The Process

2. What do you actually DO in my film?

Descriptions are nice, but I like to show what I do, and the difference that brings to the table.

Dialogue Editing

In film, dialogue is usually king. You wrote a good script for a reason! In this stage I’m cleaning up any unwanted noises, using EQ to make the dialogue sound natural, and making things smooth. I’m also importing all the files and making sure there’s nothing missing!

Sound Design

  1. Foley: sounds that mimic real-life actions to match the on-screen movement.

  2. Background Effects: Environmental sounds that set the scene, such as birds chirping, traffic, or crowd noise.

  3. Designed Effects: Creative, often synthetic sounds used for elements that don't exist in reality, like alien technology or magical spells.

  4. Sounds that create a sense of space and depth, helping to immerse the audience in the environment.

Mixing

The goal of mixing is to enhance the story and keep the audience engaged. My mix decisions rely heavily on the performance of the actors, and the creative directions of the director.

3. File Transfer

If that all sounds great to you, then the next steps are to send over the files! I have a short video explaining the process, but if you’re familiar already, I need two things:

  • A reference cut of the film with timecode printed on screen

  • An AAF of the session matching the following export setting below

    NOTE: If you have nested sequences, please un-nest them!

4. Revisions

For longer projects, we’ll start at getting an initial cut on the first 15 minutes or so. After that we’ll use Frame.io to go back and forth with revisions adding in 10-15 minutes each round so it’s easier to digest at once. We’ll also use the script, notes from you, and any other inspiration to guide our first cut!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Revision time varies between projects. For the first draft of a feature? Around a week. For a 10 minute short? Probably a day.

    We'll rinse and repeats with revisions on frameio until everyone is happy!

  • Yes! In fact, I usually edit the dialogue and sfx before bringing the music/cues into a premix. Often times the timing works out by having the final score once I'm ready for the first cut with my mix.

  • When working with a composer, I think it's important to keep their mix intact.

    What works best is for them to send a master stereo .wav file at 48Khz/24bit. I'll only be automating their volume, not individually mixing their stems.

  • I use Quickbooks to send an invoice via email that has a pay portal built in, and that sends receipts. That way the IRS doesn't come after me during tax season.

    Usually half of the agreed flat rate is at the start of the project, and half at finishing. Although smaller projects that finish quickly can be all at the end.

  • Yes! I have a template Contract/SOW that you can find HERE.

    It's important to have one so we're on the same page with expectations!

  • I like to export as much as possible to give you the most flexibility in wherever your film goes. Along with stems for dialogue, sfx, and music, I export at various loudness levels. This ensures that if you're posting on vimeo, sending to Sundance, or on a TV station, you'll be covered! Below is a brief explanation of the different loudness levels.

    -27LUFS: This is the loudness standards a fair amount of festivals use. It's sort of the wild west with loudness levels at smaller film fests, but at larger ones they have a spec sheet to follow. That spec sheet sometimes calls for a 5.1 mix at -27. If you're attaching a master audio track to video for an in person film fest, use the -27LUFS Master


    -27LUFS multimono: This is the same as the normal -27 mix but it's separated into 6 files for each channel (L,R,C,LFE,Ls,Rs) I include this in case the person making a DCP needs it.


    -24LUFS: This is a little bit louder than the -27 mix. -24 is generally what broadcast channels for TV or other media use. This one would be fine if a festival doesn't care too much about the audio specs, but you'll use this if it get's picked up on a streaming platform. (They should be fairly specific with what they want)


    -16LUFS: This loudness level is in stereo and is for trailers, social media, and web releases/festivals. You can go louder than -16 but Youtube and Vimeo has a recommended level of -16 so that's why we bring it to that level.

  • A vast majority of our projects are remote and have worked out wonderfully! We’ve taken the time to calibrate our rooms to ensure a mix out of here sounds good on your phone, laptop, and the big screen!