives, money, their family, and their job so there is an inherent conflict right there.  Conflict good.

The other thing that is great about telling a story about someone driven by something is that they have amassed, most likely, a huge treasure trove of assets.  The assets could be record albums, or business cards, or love letters.

How does this help us?  B-roll!  Great b-roll makes for a great colorful story. 

At Wheelhouse Communications, I pitched to the The Daily (the iPad only newspaper) a video about the release of a new Dr. Suess book, The Bippolo Seeds and Other Stories.  The way into the story was to focus on Dr. Charles Cohen a Dentist by day and a Suessologist by night.  What is a Suessologist?  Click the video to find out. Can't see the video? Click here.

The original Daily story appears here. 

Now go out there and find the obsessed ones!

Photo credit CC: Rachel C

Attention Must Be Paid

The line from Death of a Salesman "Attention must be paid," is on my mind.  And, it's not because there is yet another revival of the 50+ year old play now in previews.

Note to self: I've got to remind myself to get tickets to this show before the reviews come out -- because Phillip Seymour Hoffman will probably be amazing.  (Trivia: he played Willy Loman in a HS production).

But this line resonates with me because earlier this year in the span of six days (2/21 - 2/27) the world lost three theater professionals who should be remembered.

Barney Rosset (1922-2012). Rosset bought Grove press for $3000 in the early '50s and brought D.H. Lawrence and Henry Miller to our shores.

His first major publishing juggernaut was Waiting For Godot by Samuel Becket.  He paid $150 for it and gave the author a 2.5% royalty.  The play has sold more than 2.5 million copies.  But Rosset also subsequently published plays by Brecht, Alfred Jarry, Clifford Odets, Jean Genet, Joe Orton, Ionesco,  Harold Pinter, and David Mamet to name just a few. 

I remember collecting Grove plays because I thought -- if it was published by Grove -- it had to have some merit.  Who would dare publish playwrights with the ferocity that Mr. Rosset once did?  Perhaps only Jeff Bezos has the means, but I doubt he has the world view and taste to have Ubu Roi and American Buffalo in the same hemisphere.

Theodore Mann (1924-2012). Mr. Mann co-founded the Circle in the Square theater which still stands on west 50th street.  The theater moved there from Greenwich Village in the early seventies.

Mr. Mann produced and or directed over 200 productions.  He was instrumental in shaping the careers of Al Pacino, Jason Robards, Geraldine Page and Colleen Dewhurst.  He produced the American premier of Long Day's Journey into Night.  With just that one production, his place is theater history is secured.

Howard Kissel (1942 - 2012)  Howard Kissel wrote about the arts his entire career.  He was a reporter and critic at Women's Wear Daily and then at the Daily News for twenty years.

A quote from the Kissel Daily News obit struck me,

“He always said he was the luckiest person alive, because he got to do everything he ever wanted,” said John Sullivan, a friend and former editor at The News. “He got to live in New York, attend all the shows and museum openings, write about theater and write books about the great people of theater.”

 
His books include a biography of David Merrick, the lectures of Stella Adler and his most recent "New York Theater Walks" were all published by Applause Theater Books.

He seemed like a person you could just not hate as the user comments from this nytimes.com blog post attest: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/theater-talkback-howard-kissel-a-man-who-relished-culture/

Thanks for paying attention.

On to the next production! 

Another Priceless Video Tip: Don't Use That Chair

I've talked here about ways to get a better looking shot.  There's the The $4.95 Solution To Make Your Videos Better and remember the importance of showing a philtrum.

But here's another one.  Don't use an executive chair when you're doing an interview.

(can't see the picture, go here: http://youtu.be/FIYnDo9BxgM?t=10m)

Executive chairs are super comfortable and make you feel regal. However, on video they make you look small.  The backside of the chair goes up to your ears and kills the needed seperation between you and the background.  Plus, your talent is going to end up swiveling and that's going to make your talent look impatient as well.

Use a bar stool or use a chair with a short back.  Sit back alll the way and keep your back straight. 


(can't see the picture, go here: http://youtu.be/JecJzrIfdHg?t=3m37s)

That feels better, doesn't it? 

10 Tips On Becoming a Sought-after Freelancer

The cream rises to the top.  In terms of freelancers that is so true.  As you know by now, I am a video producer and director and I frequently hire teams of talented professionals to create our videos. 

Have you ever noticed there are some freelancers that work all the time?  How do they find themselves in that position?  Here's a list of tips that will get you on your clients' speed dial.

