Camera Shy

IN PRAISE OF PROTOOLS

In film, picture and sound each contribute equally to the experience, and yet many indie filmmakers allocate far less attention and resources to sound. Often, they limit their sound efforts to whatever can be accomplished with the picture edit, be it flatbed, Final Cut, or Avid. This is a shame, since those are not the right tools for the job. With the right amount of skill and experience, they can give - at best- reasonable results. They do not allow really great sound. I have met many indie filmmakers who do not shy from spending upwards of two thousand dollars on film stock and processing alone, and yet will budget nothing for audio post production. This does not make any sense.

Editing sound on a picture editing system is like walking down the street with concrete shoes. Luckily IFCOites don’t need to do that: they have access to the industry standard tool for post audio, namely Pro Tools. Pro Tools lets you slice and dice your audio in virtually any way you can think of, and yet it is intuitive and easy to use. Its logical layout allows for speed and accuracy, so you can concentrate on the creative process of using sound to tell your story. With Pro Tools, instead of walking down the street with concrete shoes, you’re rocketing down the street on a sonic skateboard making sound moves like Tony Alva!

One of the great aspects of Pro Tools is its compatibility. Take your Pro Tools session to virtually any studio in the world and they will be able to open it and continue working on it where you left off. For instance, I use Pro Tools version 7.3 on a Mac at work, Pro Tools version 7.4 on a PC at home and version 5 on a Mac at IFCO. With a bit of planning, I can flip sessions back and forth with no effort. Furthermore, you can export an OMF file from Final Cut or Avid and Pro Tools will open it with all your edits and volume information intact.

Here's some things you should definitely try in Pro Tools:

• Record a voice over into Pro Tools using the recording booth in the sound studio.

• Record props for your SFX tracks in the booth.

• Re-record you dialogue and edit it to match your production tracks.

• Import an OMF file from Final Cut Pro and edit your dialogue film style.

• Record a voice and “futz” with it making it sound like it’s on the radio or coming from a PA.

Less than professional sound will only degrade the cinematic experience of your film. You owe it to yourself to become familiar with Pro Tools. See you at the sonic skate park!

By: Ray Gould