This month we talk to Kieran Lynch, a Pulse College graduate from the Audio Diploma who has gone to carve out a substantial career in both Music and Film. He is currently involved in music production for the TG4 series "Siog Na Rann", an animation which involves a number of Ireland's best known singers. Current projects include engineering for emerging singer songwriter Eugene Donegan's debut album and recording tracks for renowned Irish songwriter Paul Brady. He also worked on Declan O'Rourke's much anticipated second album "Big Bad Beautiful World". His career highlights to date include the latest multi-million selling U2 album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb", as well as REM and Damien Dempsey. He engineered the top 10 swansong "Superbi", by The Beautiful South and was involved in the production of the Grammy Award nominated Elvis Costello albums "When I Was Cruel" and "Cruel Smile". He has also mixed tracks for The Corrs and the critically acclaimed debut album "Life Sparks" by Woodstar. He not only has extensive studio experience, Kieran is responsible soundtracks for both film and TV credits include Hollywood block-buster "Get Rich or Die Trying" and further engineering/production duties on "The Tailor of Panama", "Ella Enchanted", "In America" and "The Water Giant 2", as well as Independent Films such as "Spin The Bottle" and the award winning "Kisses and Alarm". We are delighted he found time to talk to Pulse College News.
Q1: You were born and bread in Donegal was their much musical influence growing up?
A: Apart from learning to play the tin whistle my main musical influence as a kid was my younger brother who's an amazing guitarist! I listened to the radio a lot and always veered towards buying alternative music like The Cure, Death Metal and early Acid House.
Q2: Was music an area you always wanted to work in?
A: No, not really. I loved music, like any teenager growing up; but never thought it could actually be my job!
Q3: What style inspires you from a musical perspective?
A: I love music that has honesty and originality. It doesn't have to be perfect it just needs to come from the right place.
Q4: You studied Audio Pulse College what made you choose Pulse?
A: I studied electronic engineering in UCD from 1990 to 1996 where I received a primary and masters degree. When I left college there weren't many jobs around and I wasn't really in to being a software engineer. I had no idea there were courses in sound engineering until a friend of mine applied to Pulse. I signed up the following year in '98.
Q5: Pulse College is known for its hands on practical approach to learning, what area of the course did you find most beneficial in what is now a highly accomplished career?
A: To be honest, I loved every second of it; both the practical and academic aspects. I'm not sure if you cut tape there anymore but I loved the 1/4" editing projects which helped me a lot when I moved on to working with 2" tape and again when everything went digital. It was actually surprising how well those projects prepared me for editing in the digital domain.
Q6: Tell us about your career in the beginning, was it tough starting off?
A: I started working as a tape op in Pulse with Jeremy Ross and Maeve Buckley (who's now Maeve Lynch) the year I finished the course. We had great fun working there and met a lot of amazing people coming through the studio. I moved to Windmill Lane in 1999 and worked there for a further three and a half years as the tape op in studio 1. All this time we were working 80-100 hours a week for little money. We didn't care though the experience was fantastic and far outweighed the monetary rewards. Besides, we were having the time of our lives!
Q7: You have worked with some high profile artists from REM to The Beautiful South. How did you manage to create a name for yourself within the industry, was it by word of mouth and perseverance or good luck?
A: I know people who have been lucky in this business or been in the right place at the right time and their careers have taken off. I've just had to work hard. When I left Windmill Lane in 2002 it was pretty scary as a freelance engineer. The industry was changing fast and I was starting from scratch, trying to build up a client base. Windmill Lane were good to me; when I left they put work my way as an engineer, helping me get somewhat established. I just went from job to job through recommendations and word of mouth, that way you're really only as good as your last gig.
Q8: REM, The Beautiful South, U2 and Damien Dempsey quite diverse sounds. How do you decide what approach to take when producing their albums?
A: Engineering and producing are two very different disciplines, When I'm engineering for a producer I'm only concentrating on the sound, trying to capture the performances as truthfully as possible, based on what the band and producer are looking for. Of course you need to be able to record things in a more specific way if someone says "can you make the drums sound like Fleetwood Mac" or "can you get me a Marquee Moon guitar sound". When I'm producing I'd rarely have an engineer there so I'll have to do both jobs. Producing, for me, is not about moulding an artist or band to sound a certain way but more an attempt to realize their music in an honest and interesting way. I always try to get the artist or band to perform in as live a situation as possible. This usually results in a recording that sound more cohesive and definitely more believable.
