questions about hiring someone

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odonnelly99

Active member
Hey friends,

One of the pieces of advice I run into while reading back through the audio forums is "instead of buying all the gear, why not hire someone?"

I have decided to do just that. My question is, well, what questions should I ask them before hiring? I want to make sure I get the best audio I can for my budget.

i appreciate any help!
 
Well "reels" are a waste and very few "real" audio folks have them. Also if the sound sucks in a clip it's hard to tell who screwed it up. PUBLIC ENEMIES had probably the worst dialog tracks I have ever heard in a film people payed to see. In that case there is pretty definative evidence that the production was fine and there were very experienced post editors and mixers and that the director overrode all of them and trashed the track. I would get a list of shows they have done and some contact info and ask other directors how it was to work with them. You could also talk to someone who did post on some of the shows. How much you can expect really depends on where you are and how much your paying. If your paying $25 a day you are not going to be able to ask for much so it may come down to how flakey they seem and if you can get a decent recommendation from someone who isn't a relative. If your paying decently (in the SF area for doc's and low budget films that in the general neighborhood of $550 a day) you should expect solid work experience, a good selection of gear. I see ad's asking for specific items and I think that is stupid. A really cheap X in good hands is usually better than the best X in bad hands. What exactly that equipment is depends on your film so it's hard to say they need XY&Z.

Someone may come up with good questions. I would talk to at least two other directors, producers, sound post people, they have worked with. The post people can probably tell you if it seemed like a competent job but so much depends on the shoot that post will probably be less informative that the director or producer. Were they a pain on the set? Did a lot of work have to be done in post to salvage the tracks? The reason to talk to at least two is that a director can ruin the mixers work by not allowing them to do their job. Those directors are the first to blame everyone else, but if you get a pattern of issues then it probably has something to do with the mixer. The easiest way is to ask people you know and respect in your area who they liked working with.
 
Scott is exactly right about the "reel" thing.
Ya never know if post improved the tracks OR destroyed them.

Of course ask for what kind of jobs they have done.
Hopefully they can give you a number of jobs that are in the same vain as your project.

If a documentary company calls me I'd give them doc's ive worked on.
Commercials same thing..etc.

Hiring a sound guy has one advantage over other depts in that you can ask them what kind of gear they own and get a good idea of the level they are playing at.

Im not saying you cant get great results with more budget friendly gear at all,
but if someone would tell me they use a Cantar, Schoeps type gear
I'd feel more confident in their abilities than if they told me they used a 200 dollar recorder an a 200 dollar mic.
Why? because the longer you do it and the more experienced you become
you're going to strive for better results..etc.
Of course this is just 1 way to get an idea and I wouldnt base EVERYTHING off of it.

I'd also just listen to how they hold a conversation on the phone.
Do they seem confident? attitude? whiny?


The most important way of finding a good freelancer in ANY dept is contact
production companies in your area, or freelancers in other depts and see who
THEY recommend to you.

If I was hiring people I dont know I would absolutely go that route.
 
odonnelly99 said:
I want to make sure I get the best audio I can for my budget.
Click to expand...

This statement begs the question... what IS your budget?

What you can expect will have a lot to do with that answer. You won't get Schoeps/Cantar for $150-$200/day. To continue with Rippie's point... yes, "evolved" soundguys will have gear on that level... but just so you know... I don't know too many guys on that level that get less then about $400/day (and many get more).

The latest experience I have has it around $450 + OT if the day goes long. My single best sound day happened during the 2008 elections... working a REALLY long day for Fox... and in that one day I nearly doubled the standard day rate... but I've also worked locally for companies/crews that have their own gear package... want me to use their stuff... and that brings the rate down.

So... not to be contrary to the spirit of hiring a sound guy here... but just as we must address the expectations and BUDGET when guys come in asking about mics... we must also disclose a little info as it relates to expectations and budget for hiring.

It's possible to get GOOD sound (beyond simply "acceptable"... actually GOOD) on a budget... but it'll be a little harder to find the right guy for the job... because what you're really looking for is a guy who's only real limitation is gear, and not ability... and even at that you probably need him to supply his own package? Yes?

I feel like the "what's your budget" question is adversarial on these forums... There are so many people who think this question unfairly puts people into "categories" as if it's somehow discriminatory... but really, the answer to this question is for YOUR benefit, not mine... as I can better tell you what's a good deal for the money you have available.
 
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just to stress my point to the original poster
I never said you couldn't get results with lower end gear.

Just saying if you're talking to a stranger on the phone
there are only so many ways to figure out what level he is playing at.
Use that question as one part of your decision.

As Matt said, if you could tell us your budget it would take a lot of the guessing
out of trying to help you.
 
I appreciate all the input guys. My budget for the film is 12 grand.

Scott-Question for ya. To what extent can a good post production sound guy really clean up a soundtrack? For instance, Most short films I act in end up sounding terrible. Other than ADR, can a lot be done to give it a clean sound?

Matt- I don't know what Schoeps/Cantar is, but it sounds cool. : ) Thats good info though on prices. I appreciate it. As far as sound quality, I'm not expecting my sound to win an oscar, I just want it to be good enough to not take the viewers out of the story.

Rippie- Good call. I'm going to contact the Pittsburgh film office tomorrow.
 
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