Sound and Picture tech spec on IMDb

[Mike Peter Reed]

Does anyone else find it odd that you can do a "technical" search on IMDb using keywords such as schoeps, sennheiser, deva, cantar, and get approximately zero hits? That's right, nothing! Yet search for arri, sony, panasonic, and the engine aborts after 200 hits. Take a look yourself-
http://www.imdb.com/Search/technical

Has audio technique become so mature that no-one cares what tools are used?

[Jeffrey S. Wexler]

It has nothing to do with maturity of the tools or procedures. The people administering the IMDB (database) had to come up with a definition and specification of what would appear in the "technical specs" field. At first, and continuing now, were specifications for the theatrical release (things like mono, dolby stereo, DTS, etc.) as these were things that were easily categorized. This sort of info is part of the main body of info that is gathered as they add to to the database. Along the way, certain camera specifications showed up in the credits of movies --- "Arriflex Cameras provided by xxx", etc. These credits come about often connected to the equipment deals for a project and since they appear in the credits this info is easily databased along with everything else. I don't think this is the whole explanation but it is definitely a factor. Now, if I were able to get it into the credits "Special thanks to Jeff Wexler for using Schoeps microphones" Schoeps microphones might show up when searching IMDB.

[Christian Dolan]

Warning: about to step onto soap box...

You know, why the h-e-double-hockey-sticks doesn't this happen (re:Schoeps, et al)? I mean, sound gets the short end of things in general, but production sound gets the shortest of all. Even in things like DVD extras: they'll cover shooting, design, VFX, and sometimes even post audio, but, to date, I have not seen a single behind-the-scenes that covered production audio.

When did this happen? At what point did the set politics deem the sound department to be second-class citizens?

Sigh...this is our lot in life, I guess. :)

Pardon me while I get my first coffee of the day,
Christian

[Mike Peter Reed]

Yeah, a kind of "Visions of Light" for the audio side would be great. I don't know of anything dealing with production sound either (gap in the market?!)

One of the best things I've seen to date (which is not a good demo of production sound) is the THX trailer showing the construction of the soundtrack for the opening of Last Crusade, when we're matched cut to grown Indy on the boat in the storm (IIRC). When I saw that as a kid I had no idea of the work involved and it didn't even occur to me that the entire soundtrack had been fabricated.

[Jeffrey S. Wexler]

There are a lot of reasons why the PRODUCTION sound department has been increasingly marginalized over the years. I have studied and observed this though as long as I have been doing sound I don't think I can really pinpoint when this all started. I can say without any hesitation that ALL the production crafts are beginning to suffer the same things that were traditionally only sound department issues. I think one of the fundamental roots of this marginalization, at least for sound on dramatic projects, comes from the very fact that all the sound CAN be done later --- if the production sound is absolutely useless, the producer has not lost his movie --- a team of skilled professionals in post can in fact "fabricate the entire soundtrack."

If I were to pick one defining trend or moment that truly catalyzed this marginalization it would be the existence and use of wireless microphones. Before wireless mics on the actors, most all of the rest of the production "on set" crew had to be engaged in the efforts of the production sound department (the simplest example being the cooperation of the Gaffer when lighting the set to accommodate the boom because the boom was the ONLY way the sound could be recorded). As wireless mic work increased, the making of the soundtrack at this first and primary stage, became a much more private endeavor, involving fewer and fewer other departments (with the exception of wardrobe of course)

It would take some more time to develop this thesis and when I have the time I may get into. I think it is important to try and understand the historical roots of things such as this, even in our industry.

[Mike Peter Reed]

I often wonder if the whole of cinema will become somewhat marginalised (perhaps to ever maturing video games) and have to go through a bit of a rebirth like stage theatre. I've seen hundreds of movies in my life, but I could probably count on my fingers the number of stage shows I've been to. A friend of mine had a father who saw theatre marginalised by cinema, and he continued to prefer theatre all his life- but theatre was lost on his son who was a moviegoer. It stands to reason (as a possibility) that over a generation or two the same could happen to cinema. Nothing to do with piracy, but everything to do with "not being like your parents".

Still, video games need ever more demanding soundtracks, I dare say there's a production sound job for the cut-scenes .....