Q9: You worked on U2 album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". That must have been an amazing experience, can you tell us a bit about it?
A: It was. I was working with producer Flood for three months during the mixing of the album. When I say mixing it also involved a lot of recording and editing. The bands are great to work with and their studio is a very inspiring place. They work really hard and don't stop until the songs are right. Anyone can pick up an instrument or microphone at any time and you need to be recording the performance in a matter of seconds. We were working in the main studio on the old Neve and the work involved sifting through the many different interpretations of songs on their Radar system and compiling and mixing the final version. We mixed four or five of the songs while Steve Lillywhite and Jackknife Lee were working on the rest in studios elsewhere in the building. The atmosphere on a U2 record is always electric; every day has different and challenging moments and you need to be on top of your game to stay ahead of the band.
Q10: You coproduced Elvis Costello's Grammy award winning album what an achievement, how did it feel?
A: Yeah, it was strange really. Again, I was working as a tape op in Windmill Lane at the time and I was told Elvis was coming in to record an album. Then I discovered two of my friend, Ciarán Cahill and Leo Pearson were going to be engineering and producing the album. I guess because I knew these guys so well I ended up doing a bit more than the average tape op gig. The album was amazing, the band just played the songs down two or three times onto tape, they came in, had a listen and picked the take. It all happened very quickly with overdubs recorded shortly after the band were tracked. Elvis sang the majority of the vocals in the control room with a beta 58, again, three or four takes and it was done. We all worked so well as a team that Elvis decided to split the production credits equally. It did feel great when the album got the Grammy nominations.
Q11: You work in both Post Production as well as Studio Mixing two quite different disciplines, Can you talk us through the differences in the skills you need?
A: At the moment I'm working on the sound post for a feature film. The disciplines are quite different; post work is more of a technical field and not so performance driven, bar the mixing. In film and TV the dialogue is king. It's all about making it clear and present, the FX are usually second and the music generally a background thing unless of course it's a music programme or a montage section in a film. The technical standards for operation and calibration are quite strict in both TV and film. You need to learn how to work within these standards when mixing to ensure your mix transfers correctly to cinema and broadcast.
Q12: Do you have a preference?
A: My thing is music. I love recording bands and artist in the studio. This also goes for soundtracks which are different but also very rewarding in terms of production and results.
Q13: You have also been involved in producing many sound tracks for some of Hollywood Blockbusters, Ella Enchanted for example. Is that very different from producing albums?
A: The approach is quite different. With albums you're generally presented with a set of songs. You develop them, record them and mix them but rarely are you presented with a blank canvas in the studio. With a soundtrack you start with a cut of the film and spot the music cues with the director and composer. Once all the parts of the film that need music have been identified, you go to work with the composer creating the sound scape that best realizes the vision of the director. It's important to understand that you're there to facilitate the director’s needs and not your own musical ego. The best soundtracks are those that don't distract, but subtly enhance what's happening on screen. I think it's always better to score for the secondary emotion in a scene as opposed to the obvious events that are happening.
Q14: What has been you career highlight to date?
A: Of course I've enjoyed working with a lot of really great musicians from all around the world. I'm also very proud of a number of albums I've produced for artists such as Larla O'Lionaird, O Emperor and Star Little Thing.
Q15: Any future plans in the pipe line that you can disclose?
A: I've just finished production of the soundtrack for a new film called The Good Doctor, directed by Lance Daly and starring Orlando Bloom. I should be working on new material with O Emperor in the new year.
Q16: What advice would you give to students starting their career in such a competitive Industry?
A: Be dedicated and look after you ears!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Pulse College/Windmill Lane Recording with Today FM's Ray vs. JP – are Top 10 in the battle of the singles!
Award winning Today FM radio presenters Ray Foley and JP have made it to the Top Ten in the iTunes chart in just two day of the release of their charity single. With the help of Pulse College and Windmill Lane Recording Studios this is all in the name of two great charities CASA and St Frances Hospice Raven.
Ray will take on the classic pop number "There's a Whole Lot of Loving" by Guys and Dolls (covered by Irish popsters Six) accompanied by the Dublin Gospel Choir.
JP however has decided to tackle "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship, with the help of singer Nikki Kavanagh.
Listeners can download their favourite song for a small donation, and money raised goes to charities CASA and St Frances Hospice Raheny. Whichever presenter raises the most money with their download will be declared the winner.
