audio…stream of unconsciousness

I’ve noticed many things in my travels…

One thing is that audio can be a highly rewarding, yet extremely thankless job, especially when it comes to reality television. Every pre-production orientation meeting stresses the importance of audio to tell their story. Yet, at the end of the day, it is unbelievable how some directors and producers will come up to a crew and thank only the camera operator.

Sure, audio mixers sit down. When there is an opportunity, they should. Sometimes they might give the illusion that they're not doing anything. That’s just because they have their sh-tuff together. Most audio people are soooo smart, that they can multi-task, and often they're seen on set mixing while doing their taxes or composing music. There is not the same appreciation for the creativity of mixing audio for a scene as there is for capturing it visually. Nor should there be.

However, what is a bunch of pretty pictures lumped together with no audio? It’s called B-roll. And unless you’re making Baraka, or Koyaanisqatsi, you can’t tell a decent story without it. I remember happier times when there were no images to distract the audience from the story being told. One used imagination and interpreted the visuals in his or her mind. Those were the days…

Mixing a single-camera reality scene can be awesome. There is a craft. There is anticipation. There is    split-second decision making. There is…"the dance." The dance is best described as the seemingly choreographed moves that camera and audio people make, maneuvering around each other to capture the scene. It can be more beautiful than (insert beautiful ballet title here). The more crews there are, the more complex the dance becomes. Cast members enter and exit a scene at any given moment. They leave to go to the bathroom. They come in from the kitchen chomping chips. Some sit for hours in a room without saying a word before they decide to chime in. Good audio mixers and camera operators learn the patterns of these specimens and adapt to their individual habits. After all...If the reality crew misses it, it never happened.

Finding and chasing down the story is why I put the headphones on. There is nothing more rewarding than when an audio mixer catches a cast member ducking away to go conspire. Or better yet when you catch someone beginning to well up, and get the "money shot" of reality...some dumb reality show contestant welling up or bawling...(oh it's the little things sometimes that keep you going.)

The voyeuristic aspect of reality television is unlike any other medium in the entertainment industry. Working on Trading Spouses was an incredible experience. It was a smattering of American family life. Every 9 days, we traveled to another city, suburb, or obscure offshoot thereof. We were witnesses to a vast array family dichotomies for 10 hours a day. A true voyeur's dream.

To be continued....

(next installment...creative audio)

...word...