Hey fellow creative friends,
So this is more of a rant and a reaching out to people who may have had this same sort of problem than anything else I guess. Sorry if it's in the wrong forum?
I've started being the sound pony for the bitchiest most arrogant, stuck up director I could imagine putting up with. That person that's just on the cusp of me staying and going. She likes the idea of being a director so much it makes her tingle with self-centered, sycophantic, yay I'm the best director ever attitude.
Ultimately I'm new to this kind of work in general, and so is she, so much so this is a qweky little independent film and I'm not being paid. She's done a few well shot music videos in the past, so I've been pretty excited to work with them on her new short film project.
I work live sound and have done for some years, often in studios too and I've started doing a bit of teaching on the side at a local music tech college. I feel well versed with working with people in all different environments. I find people, especially in the creative fields, avoid being bitchy, two faced and generally unpleasant. It seems the creative fields lend themselves to a certain open and friendly honesty for the greater good of the project! Except for this woman! I don't think she can help it, she is just naturally quite vile.
See, I've always liked composing for picture and have done a few bits here and there, I compose music all the time but never really had the chance to snag onto a good little indi film, so when presented with this opportunity by my friend (one of the actors) I thought sure! They've never had a dedicated sound guy and as this film has a good script, good actors and good camera crew. I'd effectively be the missing link in their production. So I said, sure! I'll run the sound no problem, I'll record on set, do the post and do the score... Even come to my studio and do any ADR we might need. 'For free too, don't worry it sounds fun'.
I got the shotgun mic, rycote softie, cables, recorder, train tickets at the ready and headed to the location!
She was nice enough to lend me a room for the night before shooting at her home, which I fully appreciate, we had a few beers and she seemed nice, she's loud and excitable so made for a good drinking buddy. Until a bit later in the night when all she did for an hour was put down my friend both as a person and actor while we sat over coffee and tea!! Now I don't mind if you dislike my friend as an actor or as a person, who am I to care, we can like who like, but to have him feature on your film, tell his friend the sound guy, who you've just met in such a way the night before... yada yada yada. - In short, very un-professional. All of her 'crew' already know each other, so I guess I'm the 'new guy'. But already it's seeming like they're playing 'let's make a movie' rather than actually making a movie.
The next day, on set, she's gone from being good drinking buddy to she's obnoxious, loud, immature, inconsiderate and incredibly un-professional. I was bothered but I just thought, no-no, crack on and for the greater good just record the best sound you can and roll with it until the end of the day.
(Bare in mind she was absolutely insistent she wanted to record standing next to a flipping motorway and next to a noisy factory for two of the scenes which didn't require being next to a motorway or next to a noisy factory... - she has a photography background and made her points as such)
I managed to get good enough sound though, albiet I'm going to be cuddling my lovely friend Izotope RX4 for the post sessions.
The day ended, it was home time and we had a day off before the next shoot so I had time to collate the recordings and send them back via sendspace. I cut all the audio into the scene/take format and named the file accordingly. So scene 1 take 1 would be - Scn 1-1. Scene 8 take 11 would be Scn 8-11. That way she could align all good audio with video as she begins to edit.
She didn't get it... She actually didn't get it... At the start of every scene her assistant said scene 1 take 1 and then said cut when the scene was over. I took that audio and arranged it as such, with the right labels and she said 'I don't get it...?'.
I think what she is planning to do, is splice random chunks from the hours of footage together and expect me to dig through the sound and match it in post?? And then write the music for her...
Anyway, day 2 of the shoot. Pretty much all indoors this time so should be easier. And to be honest, it was. I pointed mic at speaking persons, hit record, jobs a good'un. We had unlimited brews and biscuits, my kinda day. Except for absolutely ****y two faced behavior, fake praise and snarky looks at people when their back was turned. I got by fairly easy.
Until we had to visit her grandma, because her grandma was going to be an extra at a scene next to a main road bus stop (in which her grandma had to speak and I had to pick up her voice chrystal clear. Yes that's right, I had to pick up an 85 year old woman's dialogue, in the rain, in a reflective bus shelter, next to a main road in rush hour) - What the **** is this woman thinking?? she must be nuts... **** sound will ruin your film... You have to work to balance both worlds?? I told her and she just said, just get the best you can... It's only her films credibility which will sink, the bus stop could have been any bus stop...
My last train was 7.30pm, I'd been travelling since 6am. I'm getting tired and I've got to go soon. I told her this and she still wanted to shoot one more scene so we rushed to a field, shot the scene and I went on my merry way, albeit with a rather fake hug and praise moment.
I think the thing that bothers me most is I've basically spent 3 full days, £60+ on travel, carrying all the equipment everywhere. I've introduced her to my boss who is production manager for an incredibly large amount of projects and has networking up to the eyeballs. And yet she just gives me this fake ass, bitchy persona. Her thankyous are always in full caps via text message?
"THANKYOU SO MUCH YOU ARE AMAZING!!! XXXXX"
She also said as a thank you to her crew she would provide beer and catering... Over the three days she got a gregs, tea/biscuits and one beer... ???
I've now got to work with this woman over the next month or so, doing the post and score... An idea which up until a few days ago seemed like a very pleasing one!
Has anyone else had the wonderful opportunity to work with a complete moron such as this lady?