The two presenters recorded their songs in the iconic Studios at Windmill Lane, where pros from Pulse College and Windmill Lane Recording Studios were on hand to help transform their songs into chart toppers.
Audiences can to download their favourite tracks from iTunes and 7digital. Stay tuned to the Ray Foley show 12 to 2.30pm weekdays on Today FM for updates or see link below.
http://www.todayfm.com/Shows/Weekdays/Ray-Foley/Download2Donate.aspx
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Pulse College Students join forces with the iconic Dionne Warwick for Peace Day
Pulse College students were this month given the amazing opportunity to collaborate with legendary names in the music industry from the iconic Dionne Warwick to Noel Eccles and Julie Feeney in the making of documentary "A Peace of Music". Gr´ Mór Phonic Records and Tarmak Films embarked on this epic musical documentary shot in the world famous Windmill Lane Studios in support of Peace One Day.
"Peace of Music" was the brain child of Claire Czajkowska who has been working as an artist in the music industry for over 12 years when she decided to embark on this ambitious project.
"I decided to make a documentary. I would find a great studio, and invite a group of teenagers to come and discover for themselves how the music they love is made, with the people who make it, and we would do this in support of "Peace One Day" and their campaign to raise awareness. After all, all change begins with awareness…" says Claire.
The documentary which was shot, edited and directed by Dana Kahil is due to be released in November. Pulse college students Mark Symmons, Eoghan McKenna and Barry Gibbons were involved in all aspects of making the documentary from lighting, camera and sound. Barry Gibbons took the time to give us a unique insight into what it was like working with such musical icons.
"During the summer I got the fantastic opportunity to do location sound for "Peace of Music" filmed in Windmill Studios. As I am currently a student in the Film Production Course (part-time) at Windmill Lane Studios it was a fantastic opportunity to gain practical experience by assisting in this production.
On the day I had the opportunity to work with world class artists in addition to working in a professional real world environment. Over the course of the day I was worked on the sound for the production. Using radio mics I was responsible for mic'ing up the artists and presenters taking part in the production. We also used the boom mic for any additional sounds that needed to be sent to the four channel mixer. This was mixed down to get a nice signal and then bounced down to two tracks, which in turn was sent off to the HD Cameras. Taking part in this production expanded my skill set and has offered me invaluable experience for my future in the film and production industry. I look forward to completing my studies and entering the industry as a professional through the expertise I gained as a student of Pulse College and future productions such as "Peace by Music". Barry Gibbons, Film Student.
The aim of the project is to raise awareness and enhance the profile of International Peace Day, an official day of non-violence and ceasefire which takes place yearly on the 21st September. The event has already had a huge impact all over the world and has allowed aid to be brought into areas of conflict that had been too dangerous to access for decades.
The day was thought of and made a reality by Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley (www.peaceoneday.org) and has had such an impact it was made official event by the United Nations in 2001. You can get a sneak preview of the documentary through the link below.
http://vimeo.com/14896621
"Peace of Music" was the brain child of Claire Czajkowska who has been working as an artist in the music industry for over 12 years when she decided to embark on this ambitious project.
"I decided to make a documentary. I would find a great studio, and invite a group of teenagers to come and discover for themselves how the music they love is made, with the people who make it, and we would do this in support of "Peace One Day" and their campaign to raise awareness. After all, all change begins with awareness…" says Claire.
The documentary which was shot, edited and directed by Dana Kahil is due to be released in November. Pulse college students Mark Symmons, Eoghan McKenna and Barry Gibbons were involved in all aspects of making the documentary from lighting, camera and sound. Barry Gibbons took the time to give us a unique insight into what it was like working with such musical icons.
"During the summer I got the fantastic opportunity to do location sound for "Peace of Music" filmed in Windmill Studios. As I am currently a student in the Film Production Course (part-time) at Windmill Lane Studios it was a fantastic opportunity to gain practical experience by assisting in this production.
On the day I had the opportunity to work with world class artists in addition to working in a professional real world environment. Over the course of the day I was worked on the sound for the production. Using radio mics I was responsible for mic'ing up the artists and presenters taking part in the production. We also used the boom mic for any additional sounds that needed to be sent to the four channel mixer. This was mixed down to get a nice signal and then bounced down to two tracks, which in turn was sent off to the HD Cameras. Taking part in this production expanded my skill set and has offered me invaluable experience for my future in the film and production industry. I look forward to completing my studies and entering the industry as a professional through the expertise I gained as a student of Pulse College and future productions such as "Peace by Music". Barry Gibbons, Film Student.
