copywritten for Sohonet
Karol Urban CAS MPSE (Grey’s Anatomy, Single Parents, New
Girl, Station 19, Boomerang) re-recording mixer, has built a diverse list of
mix credits spanning work on feature films, TV series (scripted and
unscripted), TV movies, and documentaries and describes her job as
“playing mind games with sound.” As a perpetual student of her craft, she
enjoys exploring the power sound has to immersive the viewer in the narrative.
https://www.sohonet.com/2020/10/27/making-remote-audio-post-workflows-a-success-with-karol-urban/
The final stages of the creative process are often the most
essential – and the ones at most risk of being lost when workflows are torn
apart. Critical decisions are affected greatly when client and editor,
colourist or dubbing mixer are tasked with making nuanced adjustments to the
sound and picture without the ability to share the screen in front of them.
When COVID-19 threatened to terminate this social
connection, Karol Urban MPSE and current president of Cinema Audio Society
(CAS) was ready to plug it right back in.
“We already had an amazing workflow for remote approvals
when the pandemic started,” Urban explains. “It was just a matter of taking the
workflow we had used so successfully over a number of seasons for one client
and offering it to everyone. [Sohonet] ClearView Flex has been absolutely
fantastic.”
Urban is a hugely experienced and in-demand re-recording
mixer for television and feature films. At Westwind Media in Burbank, she and
Kurt Kassulke CAS had been using a remote approval system to help some clients
overcome the logistical challenge of LA’s notorious traffic and maximize their
productivity.
“I mixed New Girl and then Single Parents (both
of which were done at Fox) and the executives expressed a preference to perform
approvals remotely to save them time travelling over the hill from the Fox
lot,” she says.
“Ultimately, we secured a ClearView Flex system and our
engineering staff at Westwind crafted a superb workflow that allows us to
stream high-quality video and audio to up to 30 users simultaneously.”
She notes, “We were using a different service previously but
the satisfaction and reliability went through the roof when we went with
ClearView Flex.”
In fact, Urban used this remote approval workflow on
each of the 45 episodes over two seasons of Single Parents for ABC. “The
show was wonderful to work on,” she shares. “From PA to EP everyone involved
was 100 per cent team-oriented. So much so that the EPs and editors would make
an effort to come onto the dub stage in person at least once a season because
we were part of their team.”
The system at Westwind Stage 3 is configured so that signals
from the in-board talkback of its control surfaces are fed directly to the
ClearView Flexbox. This enables Urban and Kassulke to chat with multiple users
through a live stream while hearing the client’s notes and discussion through a
conference call.
“Our chief engineer Craig Holbrook did an incredible job
streamlining this workflow. A technician oversees the session from the machine
room to monitor for any technical concerns so if anybody does have any issue
they are already sent a new link often before the client even notices. They are
constantly monitoring the signals to make sure everyone can view the stream.”
Having perfected this system of remote approval for major
broadcast network shows it was straightforward to pivot when the pandemic
struck.
“Everyone needed to decrease their contact time overnight
but ClearView Flex came to the rescue,” Urban says.
This wasn’t just for the shows she was working on either.
Westwind began offering ClearView Flex as an option to other productions in the
facility. It allowed Westwind to remain on the dub stage while strictly
adhering to safety guidelines and ensuring that a quality product was delivered
on deadline.
“I work on a traditional two mixer dub stage. There is
plenty of room for my co-mixer and I to work with at least 6 feet between us,
even while sharing our board,” Urban explains.
“Usually, it’s just me and my mixing partner in the room and
our engineering staff tries to remedy any technical issues and setup duties
remotely. The machine core is in another space in the building so they rarely
need to come in. Sound Supervisors and Music Editors work remotely and
fly in material via our secure server.”
She continues, “When the mix is ready to present, we allow a
couple of EPs, writers, directors, or editors in the backfield if they would
prefer to approve in person. This allows enough space for the recommended
social distancing. Then we schedule a Clearview Flex review session with
engineering if anyone prefers to weigh in remotely.”
By the end of March, nearly all producers, editors, and
writers were remotely approving. Urban finished season 2 of Boomerang for
BET (produced by Paramount TV Studios, Hillman Grad Productions, 606 Television
and DeEtte Productions) and multiple episodes of S16 of Grey’s Anatomy (Shondaland
Productions) for ABC using ClearView Flex.
When shut down became really tight and leaving home was
discouraged for non-essential businesses, she was forced to remote work from
home.
“I did not have ClearView Flex. I used another tech and I
was not nearly as pleased. I was very excited to get my ClearView Flex back.
There is a discernible difference in reliability and quality.”
To reduce her time in the studio, Urban has also been
pre-dubbing at home. “My private studio is calibrated three ways to Sunday and is
Atmos capable. I have temperature regulating iso racks for all my gear, an AVID
S3 and Dock, JBLs, and a full complement of plug-ins, but it is not a dub
stage. My room at Westwind is so beautifully balanced. It was natively
constructed to be THX compliant and is currently Dolby Atmos certified.
“I prefer to go there at a minimum for a final QC listen.
Visiting the dub stage provides me with a chance to break the monotony of
staring at the walls at home. The room has an isolated entrance to the outside and
is routinely cleaned. It’s safe and I can run my files in that calibrated
space… they also have ClearView Flex capabilities!”
When clients could no longer go into the studio and were all
at home in full remote mode ClearView Flex proved its mettle. Urban says, “I’ve
never had a complaint about quality of sound or picture.”
Now that production is gradually getting up and running,
Urban predicts a deluge of work coming their way. Much of this will be
completed using remote workflows and not just because of enforced social
distancing.
“My favorite part of mixing is analyzing the script and
moulding the narrative in group discussions on the dub stage but, in truth,
budgets have got smaller, schedules have got tighter, and at the same time
there’s been a trend to have more and more people in the room for reviews. And
more perspectives naturally beget more discussion and requires more time.”
“While I miss having time to interact with people face to
face, as far as productivity is concerned this forced isolation has assisted
efficiency in some ways because my clients are asking themselves whether they
need to be physically present or not. My creative teams have begun
consolidating and pre-discussing notes.”
“People are prioritizing notes and prioritizing those who
attend the mix. The result is a reduction in notes and less conflicting
perspectives that need to be discussed and worked through. This affords
me more time to address noise and add nuance to my mix. What we’re learning
from this process is to prioritize what is important and make ourselves more
efficient and I believe as a result remote workflow may be here to stay.”
She concludes, “ClearView Flex has been a great solution. I
know it’s key to our workflow moving forward. I’m excited about it. ClearView
Flex has allowed us to expand our seats and make sure we respect everyone’s
health. It is currently an essential element to our success.”
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