As we board 2010, I am excited about my involvement in Stand Sound. They’re trying something that the industry has never properly embraced, and I for one think it’s overdue. As a Sound Supervisor, I have so often confronted the audio problems of production far too late in the process. It is my interest to offer the highest quality audio to the Director. And that means getting onboard as soon as possible, if schedule permits when preproduction begins. It means establishing and often recommending a production recordist who will passionately apply his skills to ensuring the clearest and cleanest possible recordings. The Stand Sound paradigm also allows me to be a part of the production process, to visit the locations and gather sophisticated 6 track and 2 track field recordings for ambiances, effects and design elements. The company philosophy of “hearing your budget on screen” permits me to have a meaningful dialogue with the production recordist and send key sound effects to the picture editor as the scenes are built back in the cutting room. And this involvement affords the Director the proper time to get to know what the Soundtrack of the movie will feel like. Too often in Hollywood, the sound team works far apart from the filmmaker and the vision is compromised by the factory process that customarily applies to this stage of the process. No Director should be a stranger to his soundtrack and by my getting involved early and often, the time spent with the Director guarantees a much more cohesive finished product. I can STAND behind this approach and look forward to evolving a Sound package like the one I’ve described that I believe will become the norm offered to contemporary filmmakers. Stay tuned and keep your ears perked. – Chris Sheldon