The aim of the project is to raise awareness and enhance the profile of International Peace Day, an official day of non-violence and ceasefire which takes place yearly on the 21st September. The event has already had a huge impact all over the world and has allowed aid to be brought into areas of conflict that had been too dangerous to access for decades.
The day was thought of and made a reality by Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley (www.peaceoneday.org) and has had such an impact it was made official event by the United Nations in 2001. You can get a sneak preview of the documentary through the link below.
http://vimeo.com/14896621
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Pulse Student Eabha Hennessy receives City and Guilds Bursary 2010
Pulse College are delighted to announce that Eabha Hennessy was the lucky student nominated to receive the City and Guilds Bursary for 2010. Each year, only eight different countries are selected where the bursaries will be made available and Pulse College is proud to be the chosen institution for Ireland.
As a result of the City and Guilds Bursary programme Eabha will have her college fees fully paid for 2011. The funds were handed over at an official presentation at our Windmill Lane facilities by Kerry McLennan-McKenzie, Product Manager for Photography, Media and Exercise & Fitness at City & Guilds.
In order to qualify the winner had to meet the strict City and Guilds criteria as well as a rigorous interview process. Eabha took the time out from her busy college schedule to tell us what receiving the bursary means.
"I applied for the city and guilds bursary because I didn't have the finances to go on and complete my course. I thought that the bursary was a great opportunity for someone who wanted to finish the course but just couldn't afford it. I applied and went forward for the interview. I didn't really know how to prepare because I didn't have a lot experience with panel interview. I just tried to explain my situation clearly and how the bursary would help me. There were a few tricky questions asked in the interview, one of those questions was to give 3 words to describe your life now and then your life in 5 years. I found this difficult as there's no real right or wrong answer, so I just took my time answered and it honestly. The interview flew by, I didn’t really expect to get the bursary as there was a lot of competition for it. I was shocked when I found out I got it, it took a bit of time to sink in but I'm delighted to get this opportunity and I intend to make the most of it." Eabha Hennessy, City and Guilds Bursary Winner.
The International bursaries are granted to cover the tuition and assessment fees leading to the completion of one level of a City & Guilds international qualification. This is part of City and Guilds commitment to the local communities, and enables individuals from financially underprivileged backgrounds around the world to obtain a City & Guilds qualification.
"We are delighted that Eabha was chosen to receive the City and Guild’s Bursary for 2010. It is an amazing opportunity and we would like to thank City and Guilds for investing in and supporting Irish students". Naomi Moore, Pulse College Director.
This announcement comes on top of the Leonardo funding Pulse received, which allowed the college to provide funded work placements in some of the top UK recordingstudios for some of their outstanding students.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Location Sound Specialist Trevor Cunningham Talks to Pulse News
Many Pulse Graduates go on to work with some of the top artists and Multi Media companies in the world. We will check in on our Pulse success stories and find out what life is like post Pulse.
Location Sound Specialist Trevor Cunningham Talks to Pulse News
Trevor Cunningham is one of Pulse Colleges first set of students to graduate from our Audio Courses. He has over a decade of experience in both studio and location sound. Having started in studio sound recording, he quickly found his feet as a location sound specialist for some of Ireland’s high profile television companies.
Currently working on 'Far Away Up Close’, this was not Trevor's first major foreign trip, having worked for a number of years on the 'No Frontiers' series. He also was the primary sound recordist on the series 'Who's Afraid of Islam?' also produced by Animo Television.
Trevor is without a doubt, one of the best exponents of his craft and we are delighted to feature him as this month’s Pulse College success story.
Q1. Background: Who you are, where you’re from, where you are now?.
I grew up in Dundrum and now live in Stepaside. I went to primary school in Oatlands college in Stillorgan and then on to Newpark in Blackrock. While at Newpark I used to play bass in various bands and during transition year I got work placements and a summer job at the old Windmill Lane Studios, and when I first walked into the studios and the control room I thought "Yep, this is for me" and that was it really... also helped that AC/DC were recording there at the time.
Q2. You have been working in sound for over a decade now, but you initially studied electronics in College. What made you change career paths?
