Do What you Love & Love what You Do

There's a heartache I fight when I'm not in the studio. In the several places I've lived, schools I've attended, locations I've worked, there's always that initial "new" feeling that seems to overcome me the first time I'm in a new place. In studios it's quite different. It's not that awkward "unknown place" feeling. I feel comfortable, like I'm home, and my heart is happy to just be in a place where I find so much joy. 


As an assistant, I run reports, create spreadsheets, scorecards and dashboards, use more math formulas  than I ever really thought I would, and analyze... everything to find a why and a solution. 


But in a studio, I create, develop, transform, and tell stories with sound effects, sound design, dialog, and music. I enhance an image and give the world a theatrical experience. I get to use my creativity, my education, my experiences, and analytical skills for something that truly makes me proud to say this is what I do. 


I've been in Burbank for almost a year. I've emailed several studios about internships, assistantships, and apprenticeships a few times. I've volunteered at events and have sat in on sessions, taking notes and asking questions, wondering when I would have a chance to just be in a studio and learn from the people doing what I want to do. I just want to be home, just be in a studio. And let me just say, the Brits tell me I make a great cup of tea.


When I was asked to work on a feature, I jumped on the opportunity. More recently I was worried that this was just another dream... until today. This is really going to happen and I'm really excited. I will be cutting sound effects, but it also sounds like might do some mixing. 


Audio post is where work is not a chore or just a paycheck, but a creative environment where innovation in the audio industry can be developed... and your tomfooleries can actually create some pretty awesome sounds. 

Roger Ebert: Without a Voice and Louder than Ever

Roger Ebert is an inspiration, not only to those interested in film, but in all aspects of the entertainment industry. His determination to keep sharing with the world his reviews and knowledge, even without an audible voice, is a prime example of pursuing your passion and overcoming obstacles. I have known people with big dreams but when it comes to working around the obstacles, they are not willing to make the sacrifices or adjustments to achieve their passion. Ebert has not only continued to pursue his passion, but with the development of a “personalized” computer voice, he is also helping advance computer/audio technology. Social networking has helped create a new voice for Ebert, inspiring others to never give up on doing what you love.  

In this video from TED.com, Roger Ebert discusses how he lost his voice, but also, how he gained an even larger audience by the power of social networking sites. Instead of using the Alex Apple voice, Ebert had three people close to him read his words. The first was his wife, Chaz. She details the complications with Ebert’s surgeries, including the ruptured artery that could have ended Ebert’s life. After several failing surgeries, Ebert was left without his jaw, no longer able to use any vocal capabilities. He first wrote several notes and then soon transitioned to the computer-generated voice, but with Apple’s release of Alex, there was more of a natural flow.

Ebert continues that you do not really put much value on your voice until it is gone, making him feel distant from the human mainstream. Chaz suggested using old recordings from interviews and commentaries to create a personalized computer voice. A company in Scotland took on the challenge of creating the first voice to sound like a person. The flow is not as natural and the company is still working to improve it, while Ebert continues to use Apple’s Alex.

Ebert is now able to communicate to a wider audience because of social networking. He uses his blog, email, twitter and Facebook to substitute. He agrees it is not an improvement but it is the best he can do. "Online everyone speaks at the same speed." Ebert says he cannot complain. He is writing as well as ever, has no cancer, and the digital revolution has provided a new voice for him.This shows a lot about Ebert's character and encourages me to keep pursuing what I love. 

“Only after we learn to pass knowledge from one generation to the next, does civilization become possible.” -Roger Ebert

Follow him on Twitter: @ebertchicago

Check out his blog: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/

Motion Picture Editors Guild

I would really like to become part of the Motion Picture Editors Guild out here in the Los Angeles area. They help negotiate to protect their members’ safety and well being from producer exploitation. Being newer to this industry, I think it is important to have a negotiation partner who knows what the expectations are for pay rate in my profession. The benefits of being a member include health and pension plans as well as practice facilities and training courses to stay up to date with current software and technology.

Their health plan is rated as one of the best plans in the country, paid entirely by producer contributions. Benefits include comprehensive medical, hospital, prescription drug, vision, dental and life insurance coverage. In addition, contracted wellness programs offer you preventive screenings and educational programs. 

