Need a post sound facility at DVinfo.net

Tony Warren · November 15th, 2009, 06:39 AM

I'm wondering if anyone here can suggest a good post sound facility that is indie friendly, meaning affordable to the lower budget movies. I live in the LA area, Any suggestions?

Allan Black · November 15th, 2009, 02:15 PM

You may get some downtime in a big facility, especially over the Xmas break. Cheers.

Tony Warren · November 17th, 2009, 07:03 AM

No one has had a good experience with a post sound facility on a low no budget?

Ken Hull · November 17th, 2009, 11:27 AM

Way back when I was a film student (that's FILM, not VIDEO), Cinesound was THE place to go for mixing your sound track. Lots of high-end equipment. Technicians who really knew their stuff. Might have been expensive (but the college was paying). Haven't heard anything about them lately, but doing a Google, I see there is a Cinesound at 915 N. Highland Ave in Hollywood. Phone 213-464-1155.

Good luck
Ken

Zack Allen · November 17th, 2009, 06:29 PM

What are you needing exactly? I used to work for post sound, now I just freelance for indy, and small budget films.

Dan Brockett · November 17th, 2009, 10:02 PM

Usually the words, "low/no budget" and audio post facility don't go together in the same sentence. Audio post facilities, even if someone makes you a deal, are going to cost you some significant money. That said, congratulations for bucking the trend of DIY bad audio in indie projects.

Your best bet, assuming you aren't looking for a mixing stage, is to find a starving sound mixer who has Pro Tools and decent monitoring at home. The word facility suggests that the rent, staff, all of the cool tools must be amortized and paid for which results in a discounted rate of perhaps $150.00 per hour (typical for LA is about $200.00 to $250.00 per hour) if you were REALLY lucky and some facility was really hard up for some biz.

OTOH, freelancers will often consider a flat rate to do a project, which is a good way to go, if you can find someone good, who will keep their word and will do what needs to be done for the little money you have. It is much more rare for a facility to agree to take on a flat IF the project is low/no budget.

You might find some talented audio freelancers by asking around at places like Location Sound or Coffey Sound in LA or by hanging out in the CAS forums (Cinema Audio Society). It will increase your chances if your project is really good. If it is mediocre or worse, don't expect a lot of favors.

Good luck,

Dan

Tony Warren · November 22nd, 2009, 07:48 AM

Thanks Ken and Dan, i just can't see me not trying to get a good as i can sound design, especially after the trials and tribulations of finishing the movie, but this is my first go round with the whole post sound business, and I keep hearing the phrase "SOUND, it's 50% of what you see". One of my ideas was to go and gather all the pre-recorded sounds I can come up with ( I actually have a great connection for this) and letting the editor put those in, then going to a Sound facility maybe on the weekend when it's not so busy and doing the foley and whatever ADR is needed, the ADR is usually a few days from what I can come up with in my calculations. The mix I haven't figured out yet. but that still leaves me with the dialog cleaning right, what else am I missing? Or a better question is am I approaching this correct for a low budget situation?

Zack I am looking for a sound designer, and mixer, and would really like to do it on a flat rate as Dan has suggested, and your work is sounding pretty nice, any suggestions or help?

David W. Jones · November 22nd, 2009, 08:36 AM

I do this type work, although your not suppose to hawk your wears here. And I'm no longer in LA. I will ask you a couple of basic questions to help guide you though.

First, how long is the film in question? Is it a 18min short or a 120Min action feature?

Second, what do you consider "affordable to the lower budget movies"? Translation = what's your budget? Do you have $500 or $50K to spend on sound design, music cues, Foley, Remix and such?

I'm guessing at this point that you are restricting your search to LA because of needing ADR work performed and that is where your actors are. You might consider just having the ADR pickups done locally, this way you are open to a mixer from anywhere in the US.

Where will this play? In other words, do you need a Dolby Cinema approved mix monitored on DMM or LM100 for Dolby certification with 5.1 and stereo mix, or just a mix for DVD and HDCam festival playback?

Give as much up front info to whomever you use, so they can get a good grasp of what your project will really require, and where they will need to concentrate the majority of the budget in order to complete your project on time.

All the Best!

Tony Warren · November 26th, 2009, 12:11 AM

Thanks for all the valuable info David, I'm doing my homework, then I'll get back to you on your questions.

