8:30am
I arrive at the network complex for my freelance shift in DAW. My work order for the day is to sound design, mix, and tag a promo (six versions, each :15) for one of the networks. The editor is still working to get the AAF files onto the server for me, so I start prepping material for my Monday work order, just to get ahead.
9:15
Another producer walks in, who is working with the editor directly across the hall from me. "Hey, what are you working on right now?"*
*To the uninformed, that's producer speak for, "Are you busy?" It is also another way of warning you that all hell is about to break loose as they will be dumping something on your plate... something with a tight deadline, and something that they've known about for weeks yet somehow just managed to begin an hour before.
"Well, I'm about to start sound design for Tim. Just waiting on the AAFs." This is a crucial mistake, by the way. Admit your weakness, that you are in a slight holding pattern, and you'll be pounced like a lame gazelle on the Serengeti Plain.
"Okay, great. We have a promo that needs a special re-tag for the other network... it shouldn't take long. One spot, one version, and it's only :15. We have the new VO tag ready, if you can just pull the audio from the last :15 we did for this show."
I'm a freelancer. This is not my ProTools suite. I have not worked on these shows. Let me also mention at this point that the resident sound designer, who is out of town to attend a wedding, has an organizational system that is, well, very effective... for him. After pouring through several session folders, I find what appears to be the most recent version. I open the PT session, and we watch the :30 at the head of the time line. "That's the spot!" exclaims the producer. "Okay, now we just need you to pull the audio from the :15 and add a new tag."
I scrolled forward to the :15, which has absolutely nothing with it except for the reference scratch mix from AVID. "There's no audio for the :15."
"None?"
"None. The :30 isn't even finished. Looks like he started the sound design, but it still has some scratch VO, and there's no music." As it turns out, this session was started shortly before the aforementioned sound designer left town. The graphics (which affect the sound design) were only finished the night before that. This spot wasn't due completed until next week.
"Well," said the producer, "can you pull what you can from the :30 and put the :15 together?"
9:30
"I guess I can, but the AAFs for the other spot are ready and I need to get started on that. Plus, I don't have all the parts here. There's no music." I now have three producers, two editors, and a composer standing around me.
"We have the new VO tag," the producer informs me. "We'll track down the music."
"Um... okay." Another fatal mistake. I am now committed, but the other spot was the only thing on my plate, and I have until 5:30.
"Great! Oh, and we need to cart the spot by 10:00 this morning."
It took me until about 11:00 to get this thing finished, mostly for waiting on other pieces and parts, but in no small part because I was essentially having to start the sound design almost from scratch, plus mix and layback. I should have been well into my work order at that point.
I got the AAFs I had been expecting when I arrived (rather, that had been expecting me for about 2 hours now) and set up my PT session. I had to leave for a lunch meeting. When I got back, there were sticky notes on the desk for me to call the producer and to go talk to the editor as soon as I was back in the building. I chose to find the editor.
"I got your note," I said as I rounded the corner.
The editor looked at me, half relieved and half panicked. "Hey... um... how close are you? I have something that I think will save you time."
"Well, I still have work to do. That curve ball this morning really set me back."
"Gotcha. I went ahead and sent you the VO headers and tags, so you should be able to just drop them in"
"Oh. I had the raw VO session WAV. I've already chopped those apart and labeled them. They're ready to go."
"Oh! Great! Well, you'd better hurry."
"Why?"
"They didn't tell you?" (This should not surprise me in the least, yet...)
"Tell me what?" I asked, knowing I was in for an unpleasant answer.
"These spots have to go to cart in an hour!"
I arrive at the network complex for my freelance shift in DAW. My work order for the day is to sound design, mix, and tag a promo (six versions, each :15) for one of the networks. The editor is still working to get the AAF files onto the server for me, so I start prepping material for my Monday work order, just to get ahead.
9:15
Another producer walks in, who is working with the editor directly across the hall from me. "Hey, what are you working on right now?"*
*To the uninformed, that's producer speak for, "Are you busy?" It is also another way of warning you that all hell is about to break loose as they will be dumping something on your plate... something with a tight deadline, and something that they've known about for weeks yet somehow just managed to begin an hour before.
"Well, I'm about to start sound design for Tim. Just waiting on the AAFs." This is a crucial mistake, by the way. Admit your weakness, that you are in a slight holding pattern, and you'll be pounced like a lame gazelle on the Serengeti Plain.
"Okay, great. We have a promo that needs a special re-tag for the other network... it shouldn't take long. One spot, one version, and it's only :15. We have the new VO tag ready, if you can just pull the audio from the last :15 we did for this show."
I'm a freelancer. This is not my ProTools suite. I have not worked on these shows. Let me also mention at this point that the resident sound designer, who is out of town to attend a wedding, has an organizational system that is, well, very effective... for him. After pouring through several session folders, I find what appears to be the most recent version. I open the PT session, and we watch the :30 at the head of the time line. "That's the spot!" exclaims the producer. "Okay, now we just need you to pull the audio from the :15 and add a new tag."
I scrolled forward to the :15, which has absolutely nothing with it except for the reference scratch mix from AVID. "There's no audio for the :15."
"None?"
"None. The :30 isn't even finished. Looks like he started the sound design, but it still has some scratch VO, and there's no music." As it turns out, this session was started shortly before the aforementioned sound designer left town. The graphics (which affect the sound design) were only finished the night before that. This spot wasn't due completed until next week.
"Well," said the producer, "can you pull what you can from the :30 and put the :15 together?"
9:30
"I guess I can, but the AAFs for the other spot are ready and I need to get started on that. Plus, I don't have all the parts here. There's no music." I now have three producers, two editors, and a composer standing around me.
"We have the new VO tag," the producer informs me. "We'll track down the music."
"Um... okay." Another fatal mistake. I am now committed, but the other spot was the only thing on my plate, and I have until 5:30.
"Great! Oh, and we need to cart the spot by 10:00 this morning."
It took me until about 11:00 to get this thing finished, mostly for waiting on other pieces and parts, but in no small part because I was essentially having to start the sound design almost from scratch, plus mix and layback. I should have been well into my work order at that point.
I got the AAFs I had been expecting when I arrived (rather, that had been expecting me for about 2 hours now) and set up my PT session. I had to leave for a lunch meeting. When I got back, there were sticky notes on the desk for me to call the producer and to go talk to the editor as soon as I was back in the building. I chose to find the editor.
"I got your note," I said as I rounded the corner.
The editor looked at me, half relieved and half panicked. "Hey... um... how close are you? I have something that I think will save you time."
"Well, I still have work to do. That curve ball this morning really set me back."
"Gotcha. I went ahead and sent you the VO headers and tags, so you should be able to just drop them in"
"Oh. I had the raw VO session WAV. I've already chopped those apart and labeled them. They're ready to go."
"Oh! Great! Well, you'd better hurry."
"Why?"
"They didn't tell you?" (This should not surprise me in the least, yet...)
"Tell me what?" I asked, knowing I was in for an unpleasant answer.
"These spots have to go to cart in an hour!"
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