originally written for and published in Student Filmmakers Magazine, NAB 2020

A few years back, I was involved in the planning of a large, corporate event. Although my role for the upcoming event was focused on a couple of audio related workshops, I was still invited to sit around the big conference table.

One of the company employees was an amateur chef and had heard that they were looking for someone to cater the luncheons. So this person applied, and delivered an impressive verbal presentation. It was clearly obvious to all of the corporate types in the room that this employee was clearly a foodie, seemed knowledgeable about cooking, and certainly was abundantly enthusiastic.

There was a lot riding on the success of this event in terms of corporate pride, showmanship, and internal politics. Which meant that the meals had to be Hollywood worthy.

It was decided to allow this eager employee a chance to compete against the other well established providers -- by contracting her to prepare and present a lunch service to the event committee members.

We were excited to see what she would bring to the table, literally!  And, it felt good to see a newbie get an opportunity to play in the big leagues and earn some bragging rights. All of us have been there and done that in our respective professional fields.

Several days later, it was time to sample her culinary skillset. The company had discussed with her what was expected, and provided her with a minimal working budget. Her moment to shine was now here!

The food was mediocre, at best. The presentation reminded us of a school lunch, or a cheaply done anniversary party held in the back of a local diner.

When she saw our disappointment, the chef became extremely apologetic. She was rushed for time; we only gave her a week to prepare. The working budget was minimal. She could not afford premium ingredients; nor was she able to rent a commercial kitchen. So she was limited to her apartment stove and cooking utensils.  She could not afford to hire a professional staff, so she called in some of her friends.

We all agreed that she did pretty good, for an amateur, considering her resources. But the committee also concluded that the upcoming event was just too important to risk in her hands. Maybe, with a real budget, she could come through. Then again, maybe the results would still be low quality. No one was willing to gamble; so the committee voted to go with an established chef with an established history.

I know, this is a magazine about student filmmaking, not cooking!

The point that the story makes is that regardless of how well intentioned a filmmaker is – ultimately there are no apologies in the screening room!

If you have no money and no production resources – then write a script. If you are really ambitious and think that you can direct and tell a story cinematically, then maybe you should try your best to get something in the can to show….

But only if it is “can” as in film can, not “can” as in bathroom!

However, for the rest of you – the sound mixers, cinematographers, and other craftspeople – always remember this story about the chef.

In the real world (reel world) – you only get one chance to make an impression. Although making movies may be your driving passion – your clients & investors have more at stake than just giving you a chance to learn through experience.

Your end product must meet their expectations! Unless it is YouTube or a coffee shop local film screening – audiences do not care how you cut corners in order to make a bad film.

And as a craftsperson or a technician – they certainly do not want to hear your excuses for bad production value, or how you might have done better if you had more equipment and a better crew.

I emphasize to my location sound students that, if you cannot do a good job, you should NOT undertake the task.

Run away, and save your reputation for another day.

Almost every day, students come up to me and ask my advice about what a minimal sound package could be. They want to use inexpensive ENG/video shotguns instead of full condensers. They want to record them onto a simple two-track recorder, straight in, without a mixing panel. No headphones for the boomperson – if there even IS a boomperson.

Yet when I look at their scripts, I do not see a very simple project. Lots of characters, complex camera shots (without cuts, as if anyone cares that you have not learned about editing), noisy locations, cramped practical locations. A shot list that would instill fear into any experienced AD or Unit Manager.

These underfunded, overly complicated, “portfolio” films are supposed to demonstrate your abilities. You make them to show off your skills so as to get real clients and earn livable incomes in the industry.

But in the end, they have to be noteworthy and memorable. If you made or worked on a low budget, labor of love, project – and were able to overcome logistical obstacles to produce a short film that showcased great cinematography, crisp audio, and tight editing -- then you have a sample worth circulating.

Invest your time. Concentrate your energy. Forego your salary, even. But draw the line when it comes to signing on to a production that will not, or cannot, let your filmmaking skills shine.

A cinematographer needs a good AC and a great Gaffer more than he/she might need the latest digital camera.

The Sound Mixer must have high quality condenser mics to achieve the reach and acoustic control needed on bad sets. I recommend a trio: a long shotgun with zeppelin windscreen for exteriors; a short shotgun for interiors, and a wide angle shotgun to reduce interior echo (for close-ups).  If you don’t own them, then rent them. But don’t skimp and use wimpy mics; the harsher the set, the more you need the added performance that premium grade mics will deliver!

Mixing panels do not have to be expensive; Mackie and Behringer offer some great boards for only a few hundred dollars. Mixing boards give you CONTROL over your mics. Not only can you blend live feeds from two or more microphones, but you can actively ride gain during the performance (which you cannot do if you plug straight in to a cheap recorder or even an expensive camcorder).  The mixing panel lets you equalize the tone & volume of multiple mics, so that they all sound similar to the main boom mic. The board allows you to send good audio to your boomperson. And if you are using a recorder with more than two tracks, it allows you to feed a live mix as well as individual ISO tracks (raw unmixed feeds from each mic).

You will need at least a couple of good lavaliers. They do not have to be wireless. Lavs can be deployed on the set as PLANTED mics to cover what the booms cannot; or they can be worn by actors.

A couple of decent wireless mics are very useful. There are a lot of units that sell for only several hundred dollars each, or rent for $25-35 per day. Try not to depend too much on your wireless; a lot of things outside of your control can make them intermittent.

You do not need a super, duper digital recorder. More tracks means that you can record a live mix of the production track, along with a few unmixed ISO tracks of individual mics. Most likely, on a low budget shoot, you will not need a lot of tracks. There are a lot of older model recorders at the rental houses that work just fine, and satisfied Hollywood for many years – so save money and don’t limit yourself to the latest & greatest.  You do not need to pay for lots of tracks that you will never use, nor lots of special features that will not pertain to you.

Make sure that you partner up with a good boomperson! As a Sound Mixer, you need someone who is adept at getting your mic close to the actors and anticipating problems. Booming entails way more than just holding and waving a big stick. On a low budget show, your boom mic needs to be perfectly placed in order to compensate for bad sets, noisy locations, and wanna-be actors!

We all have paid our “dues” and gained valuable experience, along with networking, by working for no or low money on “labors of love”. But you do not improve your skills by repeatedly doing things incorrectly, or suffering with childish excuses for equipment.

The reason we work low budget is to gain PROFESSIONAL experience. You can work for cheap, but do not do cheap work. Make sure that every project that you work on is worthy of your name.