SOUND for Film and Television Volume II -- ANNOUNCED

David Jimerson

David Jimerson

Administrator
Staff member
Hey, all -- we've been talking about it, and you've been asking about it since the original SOUND for Film and Television was released, so now's the time to make it happen!

To get it done, we're launching a Kickstarter for it, but here's the deal for you as one of our pre-order backers --

SOUND for Film and Television Vol II will retail for $89.95. But as a backer, you'll get your copy for $65. AND, you'll get exclusive content that no one else will get. You'll get exclusive mini-lessons. You'll get exclusive production BTS. You'll get outtakes. And, you'll get to be a part of a private DVXuser forum during production for updates, feedback, and even to help guide the content along the way.

ONLY our Kickstarter backers will get all that. So, you'll get $25 off the retail price, lots of exclusive content, and the opportunity to help guide the content.

What we're going to do in SOUND Vol II -- It will be a similar format to the first Sound DVD, with instruction, comedy, cinematic parodies, but also following sound professionals from pre-production all the way through production, post, and delivery on an original film project. So, it'll be encyclopedic when it needs to be, and practical and immersive, too. Plus, we'll be covering sound recording in a live/newsy/documentary environment by being on the set of a reality TV pilot.


Production topics to include:


  • PRE-PRODUCTION, where the most important planning takes place.
  • Dual-system recording
  • Slating
  • Timecode/Jam synch
  • Sound recorders
  • Wireless systems: UHF/VHF/Digital/Analog/Diversity/Non-diversity
  • Complex booming scenarios
  • Reality TV/news sound setup
  • Field/multi-channel mixing
  • Stereo recording

Post-Production topics:


  • PRE-PRODUCTION, coordinating with production recording with post-production concerns in mind
  • Proper sound mixing studio setup
  • Synching via timecode, synching via waveform
  • Intros to Pro Tools, PluralEyes, other software
  • Pulldown/pullup
  • Asset management
  • Setting up audio tracks in editing for optimal export to sound post
  • Sound editing workflow
  • Working with EQ, compressors, limiters, and other sound filters and FX
  • Leaders and timecode burn-in
  • Exporting from edit/NLE to digital audio workstation -- formats and workflow
  • Foley
  • ADR
  • 5.1/multi-channel/surround mixing

So, in all, we'll have:


  • Great lessons from Barry and David
  • Great practical, hands-on expertise from sound professionals
  • Sketch comedy, cinematic vignettes, and our trademark humor
  • A short film designed to get you behind the scenes, following production all the through to post
  • And even a dynamic reality-TV set!

This will only happen if the Kickstarter is successful, so please, don't hesitate to pledge. You won't be charged at all if it doesn't make the goal, so you've got nothing to lose, and so much to gain, by pledging your support.

And the more we raise, the better we'll be able to make it, so please, spread the word!
 
I have been thinking about your kickstarter. I do not pretend to be an expert in crowdfunding, but I have backed 31 projects just on kickstarter, a few more on indiegogo and perused a lot of them on both platforms, so I have just a tiny idea of what worked for me and what did not.

Now, here I go: I think your low level rewards ($10 and $25) are not good enough. The fact that nobody has gone for them kind of supports my opinion.

I would make your current $25 tier the $10 tier. It is tricky. I have watched the original “Sound for…” and even though (or precisely because) I have read Jay Rose’s book on sound capture, I found it useful and entertaining. People like me, who know your previous work for real, will quickly see the potential value in this tier, but I don’t think the information on your kickstarter page is enough to convince people who are not really familiar with you to pay $25 dollar for updates and outtakes.

If you could change them, I would suggest offering downloads of "Sound for Film…” and "Lighthing for Film…" at a discounted price. I bought “Sound...” for $29.95, I'd suggest making it a $25 reward. Your current price for "Lighting for..." is $49.95, make it a $40 or $45 reward. I understand that you would be losing money (making less from those potential sales), but look at it as an investment into making a new video that can make you more money. Even consider the possibility that maybe you would not have made those sales at all without taking the hit: Making less profit from them for a brief period of time beats making no profit. Furthermore, some of those people who decide to pay for the older videos will probably be happy customers and later on pay for the second “Sound for…” volume.

I would also review your $100 reward. It is appealing if you want the Lightning video, but if you want to own both sound tutorials you get a better deal by going for the $65 reward and buying the original "Sound for..." from your site. Maybe offer a $90 reward with the original "Sound for..." and link the $100 tier to the "Lightning for..." tutorial.