So this is more of a rant and a reaching out to people who may have had this same sort of problem than anything else I guess. Sorry if it's in the wrong forum?
I've started being the sound pony for the bitchiest most arrogant, stuck up director I could imagine putting up with. That person that's just on the cusp of me staying and going. She likes the idea of being a director so much it makes her tingle with self-centered, sycophantic, yay I'm the best director ever attitude.
Ultimately I'm new to this kind of work in general, and so is she, so much so this is a qweky little independent film and I'm not being paid. She's done a few well shot music videos in the past, so I've been pretty excited to work with them on her new short film project.
I work live sound and have done for some years, often in studios too and I've started doing a bit of teaching on the side at a local music tech college. I feel well versed with working with people in all different environments. I find people, especially in the creative fields, avoid being bitchy, two faced and generally unpleasant. It seems the creative fields lend themselves to a certain open and friendly honesty for the greater good of the project! Except for this woman! I don't think she can help it, she is just naturally quite vile.
See, I've always liked composing for picture and have done a few bits here and there, I compose music all the time but never really had the chance to snag onto a good little indi film, so when presented with this opportunity by my friend (one of the actors) I thought sure! They've never had a dedicated sound guy and as this film has a good script, good actors and good camera crew. I'd effectively be the missing link in their production. So I said, sure! I'll run the sound no problem, I'll record on set, do the post and do the score... Even come to my studio and do any ADR we might need. 'For free too, don't worry it sounds fun'.
I got the shotgun mic, rycote softie, cables, recorder, train tickets at the ready and headed to the location!
She was nice enough to lend me a room for the night before shooting at her home, which I fully appreciate, we had a few beers and she seemed nice, she's loud and excitable so made for a good drinking buddy. Until a bit later in the night when all she did for an hour was put down my friend both as a person and actor while we sat over coffee and tea!! Now I don't mind if you dislike my friend as an actor or as a person, who am I to care, we can like who like, but to have him feature on your film, tell his friend the sound guy, who you've just met in such a way the night before... yada yada yada. - In short, very un-professional. All of her 'crew' already know each other, so I guess I'm the 'new guy'. But already it's seeming like they're playing 'let's make a movie' rather than actually making a movie.
The next day, on set, she's gone from being good drinking buddy to she's obnoxious, loud, immature, inconsiderate and incredibly un-professional. I was bothered but I just thought, no-no, crack on and for the greater good just record the best sound you can and roll with it until the end of the day.
(Bare in mind she was absolutely insistent she wanted to record standing next to a flipping motorway and next to a noisy factory for two of the scenes which didn't require being next to a motorway or next to a noisy factory... - she has a photography background and made her points as such)
I managed to get good enough sound though, albiet I'm going to be cuddling my lovely friend Izotope RX4 for the post sessions.
The day ended, it was home time and we had a day off before the next shoot so I had time to collate the recordings and send them back via sendspace. I cut all the audio into the scene/take format and named the file accordingly. So scene 1 take 1 would be - Scn 1-1. Scene 8 take 11 would be Scn 8-11. That way she could align all good audio with video as she begins to edit.
She didn't get it... She actually didn't get it... At the start of every scene her assistant said scene 1 take 1 and then said cut when the scene was over. I took that audio and arranged it as such, with the right labels and she said 'I don't get it...?'.
I think what she is planning to do, is splice random chunks from the hours of footage together and expect me to dig through the sound and match it in post?? And then write the music for her...
Anyway, day 2 of the shoot. Pretty much all indoors this time so should be easier. And to be honest, it was. I pointed mic at speaking persons, hit record, jobs a good'un. We had unlimited brews and biscuits, my kinda day. Except for absolutely ****y two faced behavior, fake praise and snarky looks at people when their back was turned. I got by fairly easy.
Until we had to visit her grandma, because her grandma was going to be an extra at a scene next to a main road bus stop (in which her grandma had to speak and I had to pick up her voice chrystal clear. Yes that's right, I had to pick up an 85 year old woman's dialogue, in the rain, in a reflective bus shelter, next to a main road in rush hour) - What the **** is this woman thinking?? she must be nuts... **** sound will ruin your film... You have to work to balance both worlds?? I told her and she just said, just get the best you can... It's only her films credibility which will sink, the bus stop could have been any bus stop...
My last train was 7.30pm, I'd been travelling since 6am. I'm getting tired and I've got to go soon. I told her this and she still wanted to shoot one more scene so we rushed to a field, shot the scene and I went on my merry way, albeit with a rather fake hug and praise moment.
I think the thing that bothers me most is I've basically spent 3 full days, £60+ on travel, carrying all the equipment everywhere. I've introduced her to my boss who is production manager for an incredibly large amount of projects and has networking up to the eyeballs. And yet she just gives me this fake ass, bitchy persona. Her thankyous are always in full caps via text message?
"THANKYOU SO MUCH YOU ARE AMAZING!!! XXXXX"
She also said as a thank you to her crew she would provide beer and catering... Over the three days she got a gregs, tea/biscuits and one beer... ???
I've now got to work with this woman over the next month or so, doing the post and score... An idea which up until a few days ago seemed like a very pleasing one!
Has anyone else had the wonderful opportunity to work with a complete moron such as this lady?
that explains it