November 15th, 2009, 06:39 AM	#1
Tony Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: los angeles california Posts: 42	Need a post sound facility I'm wondering if anyone here can suggest a good post sound facility that is indie friendly, meaning affordable to the lower budget movies. I live in the LA area, Any suggestions? __________________ Tony R. Warren

November 15th, 2009, 02:15 PM	#2
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,937	You may get some downtime in a big facility, especially over the Xmas break. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

November 17th, 2009, 07:03 AM	#3
Tony Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: los angeles california Posts: 42	No one has had a good experience with a post sound facility on a low no budget? __________________ Tony R. Warren

November 17th, 2009, 11:27 AM	#4
Ken Hull Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 240	Cinesound Way back when I was a film student (that's FILM, not VIDEO), Cinesound was THE place to go for mixing your sound track. Lots of high-end equipment. Technicians who really knew their stuff. Might have been expensive (but the college was paying). Haven't heard anything about them lately, but doing a Google, I see there is a Cinesound at 915 N. Highland Ave in Hollywood. Phone 213-464-1155. Good luck Ken

November 17th, 2009, 06:29 PM	#5
Zack Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Fresno,CA Posts: 42	What are you needing exactly? I used to work for post sound, now I just freelance for indy, and small budget films. __________________ www.soundgeekproductions.com

November 17th, 2009, 10:02 PM	#6
Dan Brockett Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 2,109	Usually the words, "low/no budget" and audio post facility don't go together in the same sentence. Audio post facilities, even if someone makes you a deal, are going to cost you some significant money. That said, congratulations for bucking the trend of DIY bad audio in indie projects. Your best bet, assuming you aren't looking for a mixing stage, is to find a starving sound mixer who has Pro Tools and decent monitoring at home. The word facility suggests that the rent, staff, all of the cool tools must be amortized and paid for which results in a discounted rate of perhaps $150.00 per hour (typical for LA is about $200.00 to $250.00 per hour) if you were REALLY lucky and some facility was really hard up for some biz. OTOH, freelancers will often consider a flat rate to do a project, which is a good way to go, if you can find someone good, who will keep their word and will do what needs to be done for the little money you have. It is much more rare for a facility to agree to take on a flat IF the project is low/no budget. You might find some talented audio freelancers by asking around at places like Location Sound or Coffey Sound in LA or by hanging out in the CAS forums (Cinema Audio Society). It will increase your chances if your project is really good. If it is mediocre or worse, don't expect a lot of favors. Good luck, Dan

November 22nd, 2009, 07:48 AM	#7
Tony Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: los angeles california Posts: 42	Thanks Ken and Dan, i just can't see me not trying to get a good as i can sound design, especially after the trials and tribulations of finishing the movie, but this is my first go round with the whole post sound business, and I keep hearing the phrase "SOUND, it's 50% of what you see". One of my ideas was to go and gather all the pre-recorded sounds I can come up with ( I actually have a great connection for this) and letting the editor put those in, then going to a Sound facility maybe on the weekend when it's not so busy and doing the foley and whatever ADR is needed, the ADR is usually a few days from what I can come up with in my calculations. The mix I haven't figured out yet. but that still leaves me with the dialog cleaning right, what else am I missing? Or a better question is am I approaching this correct for a low budget situation? Zack I am looking for a sound designer, and mixer, and would really like to do it on a flat rate as Dan has suggested, and your work is sounding pretty nice, any suggestions or help? __________________ Tony R. Warren

November 22nd, 2009, 08:36 AM	#8
David W. Jones Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Little Rock Posts: 1,383	I do this type work, although your not suppose to hawk your wears here. And I'm no longer in LA. I will ask you a couple of basic questions to help guide you though. First, how long is the film in question? Is it a 18min short or a 120Min action feature? Second, what do you consider "affordable to the lower budget movies"? Translation = what's your budget? Do you have $500 or $50K to spend on sound design, music cues, Foley, Remix and such? I'm guessing at this point that you are restricting your search to LA because of needing ADR work performed and that is where your actors are. You might consider just having the ADR pickups done locally, this way you are open to a mixer from anywhere in the US. Where will this play? In other words, do you need a Dolby Cinema approved mix monitored on DMM or LM100 for Dolby certification with 5.1 and stereo mix, or just a mix for DVD and HDCam festival playback? Give as much up front info to whomever you use, so they can get a good grasp of what your project will really require, and where they will need to concentrate the majority of the budget in order to complete your project on time. All the Best!

November 26th, 2009, 12:11 AM	#9
Tony Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: los angeles california Posts: 42	Thanks for all the valuable info David, I'm doing my homework, then I'll get back to you on your questions. __________________ Tony R. Warren