Director of audiography
Encyclopedia
The Director of Audiography (DoA)
is the head of the sound department and the person responsible for planning the audiography
and managing the audiographers
of a film
.
The role of audiographer
and the title "director of audiography" derives from Indian
filmmaking, where it is an established title credit.
The DoA understands the Director's vision, identifies the tasks necessary to realize this vision, budgets for those tasks and coordinates all the work from preproduction to postproduction whilst keeping an eye on overall sound quality.
Since the emergence of the "talkies", a creative and professional conflict has emerged out of the ongoing tension between the visual and aural dimensions of film. Production sound crews often complain at the lack of consideration given to sound on film productions
. Having a DoA in preproduction helps to exert a powerful presence to defend the dimension of sound in filmmaking
.
In the early days of the Hollywood studio system, every studio had a Sound Director (SD) or a Recording Director (RD), who headed the sound department and took sole credit for the work done by a large crew of sound technicians
.
Notable Sound Directors include George Groves of Warner's
, Thomas T. Moulton, Gordon E. Sawyer and Don Rogers of Goldwyn Studios - who also worked at Warner Hollywood Studios. Douglas Shearer
is credited as the Recording Director at MGM from 1930 until 1953.
Hollywood sound editor David Yewdall bemoans the loss of the SD in Hollywood and recalls the story of film producer
Ross Hunter, working on the film Airport, who neglected to take the advice of sound editor Joe Sikorski to record aircraft sound effects on location; a SD would have immediately appreciated the financial implications of not taking such advice
Following the demise of the studio system and the loss of the Sound Director, part of this role was delegated to the Post Production Supervisor, Supervising Sound Editor
, Sound Designer
or Production Sound Mixer
- each role having less knowledge, influence, responsibility and scope than the former SD. Where no DoA is hired - as is often the case when filmmaking
in the West
- there has been some debate on the most appropriate role to head the sound department; a Supervising Sound Editor
is seen as a technical manager - comparable to an Art Director
- whereas a Sound designer is viewed as a creative visionary, analogous to a Production designer
.
In practice, the industry sees both roles as equivalent.
The Director of Audiography should not be confused with a Production Supervisor or Post Production Supervisor - both are administrative roles in the Production department. In contrast, the Director of Audiography is a technical role blending leadership, management and administrative skills with creative audiography ranging over preproduction, production and postproduction - constrained only by the Director's vision and the production's schedule and budget. In many ways the DoA role is a natural extension of the more limited postproduction role of Supervising Sound Editor
.
No-budget
productions have been among the first to employ a DoA in the Western world
, since their producers and directors are less constrained by Studio practices or trade union demarcations.
The Director of Sound (DoS) and Audio Director (AuD) roles have also been proposed as alternative titles to that of DoA.
is the head of the sound department and the person responsible for planning the audiography
Audiography
Audiography in the context of filmmaking is a term commonly used in India to mean the audio engineering performed by the sound department of a film or TV production; this includes sound recording, editing, mixing and sound design but excludes musical composition, songwriting and choreography.An...
and managing the audiographers
Audiography
Audiography in the context of filmmaking is a term commonly used in India to mean the audio engineering performed by the sound department of a film or TV production; this includes sound recording, editing, mixing and sound design but excludes musical composition, songwriting and choreography.An...
of a film
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
.
The role of audiographer
Audiography
Audiography in the context of filmmaking is a term commonly used in India to mean the audio engineering performed by the sound department of a film or TV production; this includes sound recording, editing, mixing and sound design but excludes musical composition, songwriting and choreography.An...
and the title "director of audiography" derives from Indian
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
filmmaking, where it is an established title credit.
The DoA understands the Director's vision, identifies the tasks necessary to realize this vision, budgets for those tasks and coordinates all the work from preproduction to postproduction whilst keeping an eye on overall sound quality.
Since the emergence of the "talkies", a creative and professional conflict has emerged out of the ongoing tension between the visual and aural dimensions of film. Production sound crews often complain at the lack of consideration given to sound on film productions
. Having a DoA in preproduction helps to exert a powerful presence to defend the dimension of sound in filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
.