They offer two pension plans, The Motion Picture Industry Pension Plan (Pension Plan), and the Motion Picture Industry Individual Account Plan (IAP). Both are funded 100% through employer contributions.  The Pension Plan provides a fixed monthly benefit payable for the Participant’s lifetime after retirement.

Their post production practice facilities feature the most modern equipment, popular software, a comprehensive library and access to online training programs. While they offer training courses at participating facilities are also available to members in good standing. The cost for these training courses is subsidized, but many of the facilities waive the cost entirely.  Providing a place to further develop skills and practice your craft is an enticing benefit to becoming a member.

The union also offers plenty of networking opportunities and mixers as well as special screenings to members. They offer all prospective union employers 24/7 access to the Guild’s database of members’ resumes. The database search results include the member’s name, contact information, resume, skills, and references. Providing editors with an opportunity to share their skills with a broader audience. 
 

Their website offers detailed instructions for application procedures, initiation fees, and making appointments to join as well as breakdowns of pay rates for each role. Now, if I can just get a few projects that qualify for the hours necessary to become a member, I will also be able to take advantage of these great benefits.

The MPAA: Analyzing the Movie Business

“The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA), together with the Motion Picture Association (MPA), serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries in the United States and around the world. MPAA's members are the six major U.S. motion picture studios: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. They are a proud champion of intellectual property rights, free and fair trade, innovative consumer choices, freedom of expression and the enduring power of movies to enrich and enhance people's lives.”

By setting the industry expectation, the MPAA is able to provide accurate market trends for films and their accompanying audiences. According to the MPAA, overall box office dollars for US and International markets have shown 25% growth over the last 4 years. Fifteen percent of that is from the United States and Canada alone. Last year, all films released outside the U.S. and Canada increased by 13%. Unfortunately, there was no additional revenue growth at the box office from 2009-2010 in the U.S. and Canada. This is not uncommon as there was also no revenue growth from 2006-2007. I think this speaks a lot about the current economic state of our country. History tells us that entertainment in the form of film has been one the forms of entertainment that thrived even during the Depression, but that does not necessarily mean that there is revenue growth.

3D films received a very large boost in growth of 2221% over the past five years, with 91% growth from 2009-2010 alone. Last year did see a dip in attendance, though I would imagine with the several 3D films and sequels due out this year, we may see the average attendance increase. Many films released in 3D were animated films, directed towards younger audience, which explains why 2-17 year olds make up the peak audience of 3D films. This also relates to the increase in parents worrying about the affects of 3D television and films on children’s sight.

Moviegoers are expected to attend an average of 6 films per year. In 2010, that equated to 1.3 billion tickets sold. Females dominate the young adult demographic of moviegoers ages 18-24, as well as senior viewers aged 50 or older. Males dominate the midrange from 25-49 years old. I would like to think this could be a result of women dating older men, contributing to the shift in female and male viewers from ages 18-39. Overall, it seems that women attended more films from 2009-2010. Looking at the top 25 films released last year, they seemed less pointed towards the male adult demographic. With the several action and superhero movies due out this year, I would expect this might actually switch for 2011.

In comparison to sports events and theme parks, cinemas remained on top for attendance. Even though ticket prices increased by an average of 39 cents, it still remains the most affordable means of family entertainment. In the past 4 years, there has been a decrease in attendance by about 5%, which I strongly believe is due to digital distribution. Some distributors offer films on premium cable channels that same day they are released in theaters. Moviegoers can also wait until the film is available On Demand, on Netflix or some other streaming device to play instantly at their leisure.

The data that the MPAA provides helps these major studios analyze their current, future and even past production successes to determine necessary adjustments to be more profitable at the box office. The partnership that the MPAA has developed with the 6 major studios will help shape the future of how films reach their intended audience. The MPAA also provides up to date government filings available online. One of their recent articles includes details about what they are trying to do to decrease online theft on websites. I would expect that the MPAA would help develop better digital watermarking to prevent illegal use of films, protecting the intellectual property rights of those who own them.