The $250 and $500 tiers look good to me. Sorry about being a smart ass :)
 
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Thanks, Aram. I'm going to answer by letting everyone get a peek under the hood of our thinking, because this is a community which is really our home.

We want to do this project. It's the kind of thing we enjoy doing and we've got some really great ideas and really great people lined up to do it with, and I'm excited about it. But we chose this project because it's what people have asked for, ever since the first Sound was released.

Over the years, we've listened to what people have said they wanted. They wanted a DVD version of the HVX BootCamps, so we made that. They wanted a good sound tutorial, so we made that. When Sound was released, people immediately started asking for a lighting tutorial, so we made that. And I do think they are the best you can get.

And people have asked for an advanced sound tutorial, so now we're here intending to provide that as well, and make it the best of its kind available -- to make it every bit as high-quality, entertaining, and engaging as our other stuff. We certainly like that much better than someone just talking into a camera! And so do you guys who have purchased in the past.

So, as members of a community, we're trying to give people what they ask for. That's what we can do as independent producers -- we can give the customers what they want, and respond to them as best we can because they are our sponsors, and they are the ones we're responsible to. If we were hired by a company to do what we do, or were paid a sponsorship fee in the making of the product, then naturally, we'd gravitate toward that company. But that's not what we do, so we can be responsive to the community.

That's why we're running this Kickstarter -- to give people the product they've asked for. To do that, we need to raise the capital to produce it, so we're looking to the community for that. Economic realities pretty much dictate that for this to happen, there needs to be a solid market for it, and there's no gague of the market better than people willing to put up the money for the product they've asked for.

The beauty of Kickstarter is that's a low-risk, very convenient way to pre-sell a product. That's chiefly what we're trying to do here, to see if there's enough of a market to support it. No one's money is risked during the campaign period -- we don't collect anything until the full amount is funded, and it doesn't cost us much to run the campaign. That's as opposed to straight pre-orders or deposits which would have to be refunded if enough isn't collected. No one is on the hook for anything until the project is funded, and if it isn't, then no one is out anything.

So, our Kickstarter is there to pre-sell the product. But we understand that pre-sales can be frustrating, putting up money and waiting for a product, and we don't ever want to frustrate anyone. That's why we've offered some great incentives at the $65 tier -- a really good discount from the release price, exclusive content which will start being delivered months ahead of the final product, so you'll get good stuff while you wait, and the chance to help shape the project into something you want. We want to treat it like a community production -- you're with us early, and we appreciate it, so we want to do things for you.

But I can't stress enough -- if there's not enough support for this Kickstarter to be successful, then there's no reason to do the tutorial. It's just not something people really want.

So as for the tier/incentive breakdowns --

Honestly, the critical tier is the $65 tier. That's the pre-selling tier. That's where we expect most people to land, and that's where most so far have. We wanted to provide other options, and research into how Kickstarters have been historically funded shows that those other tiers are the most effective ones for people who just want to support us -- and that too many tiers are just plain confusing and off-putting. But the $65 tier is the bread and butter, the tier that will make this thing work.

But while we're happy to have any support, and want to give you something to thank you for it, if people want to buy the original Sound all by itself, then it makes more sense -- for them and for us -- just to buy it. At a $25 incentive level, they'd have to wait for the end of April to get it anyway, and that is all they would get, so why not just get it right away for the money? And from our point of view, we're using the Kickstarter to pre-sell Volume II, not to sell our current products. But we're more than happy to give a sort of bundle deal on it if you want to do both.

This is all a chance for us to make the product you want, and let you in on it while we do. It's truly a community mindset with us. We just need to know that the demand for it really is there. It's too expensive to do on spec.

Thanks for supporting us already, Aram. You want the product to be a reality, and you've shown it by pre-ordering with your pledge, and we thank you.

Now, we need everyone else who wants this to be a reality to do it, too. As I said above, this can't happen unless we're successful. So please, don't hesitate to pledge -- you won't be charged until the campaign ends, and you'll only be charged if it's successful. It's a total win-win, and no-lose, for everyone.
 
I guess all I can do now (I have pledged already and higher pledges are out of my budget right now) is plug your kickstarter in other forums then :)
 
Just pledged. I supposed we will get a download copy? Because I am not from US, I am not sure how you are going to handle DVD delivery if that's the case.

Really hope this can happen even if the kickstarter is not successful. I have benefited much from both Sound volume 1 and Lighting.

Thanks Jim and Barry. All your great work are much appreciated.
 
Thanks for the pledge! It will be by download -- we say that in the first bolded paragraph on the Kickstarter page.

Volume II will NOT happen if the Kickstarter is not successful. But thank you for helping to make it happen!
 
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