After my leaving cert I went on to do electronics in college, but it wasn't really for me... too much maths. I think! I was still interested in sound and the studio life and I saw an ad somewhere for this new college Pulse recording... I can't quite remember, it was 16 years ago!... so I applied and that was it.
Q3. You started on your venture into sound with Pulse College. What connected you to Pulse and what did you find the most beneficial part of studying at the college?
Pulse was very different then to what it is now. I think there were only maybe 20 or 30 students at the time. I loved it as we were all friends including Tony, Naomi and Aidan, so we had as much time with tutors as we needed, and as much hands on experience with the equipment as required... the encouragement they always offered was enormous which led to great confidence, which was fantastic.
Q4. How have the skills you learnt in Pulse translate into the work environment?
During the course at Pulse I was lucky enough to get a job at Ropewalk Studios, which later became OFI Studios in Ringsend as an assistant engineer. With the help of the guys in Pulse I was able to combine the two... so what I was learning at Pulse combined with the real life situations at the studio proved to be invaluable.
Q5. Did you find that the Pulse College qualification opened doors?
Well it did, and that was before I had even got the qualification, so am always proud and grateful to have it on my CV, and even more so now when you look at the wonderful facilities they have and what they have achieved.
Q6. You started you career in Studio Sound. Tell us about that experience.
Well as I mentioned earlier, I started working in studios while doing the course and I think the first session I worked on was with Aslan.. so that was an eye opening introduction to the whole process! I worked and learnt from a lot with some great bands, producers and engineers during that time, particularly Chris O'Brien and Tim Martin. It was also the time of 2 inch analogue tape machines, splicing tape and certain open reel digital formats... Pro Tools was still in its infancy... There were a lot of long hours and late nights, but great fun and a great grounding to have.
Q7. What made you move on to location sound?
I'd had an interest in location sound, it was about 2000 and I was finding the studio world becoming quieter at the time, there just seemed to be less work. I had a few friends who were cameramen and did location sound, they had being asking me to try it, so I did. For about a year I was doing both studio and location work, but location work eventually won out in the end.
Q8. You have worked on No Frontier’s, Irelands leading travel programm. Tell us a bit about that, you must have experienced amazing locations.
I am very lucky to do what I do and make a living from it. I know it sounds like an old cliché but every day is different. The variety of people and crews you work with to the people and subjects you film always keeps it interesting.
One of the big perks with location sound if you are lucky and fortunate enough to experience, as I have been, is the travel. It’s taken me all over the world, from filming Travel shows and other magazine type shows in the earlier days, to filming documentaries.
A few of the locations include to date, most of Europe, the United States, The Middle East, Asia and Africa which I love. Getting to experience places and cultures where the average person doesn't really get to, such as Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, East Timor, even filming silver back gorillas in the rainforests of Uganda, and so many other places. It is always an amazing, humbling and sometimes sobering experience and I am very grateful for it... you get paid, which is a bonus.
Q9. From travel to comedy with Killinaskully both very different styles in terms of sound. What was that like?
Most of my work now is mainly Documentary and Drama work, it's nice to have a mix. I suppose the main difference between the two from a sound point of view, is that with Documentary work, the crew would be alot smaller, usually just a cameraperson/DOP, a sound recordist, a director and maybe a presenter if required. Having a good personality is a must and being able to get on with people, as you might find yourself on the road or around the world for anything up to a week to 5 weeks or maybe longer. You obviously spend alot of time together, sometimes in some extreme places and situations, so a good bond between you is very important. Although Documentaries are scripted to a degree and you pretty much know what the plan is for a day, there are those situations where anything can happen....and does, you just go with the flow which is usually always fun.
Drama / Film work is pretty much always scripted so you know what's going to happen on any given day, so depending on the project they can be a little more relaxed and you can have more control over situations.
Long before I would even step on set for this type of work there is alot of pre-production work to be done. This would involve visiting the locations to be used on the project to see any problems that could arise from a sound point of view, be they exterior or interior locations and there can be many.
Meeting with the different department heads such as the Camera dept / DOP is a vital part of sound. How he or she intends to shoot certain scenes, how they intends to light them has a very important impact on sound. The Wardrobe dept for instance, what the actors will be wearing for any given scene, the type of fabric involved all effect sound... microphones don't like certain fabrics! Editorial dept. or Post Production and their requirements such as how they want sound rushes delivered after each shoot day, e.g. format, frame rate, sample rates and so on all have to be taken into account. What the Directors requirements might be, reading through the scripts to see how many actors are involved in a particular scene, if it is to be shot exterior or interior and how best to approach it to enable you to capture the best sound possible for a given situation... basically ironing out any problems that could arise during the shoot.
