The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part 2: Sound Conversations With (un)Sound People

by Kelley Baker

Motion picture audio is one of the least understood parts of filmmaking and is neglected by many film students and filmmakers alike. It's boring, scary, too technical and not considered important by most filmmakers. Until they get into the editing room and realize that by not paying attention to audio earlier they are screwed. Over the years tons of false information has spread through the independent film world, and most students and filmmakers don't want to deal with sound. If they do it is usually done incorrectly through ignorance and at a huge financial expense. This book is intended to shatter the myths and mysteries around film audio and give both students and experienced filmmakers the knowledge and tools so that their films will sound like they have come from the Hollywood studios without huge Hollywood budgets. I have assembled a lineup of some pretty amazing people in all areas of audio production for film and television. This group consists of location recordists, sound designers, picture editors, sound editors, re-recording mixers, and post-production supervisors. This all-star cast has won Oscars and Emmys in addition to awards from various film industries worldwide. In the book's interviews, Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Jim LeBrecht, Ron Eng, Harry B Miller III, Peter Kurland, Lee Haxall, Ken Karman, David A. Cohen and a host of others discuss their methods and secrets. Sound is an excellent carrier of emotion. And film is about emotion. - Gary Rydstrom, sound designer - Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park (winner of 7 Academy Awards) Sound is NOT the enemy! - Lee Haxall, editor Crazy Stupid Love I'm capturing a performance, and that performance is only going to happen one time the way they want it, in the environment, with everybody in the mood. - Peter Kurland, location recordist - No Country For Old Men In my mind, dialog is king, if you can't understand what they're saying then the movie is a waste of time. - David A. Cohen, dialog editor - Lost In Translation A good dialog editor can figure out a way to make nearly every line of dialog usable. Milly Iatrou, dialog editor - Walk The Line I would rather see no music than music used improperly. - Ken Karman, music editor - Forrest Gump We're like the ugly evil stepchildren in the basement. - Jana Vance, foley artist - Toy Story When I look at a film or look at a script I think of what I'm gonna need to make that world. Jane Tattersall - sound effects editor - Naked Lunch I like off beat stuff, weird sounding films and subtle sound tracks as compared to bombastic. - Ron Eng, supervising sound editor - Mulholland Drive Sound is kind of invisible, but when it's wrong we know it immediately. - Jim LeBrecht, sound designer - The Singing Detective Good sound goes unnoticed, bad sound ruins a film. - Dan Olmstead, re-recording mixer - Cecil B. Demented The rule of thumb for good sound is: does it tell or promote the emotional content of the scene, does it support and/or reveal the story. - Tom Johnson, re-recording mixer - Alice In Wonderland (winner of 2 Academy Awards) If you want to see what the future of storytelling looks like then check out Kelley Baker. Brian David Johnson, Futurist, filmmaker, author If you read only one book on sound, this is the one, and, after you've read it, you'll never, ever, ever say, "We'll fix it in post." William M. Akers, author of Your Screenplay Sucks!

Genres: Film

440 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2009

About the author

Kelley is a storyteller in both print and film.

A native of Portland, Oregon, and graduate of USC’s film school, Kelley has a BA and an MFA in film production.

He is an author, (Dennis Barton Is A Bastard and Other Stories, From Arrah Wanna To Muleshoe, Road Dog, The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Part One & Part Two) and an Independent Filmmaker.

He has written and directed three full length features (Birddog, The Gas Café, & Kicking Bird), eight short films, and quite a few documentaries.

His films have aired on PBS, Canadian and Australian television, and have been shown at Film Festivals including London, Sydney, Annecy, Sao Paulo, Sundance, Chicago, Aspen, Mill Valley, and Edinburgh.

In addition to his own films he was the sound designer on six of Gus Van Sant's feature films including, My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, and Finding Forrester, and Todd Haynes film, Far From Heaven. He also did the sound on Will Vinton’s, The Adventures of Mark Twain, and three Claymation specials for CBS.

With no distributor interested in his independent films, Kelley Baker, the Angry Filmmaker, ripped a page out of the punk rock handbook and went looking for his audience in a used minivan with his faithful 120 pound Chocolate Lab, Moses.

“When Moses and I hit the road, it was scary, demanding and a shit ton of fun. Fierce storms, terrifying fog, icy roads, uncontrollable laughter, and oftentimes far too much alcohol. Without that big old dog I’m not sure how I would’ve survived.” – Kelley Baker

Every fall and spring they traveled the country showing his films at art house theaters, film festivals, colleges, and biker bars.

Logging over two hundred thousand miles, they encountered a collection of Fellini-esque characters including two hyper-intellectual pro wrestlers in West Virginia, a lying Chicago hotel desk clerk who cost Kelley his home, civil rights workers knocking back rum at Hank Williams’ grave, and a way overzealous drug sniffing border patrol dog outside El Paso, Texas.

Kelley gave an audio workshop for employees of a porn channel, got yelled at in a haunted bar in Memphis, was asked to leave Oral Roberts University, and drove twenty-four hundred miles in three days so he wouldn’t miss his daughter’s choir recital.

Moses swam in two oceans, fifteen lakes, and enthusiastically marked thousands of spots from sea to shining sea.

To learn more about Kelley and his work we invite you to check out his website, www.angryfilmmaker.com, for more information.

Reviews

[David Menefee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from laugh-out-loud, brutal comments on some of the foibles of modern filmmakers, this book is stuffed full of practical advice. Written by someone who has been in the trenches for many years, it's a welcome addition to any aspiring filmmaker's shelf, but it's especially useful for those of us who are operating on a shoestring budget. The numerous, dated references to (non-digital) film don't detract from the work. Rather, they offer insight into the problem-solving skills that are generally useful in this work.

"Hire a publicist? You have got to be f***ing kidding me! I'm making a movie here."
- Kelley Baker, "The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part One: Making The Extreme No Budget Film"

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a few worthwhile tidbits of advice here and there, interesting first hand experience, and funny rants, but this is by no means the 'how to' that I felt the title led me to believe it would be. Still decent, and the resource list in the back is pretty good.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and funny guide to the challenges of filmmaking on a super-low budget.