ABSTRACT
Attenda shootingofWill andGrace, andwatchoneof themost accomplished directors in the world while the cameras are rolling, and you might ask the question: Where is he looking? James Burrows (Mary Tyler Moore, Cheers, and many more) is staring at the ceiling. He could be looking at the actors, but their routines have been blocked out days ahead, and they are highly accomplished.He could be looking at themonitors to see if the four cameras are covering the action as planned, but he has a fully professional crew and has been through camera rehearsals, so he knows they’ll get it right. Why is he lookingat the ceiling?Becausehe’s listening to thedeliveryof the lines, the ultimate consideration of getting the show on film, constantly asking ‘‘is it funny?’’ The sound of the show is its bottom line. The question a sound person doesn’t want to hear from such a director is ‘‘why is that distorted?’’ or ‘‘noisy?’’ or ‘‘reverberant?’’ This book explains how at each juncturerecording, editing, mixing, and mastering-mistakes can be avoided, sound quality improved, and sound design fit to the story.
