10 Ways to Doom a Production
10 Ways to Guarantee the Success of a Production
Why You Don't Want to Mix in the Video Suite
Tech Specs
Geek Stuff
For Sale
10 Ways to Doom a Production
Be sure to look for our companion web page "How to Derail a Train" coming soon.
- Tell your client, "Yeah, we can do it for that." without checking to see if you can do it for that.
- Go for the trifecta: bet that "non-talent" talent can do it in less time, for less money, and with professional results.
- Keep your client out of the loop as long as possible while failing to budget for revisions.
- Don't muster the guts to tell your clients that the changes they want to make necessitate budget revisions (upward). Expect your suppliers to eat it instead.
- Say "We'll fix it in post" early and often when you haven't budgeted for "fixes."
- Change the boards. Add lifts & versions. Don't tell anyone.
- Figure that because shooting DV is 1/10th the cost of shooting on 35mm film (!?!), post production must be 9/10ths cheaper, too.
- Show up late without a hard copy of the 70 second radio script that isn't approved yet.
- Don't hire a sound person for the shoot.
- Don't take advantage of one of the few things we do for free: pre-production consultation. Call us. We'll help you run the numbers and meet your budget goals.
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10 Ways to Guarantee the Success of a Production
What? You didn't read 10 Ways to Doom a Production?
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Why You Don't Want to Mix in the Video Suite
Don't get us wrong, we love AVIDs and other non linear video editing platforms. They are amazing devices for video editing. Video editing. Here's a few reasons we think you are better served by handling your audio on an audio workstation at Sonic Arts.
- Expertise. Sound is what we do. Smooth it out or rough it up; we can make your mix pop.
- Depth. Huge libraries of sound FX and music, a studio for foley and FX creation, and specialized software tools for fixing in the mix and creating unique sounds.
- Monitoring Environment. We've banished all fans, hard drives, video decks and other noisey devices from the control rooms. Add premium monitoring and you're not going to get a truer listen to what your mix
really sounds like (and yes, we've got "crappy" speakers as well for the reality check).
- Accuracy & Resolution. We can slice, dice, EQ, tweak, clean, and repair tracks with much greater precision at higher resolutions.
- Efficiency. We can work while you're cutting/revising.
- Cost. You say you don't have enough in the budget for audio post? Check the rate cards. Online AVID rates typically exceed audio post rates.
- You need more Reasons? An expert can work more efficiently with greater accuracy in a better listening environment for less money and you need more reasons? OK: a friendly staff, beautiful surroundings, hot chocolate chip cookies and the most comfortable chair you've ever experienced.
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Tech Specs
Audio Formats we can handle/deliver:
.wav .aif .sd2 .mp3 .vox
as well as a variety of obscure formats; all at nearly any bit depth and/or sample rate you can muster.
Video Formats
We can view VHS, 3/4" Umatic, and BetaSP. For lock to picture work, we prefer a BetaSP clone of the master with reference audio. If BetaSP is not availabe, a 3/4" tape (or VHS) with analog time code (LTC) on channel 2 recorded at "0 Vu" and reference audio recorded at "-10 Vu" is acceptable. All source video is transferred to a non-linear hard disk video recorder for use with our screen projection system and Pro Tools interlock.
OMF Transfers
We prefer OMF "Type 2" documents with embedded media (no video) and 60 frame handles.
For eveything you ever wanted to know about OMFI, we recommend the Avid Products Collaboration Guide.
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Geek Stuff
Yeah, the good stuff is here: ProTools HD w/192 interfaces & ProControls. Plug-ins galore. Mics by Neumann, Sennheiser, AKG, Schoeps, Radio Shack etc. Quested monitoring. DLP video projection. Top notch acoustic design. Wanna talk geekspeak and specifics? Contact one of our engineers.
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For Sale
Listed for a friend: One Soul. Slightly used. Once owned by an ad agency who leased it to the devil who used it as collateral with a minor diety who had the power to make take #347 the last one of the day. Make offer.
Equipment for sale can be found here.
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10 Ways to Doom a Production
10 Ways to Guarantee the Success of a Production
Why You Don't Want to Mix in the Video Suite
Tech Specs
Gear Geeks
For Sale