1. Make it easy for clients to find you.  My biggest pet peeve with freelancers is that it should not be hard to reach you.  Jobs come in all the time: morning, noon, night and on Sundays.  Put your contact number on the signature of your email.  It's so simple, yet so many people don't do it.  If I have to struggle to find you, I'm probably going to call the other guy/gal.
2. Show up early.  Another simple one.  Get to the job early.  Be the first one there.  Surprise me and bring some bagels to the set at 6:30.  Being late to a job speaks volumes.
3. Figure out what you want to do before you call me for the first time.  I'm busy.  If you don't know what you want to do then I'm not going to be much help.
4. Don't call me if I don't know you.  Email me a short, witty letter that begs me to find out more about you. Show me some personality.
5. Don't freak out about changes.  Changes in terms of scheduling, in terms of what the client wants, in terms of last minute stuff that no one saw coming is part of the job.  We all have to deal with it.  Take a breath, smile and say, "No problem - let's figure this out together."  There is a flip side to this when people feel abused because of changes and that's a list for another time.
6. When you get hired by me or an agency, please don't shout all over the web that you are working for my client.  You are working for me and my agency.  I'm working for my client.
7. Don't look at the clock.  There comes a time when you have to put in extra.  We all do.  If you're trying to impress me and ensure I hire you again, do more than what is necessary. 
8. Don't sit.  I'm thinking about working on a set now.  The last thing I want to see is you sitting with your hands in your pocket trying to blend into the furniture.  Do something that helps our day be more efficient.
9. When you check in with me, I'm not interested so much in how busy you are (how does that help me), what I would like to know is something interesting that pertains to my industry or makes my life easier.
10. Subscribe to my blog.  If your client blogs the biggest way you can show interest is by subscribing to his or her blog and starting a dialogue with the content there.
    Show some interest!
    
    

photo cc license by kl801

Oh My! Amazing iPhone 4s Video Quality

Found this video today on my facebook wall posted by Talmadge Boyd (@talmadge). It's a video shot by Benjamin Dowie on the new iPhone 4s.  And it makes phone calls.

 

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Making Great Video Stories Part 1 - The Process Video

 
The number one way to start telling a good story is to pick a good story to tell.  Sounds simple?  Not all stories lend themselves to video. The first test of whether a video is merited for any story is -- is this a visual story?

To tell the truth, I'm not a huge fan of much of the video I see on the web.  Just because you're talking into a camera and telling me what you think -- doesn't necessarily create compelling video story making. I mean if you are George Clooney or ScarJo, I'll watch anything.  But if you're not...

STICK WITH PROCESS

Show me a process.  Show me how things work.  Show me a cycle from begining to end.  Layer the details along side the process and your information is easily digested.

Recently, I with Wheelhouse pitched to The Daily (the iPad only newspaper) a story of a street artist in New York City who paints the most unbelievable Renaissance style chalk drawings on the sidewalk.  I've passed his drawings for years walking around town and always wondered who he was. 

VIDEO ENHANCES THE STORY WHEN YOU CAN SEE A PROGRESSION

I looked up Hani, the sidewalk artist, on the web and sure enough he had a website with clippings of articles done on him in the New Yorker, The New York Times, The Daily News and others.  Was it a bad idea to do a profile on him since others had already discovered him?  I don't think so.  To me, what was missing was a video that showed him working from beginning to end - how he creates these sidewalk masterpieces.

The editor at The Daily liked the idea and we set out to tell his story.

SHOW THE PROCESS WHILE TELLING THE STORY

I knew I wanted the visuals to drive the story so I made sure that I could capture Hani completing a portrait in 8 hours. 

We picked a subject (Madonna and Child) that he could finish in that time.

I taped him with an unmanned HDSLR camera shooting a frame every 30 seconds.  I also filmed him with a separate camera for about 6 hours doing various time-lapses on specific parts of the drawing so that we could see the drawing build over time.  We also captured B-roll of Hani interacting with pedestrians, setting up, and walking away.

The process of him making a portrait was the perfect B-roll to play over his interview.  In the interview, he told us where he was from, what motivates him, his dreams, and what his paintings mean.

A much easier production would have been to interview him and show his collection of stills of past works. Hani had a treasure trove of stills of his recent work. But that would have been BORING. Easier. But dull. Show the process.

Here's a link to the finished video:

(Can't see the video or want to see it in higher
resolution?) Try this http://bit.ly/mofwsD

If you liked this post, check out Part 2 of Making Great Video Stories - The Obsessionist VIdeo.