i wonder if this forum should be here?

[Kim Welch]

maybe we should call it something else.

Update, November 2026
Twenty years later, the Sound forum is still here, and sound is still one of the most important and most overlooked parts of filmmaking. Audiences forgive a plain image, but they won't forgive bad audio. If you have a question about recording on set, mixing or sound design, post it here.

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[Digigenic]

Maybe it should just be relocated to another section, possibly as a subject within editing? It is a broad topic though, from production to post, audio certainly covers quite a bit of ground, and it deserves a great deal of attention.

The other thing is, almost every film student aspires to be a distinguished player in the film industry, like producer, director, writer, cinematographer, etc. You don't hear of too many film students eager to push the cameras, glitz, glamour, and oversized budgets aside to get their hands on a boom mic and mixer. But, you might hear about a few beginning filmmakers who’d like to do audio creation and/or enhancement in post. Often a lot of people make up for the poor audio quality they get in production by sweetening and/or replacing it in post.

Virtual sound studios and the usage of loop based programs to create your own soundtracks for a film is very popular. I think it's an invaluable tool for any filmmaker who has no musician friends capable of composing an original score.

Some relatively simple, yet effective programs that I can name right off the top of my head are Apple's Soundtrack, and Adobe's Audition. There are tons of other programs out there, like Sony's Acid and Sound Forge programs, which work wonders for filmmakers and musicians alike.

 

[jodymichelle]

How about a section for musicians and songwriters who create music for film?

 

[MarkG]

ou don't hear of too many film students eager to push the cameras, glitz, glamour, and oversized budgets aside to get their hands on a boom mic and mixer

Odd, because if you really just want to work on movies and don't care about the glamour, sound recording is probably one of the easiest ways to get there: a few thousand dollars of gear and, if you know what you're doing, you're pretty much ready to work on anything from a DV short up to a multi-million dollar production.

 

[Digigenic]

You're telling me...?

You're telling me...?

That is odd, because your response is based on a quote that is taken entirely out of context. I am an indie/student filmmaker, and I am well aware of the advances one can make without utilizing glitz, glamour, and oversized budgets as a crutch to create art.
If I were a proponent of such elements, do you think I'd even be on this forum?

 

[MarkG]

Out of interest, do you always interpret every response to you as a personal attack? I was making a comment on the benefits of being a sound recordist, have no idea why you took offence to that (or to my comments on Edition in the other thread).

Seriously, if you're that thin-skinned. movie-making may be the wrong business for you.

 

[Digigenic]

I'm so stupid...

I'm so stupid...

Yeah, what was I thinking...?
Who gets away with mingling the excitement of film with boring old politics...?
Of course, there's Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Michael Moore and some others who’ve attempted to make politically fueled films...but those guys have been such failures for attempting to bring the two elements of filmmaking and politics together...man I’m such an idiot for thinking I could have done the same...
If you hadn’t helped me realize the error of my ways, I might have turned out like one of those guys…thank you so much for preventing that from happening…

 

[Kim Welch]

worked on JFK set and took a "writing for movies"

worked on JFK set and took a "writing for movies"

Worked on JFK movie “Oliver Stone” building sets and took writing for movies class in an honors program at a community college in Dallas called Richland community college. Since then I have been working for myself mostly doing sales and internet marketing for an entertainment publishing company. Started doing the ASC newsletters a couple of years ago and got interested again more than ever. I wrote a couple of scripts about drug addicts and dysfunctional families and recently started a new one that is more main stream and kind of Hollywoodish.

 

[Digigenic]

Element of Surprise...

Element of Surprise...

Damn Kim, talk about the element of surprise...
Had you never opened up, I would have never known that you had that much experience...

What was it like on JFK?

I had a little bit of experience on a big production as an extra in Pearl Harbor, it was fun, but I just did it to see if I could do it, I wasn't really as interested then as I am now. But it was still a memorable experience.

So, would you say that you feel more comfortable from the writer's seat, or do you intend to maintain complete involvement throughout the entire process of your projects?

 

[LNeighbors]

I've used music on a royalty free CD called Pianoscapes for 2 of my film projects. Its solo piano and it fits in nicely as soundtrack for my films. I've also used Apple's Soundtrack but unlike Soundtrack, the Pianoscapes disc is already composed music that you can just lay into your timeline. The company is called UniqueTracks, they have a lot of different kinds of music that is already composed. My high school used some of their music CDs in the video class and for the web design class. I use their music at Tisch/NYU who also had a lot of their discs in the post library.

Some relatively simple, yet effective programs that I can name right off the top of my head are Apple's Soundtrack, and Adobe's Audition. There are tons of other programs out there, like Sony's Acid and Sound Forge programs, which work wonders for filmmakers and musicians alike.

 

[themovieman]

Audio is audio leave it. It is an important aspect to film.

 

[Kim Welch]

Thanks, movieman. You're right: audio is half the experience, and it deserves its own forum. Recording clean dialogue on set, a good mix and thoughtful sound design are what make a film feel professional.