The sound crew is also bigger on these projects, I would always have a Boom Operator and maybe a 2nd Boom Operator/Trainee... a good Boom Operator is so important to a location sound recordist, without a good one you're in trouble.
There could be 40+ crew working on these projects between various departments and all jobs are intertwined so that it runs smoothly so again a good personality is important.
Whether its Drama, Documentary or Television, one thing they all have in common is that sound is invisible on picture so a lot of it comes down to puzzle solving and figuring how best to capture it which I enjoy.
Q10. What exciting projects have you got coming up next?
It's been a busy year so far, I finished a Documentary in Dingle based around Dingle and the film festival down there which was directed by Geoff Wonfer who also directed The Beatles Anthology series.
At the moment I’m mid way through a 7 part Drama series with Pat Shortt and going well so far, after that I have series 3 of The Apprentice on which I am the sound supervisor, and then maybe a Documentary out in Iraq and Kuwait with the American military.
Q11. Any advice for Pulse Student about to embark on their career?
I would say to meet as many people as you can in whichever area you have an interest in, be it Studio, Location, Post etc.
Gather as much experience as you can, and that combined with the qualifications you have will give you the confidence to achieve.....and be patient.
Watch, listen...and be nice!
Location Sound Specialist Trevor Cunningham Talks to Pulse News
Trevor Cunningham is one of Pulse Colleges first set of students to graduate from our Audio Courses. He has over a decade of experience in both studio and location sound. Having started in studio sound recording, he quickly found his feet as a location sound specialist for some of Ireland’s high profile television companies.
Currently working on 'Far Away Up Close’, this was not Trevor's first major foreign trip, having worked for a number of years on the 'No Frontiers' series. He also was the primary sound recordist on the series 'Who's Afraid of Islam?' also produced by Animo Television.
Trevor is without a doubt, one of the best exponents of his craft and we are delighted to feature him as this month’s Pulse College success story.
Q1. Background: Who you are, where you’re from, where you are now?.
I grew up in Dundrum and now live in Stepaside. I went to primary school in Oatlands college in Stillorgan and then on to Newpark in Blackrock. While at Newpark I used to play bass in various bands and during transition year I got work placements and a summer job at the old Windmill Lane Studios, and when I first walked into the studios and the control room I thought "Yep, this is for me" and that was it really... also helped that AC/DC were recording there at the time.
Q2. You have been working in sound for over a decade now, but you initially studied electronics in College. What made you change career paths?
After my leaving cert I went on to do electronics in college, but it wasn't really for me... too much maths. I think! I was still interested in sound and the studio life and I saw an ad somewhere for this new college Pulse recording... I can't quite remember, it was 16 years ago!... so I applied and that was it.
Q3. You started on your venture into sound with Pulse College. What connected you to Pulse and what did you find the most beneficial part of studying at the college?
Pulse was very different then to what it is now. I think there were only maybe 20 or 30 students at the time. I loved it as we were all friends including Tony, Naomi and Aidan, so we had as much time with tutors as we needed, and as much hands on experience with the equipment as required... the encouragement they always offered was enormous which led to great confidence, which was fantastic.
Q4. How have the skills you learnt in Pulse translate into the work environment?
During the course at Pulse I was lucky enough to get a job at Ropewalk Studios, which later became OFI Studios in Ringsend as an assistant engineer. With the help of the guys in Pulse I was able to combine the two... so what I was learning at Pulse combined with the real life situations at the studio proved to be invaluable.
Q5. Did you find that the Pulse College qualification opened doors?
Well it did, and that was before I had even got the qualification, so am always proud and grateful to have it on my CV, and even more so now when you look at the wonderful facilities they have and what they have achieved.
Q6. You started you career in Studio Sound. Tell us about that experience.
Well as I mentioned earlier, I started working in studios while doing the course and I think the first session I worked on was with Aslan.. so that was an eye opening introduction to the whole process! I worked and learnt from a lot with some great bands, producers and engineers during that time, particularly Chris O'Brien and Tim Martin. It was also the time of 2 inch analogue tape machines, splicing tape and certain open reel digital formats... Pro Tools was still in its infancy... There were a lot of long hours and late nights, but great fun and a great grounding to have.