In the early days of the Hollywood studio system, every studio had a Sound Director (SD) or a Recording Director (RD), who headed the sound department and took sole credit for the work done by a large crew of sound technicians
.
Notable Sound Directors include George Groves of Warner's
, Thomas T. Moulton, Gordon E. Sawyer and Don Rogers of Goldwyn Studios - who also worked at Warner Hollywood Studios. Douglas Shearer
Douglas Shearer
Douglas G. Shearer was a Canadian-born pioneer sound designer and recording director who played a key role in the advancement of sound technology for motion pictures.-Early life and career:...
is credited as the Recording Director at MGM from 1930 until 1953.
Hollywood sound editor David Yewdall bemoans the loss of the SD in Hollywood and recalls the story of film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Ross Hunter, working on the film Airport, who neglected to take the advice of sound editor Joe Sikorski to record aircraft sound effects on location; a SD would have immediately appreciated the financial implications of not taking such advice
Following the demise of the studio system and the loss of the Sound Director, part of this role was delegated to the Post Production Supervisor, Supervising Sound Editor
Supervising Sound Editor
The supervising sound editor, or sound supervisor, is a creative role, working with the Director, Picture Editor and Producer, and is the person responsible for overseeing most aspects of post-production audio on a film or television show. This person coordinates sound editors, sound designers,...
, Sound Designer
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
or Production Sound Mixer
Production sound mixer
A production sound mixer, location sound recordist, location sound engineer or simply sound mixer is the member of a film crew or television crew responsible for recording all sound recording on set during the filmmaking or television production using professional audio equipment, for later...
- each role having less knowledge, influence, responsibility and scope than the former SD. Where no DoA is hired - as is often the case when filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
- there has been some debate on the most appropriate role to head the sound department; a Supervising Sound Editor
Supervising Sound Editor
The supervising sound editor, or sound supervisor, is a creative role, working with the Director, Picture Editor and Producer, and is the person responsible for overseeing most aspects of post-production audio on a film or television show. This person coordinates sound editors, sound designers,...
is seen as a technical manager - comparable to an Art Director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
- whereas a Sound designer is viewed as a creative visionary, analogous to a Production designer
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
.
In practice, the industry sees both roles as equivalent.
The Director of Audiography should not be confused with a Production Supervisor or Post Production Supervisor - both are administrative roles in the Production department. In contrast, the Director of Audiography is a technical role blending leadership, management and administrative skills with creative audiography ranging over preproduction, production and postproduction - constrained only by the Director's vision and the production's schedule and budget. In many ways the DoA role is a natural extension of the more limited postproduction role of Supervising Sound Editor
Supervising Sound Editor
The supervising sound editor, or sound supervisor, is a creative role, working with the Director, Picture Editor and Producer, and is the person responsible for overseeing most aspects of post-production audio on a film or television show. This person coordinates sound editors, sound designers,...
.
No-budget
No budget film
A no budget film is a produced film made with very little, or no money.Young directors starting out in filmmaking commonly use this method because there are few other options available to them at that point. All the actors and technicians are employed without remuneration, and the films are largely...
productions have been among the first to employ a DoA in the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, since their producers and directors are less constrained by Studio practices or trade union demarcations.
The Director of Sound (DoS) and Audio Director (AuD) roles have also been proposed as alternative titles to that of DoA.
See also
- Sound designer
- Supervising Sound EditorSupervising Sound EditorThe supervising sound editor, or sound supervisor, is a creative role, working with the Director, Picture Editor and Producer, and is the person responsible for overseeing most aspects of post-production audio on a film or television show. This person coordinates sound editors, sound designers,...
- FilmmakingFilmmakingFilmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
- AudiographyAudiographyAudiography in the context of filmmaking is a term commonly used in India to mean the audio engineering performed by the sound department of a film or TV production; this includes sound recording, editing, mixing and sound design but excludes musical composition, songwriting and choreography.An...
- The Sound Manifesto has pages on:
- Director of Sound
- Post Production Supervisor or Supervising Editor
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Director of Sound web sites: Matthew Gough Edward Grabczewski
- CASCall for a new role of Director of Sound
- Gordon E. Sawyer - Sound Director at Goldwyn Studios