The Sound and the Fury

Wardrobe works with hair and make up, set designers talk with the lighting department, the script supervisor is talking to other assistant directors, the director is talking to the DP and actors, and sound is left to fend for themselves. Eavesdropping on conversations to listen for details on the next shot, observing camera placement and asking for lens and blocking details, all the while everyone is rushing around communicating and collaborating with each other to pull off the next shot. And all the while the sound department is expected to keep track of everything and are trusted to figure out any logistical problems that may arise with the next set up, and quickly.

The respect they have for the sound department can also be a curse. Just as we trust them to do their jobs well and set up the visual aspect of the film, they trust us to handle the aural aspects. Many crewmembers may not know anything about the principles of sound and what it takes to accomplish what we need to get a quality recording. That is understandable, but when they do not take the time to appreciate what we do that is when problems happen. Yes, my boom is in your shot, yes you can see my shadow, no you did not consult me before setting up, or making changes.

In a highly collaborative art like filmmaking, the sound department should be there from the beginning. Location scouting, script revisions, blocking, shot set up, they all influence our ability to contribute to the quality of the finished product. Everyone wants to make a mad dash in post-production sound design to get us to complete the film on schedule. If the sound recorded on set was rushed, more work must be done to fix it. For some productions we weren’t there for pre-production meetings, were found last minute for production, and are expected to make it pristine in post.

Respecting the sound crew should not be limited to trusting us to do our thing because you think we are just that good. It means realizing everything you do affects everything we do. It means appreciating our contribution to the film and collaborating and communicating effectively with us from the inception of the project to make sure production runs smoothly so we can all achieve the artistic vision to better tell the story to the audience.

Silent On Set!

Ahh the early 1920’s. It was a glorious time when films were, for the most part, silent and filmmakers didn’t have to worry about the noise the crew made on set being picked up my microphones. The term was created before sound was an important part of the filmmaking process so actors and directors could concentrate on performance without being distracted. And from the mid to late 20’s to now the same holds true with one crucial factor to consider: Microphones.

And highly sensitive ones at that. Picking up the noise of a fan running in the other room, someone’s cell phone vibrating, crew whispering to each other, people texting, all relatively quiet actions which most non-audio people understandably do not realize make tremendous amounts of noise when trying film a scene. The issue arises from this age-old term “quiet on the set”, which they translate to “be just a little quieter on set”. When they hear the AD yell that, everyone not filming must think, “Oh, I can do the same thing I was doing before, only quieter. We can keep talking, but just talk lower.”

Personally, and I’m sure I am not the only one who does this, but I prefer the term “silent on set”. It sounds more official and is not open to interpretation. Most people can agree that silence is the complete absence of sound. So, if you find yourself on location and you hear the words "quiet on set" remember, silence is golden.