Q7. What made you move on to location sound?
I'd had an interest in location sound, it was about 2000 and I was finding the studio world becoming quieter at the time, there just seemed to be less work. I had a few friends who were cameramen and did location sound, they had being asking me to try it, so I did. For about a year I was doing both studio and location work, but location work eventually won out in the end.
Q8. You have worked on No Frontier’s, Irelands leading travel programm. Tell us a bit about that, you must have experienced amazing locations.
I am very lucky to do what I do and make a living from it. I know it sounds like an old cliché but every day is different. The variety of people and crews you work with to the people and subjects you film always keeps it interesting.
One of the big perks with location sound if you are lucky and fortunate enough to experience, as I have been, is the travel. It’s taken me all over the world, from filming Travel shows and other magazine type shows in the earlier days, to filming documentaries.
A few of the locations include to date, most of Europe, the United States, The Middle East, Asia and Africa which I love. Getting to experience places and cultures where the average person doesn't really get to, such as Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, East Timor, even filming silver back gorillas in the rainforests of Uganda, and so many other places. It is always an amazing, humbling and sometimes sobering experience and I am very grateful for it... you get paid, which is a bonus.
Q9. From travel to comedy with Killinaskully both very different styles in terms of sound. What was that like?
Most of my work now is mainly Documentary and Drama work, it's nice to have a mix. I suppose the main difference between the two from a sound point of view, is that with Documentary work, the crew would be alot smaller, usually just a cameraperson/DOP, a sound recordist, a director and maybe a presenter if required. Having a good personality is a must and being able to get on with people, as you might find yourself on the road or around the world for anything up to a week to 5 weeks or maybe longer. You obviously spend alot of time together, sometimes in some extreme places and situations, so a good bond between you is very important. Although Documentaries are scripted to a degree and you pretty much know what the plan is for a day, there are those situations where anything can happen....and does, you just go with the flow which is usually always fun.
Drama / Film work is pretty much always scripted so you know what's going to happen on any given day, so depending on the project they can be a little more relaxed and you can have more control over situations.
Long before I would even step on set for this type of work there is alot of pre-production work to be done. This would involve visiting the locations to be used on the project to see any problems that could arise from a sound point of view, be they exterior or interior locations and there can be many.
Meeting with the different department heads such as the Camera dept / DOP is a vital part of sound. How he or she intends to shoot certain scenes, how they intends to light them has a very important impact on sound. The Wardrobe dept for instance, what the actors will be wearing for any given scene, the type of fabric involved all effect sound... microphones don't like certain fabrics! Editorial dept. or Post Production and their requirements such as how they want sound rushes delivered after each shoot day, e.g. format, frame rate, sample rates and so on all have to be taken into account. What the Directors requirements might be, reading through the scripts to see how many actors are involved in a particular scene, if it is to be shot exterior or interior and how best to approach it to enable you to capture the best sound possible for a given situation... basically ironing out any problems that could arise during the shoot.
The sound crew is also bigger on these projects, I would always have a Boom Operator and maybe a 2nd Boom Operator/Trainee... a good Boom Operator is so important to a location sound recordist, without a good one you're in trouble.
There could be 40+ crew working on these projects between various departments and all jobs are intertwined so that it runs smoothly so again a good personality is important.
Whether its Drama, Documentary or Television, one thing they all have in common is that sound is invisible on picture so a lot of it comes down to puzzle solving and figuring how best to capture it which I enjoy.
Q10. What exciting projects have you got coming up next?
It's been a busy year so far, I finished a Documentary in Dingle based around Dingle and the film festival down there which was directed by Geoff Wonfer who also directed The Beatles Anthology series.
At the moment I’m mid way through a 7 part Drama series with Pat Shortt and going well so far, after that I have series 3 of The Apprentice on which I am the sound supervisor, and then maybe a Documentary out in Iraq and Kuwait with the American military.
Q11. Any advice for Pulse Student about to embark on their career?
I would say to meet as many people as you can in whichever area you have an interest in, be it Studio, Location, Post etc.
Gather as much experience as you can, and that combined with the qualifications you have will give you the confidence to achieve.....and be patient.
Watch, listen...and be nice!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Film Students Produce help produce TV Ad for Pulse.
With Pulse College striving to give our students real world work experience, we could not think of a better way to advertise the college and the talent of our students than through an ad that was produced in-house. Our Full Time Film students stepped up to the challenge and took on the mammoth task of putting our Pulse TV ad together, which is to airing on Sky, MTV and Comedy Central. With extremely tight deadlines and a short turnaround time, at Pulse News we thought there was sure to be some stories behind the lights, camera action. We talked to two instrumental crew members Eoghan McKenna the producer and Gavan Murphy graphic and animation editor about their experience.
“Hi my name is Eoghan McKenna and I am on the full time film course. Recently myself and a couple of other students from the class were asked to make an advertisement for the college. We were coming up to the final weeks in college so it was a hectic time, but the draw of a broadcast advertisement was obviously enough for me to drop everything else.
I was chosen to be producer on the short film. In a nutshell I had to organise the shoot and make sure things ran as smoothly as possible. This was a lot of work but a great opportunity getting a leading role in a product that is going to air. It was incredible chance for somebody only starting out in the industry.
We had three advertisements to make, one for each course type on offer at Pulse College, one for gaming, audio and film. It was interesting working on the three because we had varying levels of knowledge on each subject subjects. Lorcan, the director, and myself decided to work on the advert for the film course first as this was the area we had the most knowledge. We created the idea and wrote the script first, this was then used as the template for the other ads. We then got in contact with a couple of the lecturers so they could fill us in on the process of audio and games production. After all the pre-production was finished we began shooting straight away.
As the locations of the three ads overlapped we did not allocate different days for shooting the different ads, we did it all simultaneously which took 3 days in total. They were fairly uneventful and ran smoothly thank goodness, but that's not say they weren't a good laugh. Lorcan was absent for one day due to prior commitments so I had to take the helm as director. This was an easy transition because I worked very closely with him on the pre-production and had already helped arrange the shot lists etc.
It was at the post production stage where the ad came into its own. As with most video or film productions, it is made or ruined in the edit. Gavan took on the role of editor and motion animator and I took on the role of colourist. It was at this stage that Lorcan and I worked closely with Gavan to achieve the desired look.
As Aidan had a deadline for the finished product we were put under strict time constraints. This was both a good and a bad thing. We had to work hard to have a finished product for the deadline but also it gave us a real world experience. It showed us the type of pressure that we would be put under in our future jobs.
After we had finished the product Lorcan and myself had to bring the product to the Oscar nominated studio Brown Bag Films to have the advertisement made broadcast safe. This was a very interesting trip as they gave us a full tour of the studio and introduced us to many of the staff, one of whom was Dominic Lawrence who previously graduated from Pulse College. They also ran through what was required to make it broadcast safe.
All in all making the ad was a very rewarding and informing experience. Not only do I have a great addition to my CV, it helped me realise that all the skills I have learned at Pulse can be incorporated into the real world.”
Here is what Gavan had to say about his experience on set.
“Hi my name is Gavan Murphy and I am a student on the full time Film Production course here in Pulse College. I was the motion capture editor on the Pulse Television Ad' which was divided in to the three key college course areas, Film, Audio and Gaming areas. We started working on the ads about 5 weeks ago when Aidan asked us to come up with some concepts and ideas. Lorcan was made Director, Eoghan was Producer, they wrote the original ideas for the ads and I worked on the Motion Graphics. I have a background in Animation from a previous Diploma course and I had the chance of working in The Mill as a Leonardo Intern in London. I was able to translate the design skills and the tips I learned in there to help make the ad look as good and high-end as possible.
After shooting the live footage for the different ads, Lorcan, Eoghan and myself sat down in the editing room and started to work on the idea and look for the ads. We wanted the three different ads to have a distinctive look and feel that would separate the three areas of education offered at Pulse College. This would ensure the core message of each ad would stand out. We used different colour schemes and motion graphic backgrounds for each ad, giving a specific connection to each area within the overall design.
After 5 weeks of pretty hard work and long hours, we finally finished editing, graphics and colour grading the final product just in time to be sent off to Brown Bag. Here they checked and made them broadcast safe so that they look as good as possible on small screen. The whole process was very long and difficult but I have found it has given me a greater understanding of post production. It has been a great experience and I can’t wait to see our hard work on the television screen when the ad's start to be broadcast.”
The ads can be seen on MTV, Comedy Channel and Sky. I am sure you will all agree they did an amazing job. Thanks to all those involved well done.
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