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Four Portfolio Reel Tips

Some Facebook groups I found in the LA area.

I’d like to note that a reel typically consists of a compilation of clips of live-action or animated TV shows, films, or even video games where the sound is replaced with your own edit. The materials you choose can come from released media where you can use the existing sound as a guide for your edit. However, it’s also a great opportunity to collaborate with up-and-coming filmmakers in your creative community to put together the sound design from scratch. This was particularly common while I was in Boston where college students majoring in film and audio post-production could easily work together to fulfill a project. While it’s certainly not necessary for a great reel, I recommend using Facebook groups to connect with filmmakers, creatives, and more sound editors in your area.

KEEP IT SHORT

If you’ve been searching the internet for tips for your portfolio reel, this is probably the most common tip you’ve seen. While a “short” reel may be defined differently to various editors, it’s important to consider the attention span of the person viewing your reel and the variety in your reel. A good rule of thumb is to keep your reel between 2-4 minutes long. However, how you break down that 2-4 minutes can make a big difference, which leads me to my next point…

TAILOR TO YOUR DESIRED POSITION

Just like with any other resume, your portfolio reel should also be tweaked and adjusted based on the position you’re applying for. It’s important to get all the right information for the places where you want to work or for whose work interests you. For example, Boom Box Post specializes in post-production audio for animation, while Pinewood Studios focuses on live-action. A larger studio like Skywalker Sound spans across media, but many of their releases involve heavy live-action fighting sequences. Now, think about how to break down your reel based on the kinds of post-production studios you want to join. A portfolio reel for an animation-focused studio might include 3 1-minute clips involving different types of animation, while a portfolio reel for a large-scale live-action production studio could have 2 2-minute clips with long and dynamic fight sequences.

HAVE AN ORGANIZED DELIVERY METHOD

Your portfolio reel will most likely come in the form of a compiled video with a sharable link. Sometimes (however not as common) employers may ask to see the full ProTools session instead of or along with a link to a reel. If this is the case, they are evaluating your organization skills, so it’s essential to have all tracks labeled, clips organized, and a smooth signal flow in your session that makes it easy for them to see what’s happening and listen without any problems. We have a great blog on keeping your ProTools sessions organized, which you can read here. You can also check out this blog we have for solid file naming, which will give a great impression if you’re sending more than just a link to employers.

Example of Vimeo platform.

ProTools EQ-III.

If you’re sending a sharable link, there are a lot of great viewing options that are easy to use and easy for others to watch, including Vimeo, Youtube, and Squarespace. Once you’ve compiled your work together in a ProTools session and bounced a Quicktime video of your work, you can upload that video to any of these platforms and include text information to describe the work you did on each clip, breaking down dialogue, Foley, and sound effects.

CONSIDER EVERY ASPECT OF THE PROJECT

While you may be applying specifically to a sound editing position, you still have a chance to show off your understanding for the big picture. This can include recording your own sound effects, Foley, and dialogue, and putting together a basic mix for your reel. Adjusting levels and panning, and using stock ProTools plug-ins like EQ-III to balance out any unwanted frequencies is a great way to show your understanding of how your effects relate to each other.

Sometimes it is easier to record some of your own sounds instead of finding effects from libraries. While Soundly and Splice both offer a limited amount of free sound effects, other general library platforms like Pro Sound Effects can be very expensive. Recording your own Foley or vocal effects can offer more flexibility, and you can also put together your own sound effects libraries to show to employers, simply by collecting those sounds and creating playlists in SoundCloud.

Ultimately, your portfolio reel should have a concise demonstration of your skills as an editor, it should highlight the style or genre of the studios of your interest, and it should be easy to access and navigate through. Portfolio reels can come with a lot of opportunities to show off organization skills and resourcefulness, so be on the lookout for more ways to impress potential employers when you start building your reel.

The Perfect Ear

Miles once said, “When I think of those who have died, I get furious, so I don’t think about it. But their spirits are still wandering within me, so they are still here, they keep passing it on to others. It’s a spiritual thing, and they’re part of who I am today. It’s all in me, all the things they taught me to do. Music is about the spirit and the spiritual, and also about feelings. I think his music is still present, somewhere, you understand? The things we touched together have to keep floating somewhere, because we expelled them with our breath, and the result was something magical, something spiritual. All of that is still with us. All of us who saw our lives transformed by Miles can still hear the unmistakable voice of his trumpet and still feel it directly stuck in the heart.

 

Quincy Troupe (Miles and Me)

With extravagant personality Miles Davis among many skills, he could recognize the musical notes in any sound, what is called, absolute hearing.

What is absolute hearing?

Known as perfect hearing, it is when a person has the ability to identify the frequency of an isolated auditory stimulus without the help of a referential auditory stimulus, so it can be defined as the ability to read sounds.

Studies have shown that this ability could be under the control of DNA. The researchers compared the structures and activity of the auditory cortex, that is, the region of the cerebral cortex that receives auditory information.

The historical beginnings of sound analysis

Since the nineteenth century, science has focused on investigating the background of understanding musical tones and their measurement. Since the references of the tones were only precisely defined at this time, the perfect tone designation could only be analyzed from the nineteenth century. Thus, the perfect ear was explained simultaneously with a musical ear and with absolute awareness of tone.

Although the differences and distinctions lie in the details. Only one in 10,000 people have an absolute tone and are, therefore, able to sing every note perfectly. On a physical and functional level, there is no difference in the auditory system when you have this condition. Rather, it is an expression of a rare ability to analyze tone accurately. Therefore, this form of tone search is an act of cognition, whereby the frequencies heard are reproduced in the form of pure tones.

From a scientific point of view, this is a musical learning approach that can also be applied to sounds or colors. However, since shades are defined by a much finer distinction than common color patterns, this skill is much rarer.

Effects on language and perception

Influences around the perfect ear can also be defined from a cultural perspective. Above all, the incorporation of the C major scale generated new approaches that could significantly simplify identification with specific tones. Mostly, the played tones correspond to musical experiences, which then sound coherent or biased from the listener’s point of view. But also, in terms of language and perception, absolute hearing has led to some changes.

Language

Many dialects depend on variations in tone. Accentuations are also of elementary importance for classical speech processes.

Perception

Not only the reproduction of perfect tones but above all their perception plays a decisive role in perfect hearing. The exact rankings here are not defined by a better sense of listening, but exclusively by recognition and categorization. This is again due to the mechanisms of the brain.

Differences with relative hearing

The relative ear, unlike the absolute ear, lacks independence from the main note. With a perfect ear, you can define exactly a note and estimate it without concrete examples. With the relative ear, what happens is that you simply compare the note with another note and you can classify it this way. While this makes it much easier for musicians to find their way musically, it is a far cry from absolute tone. An absolute ear is an absolute rarity, even among musicians.

These skills are the foundation of the perfect ear

Absolute hearing is a very rare phenomenon. But what specifically can someone who suffers from it do? The following factors form the basis of this extremely rare skill and help identify an absolute tone:

The special feature of people with an accurate understanding of tone is that they can regain their skills again and again. So if you’re lucky and define a chord correctly, you may not have a perfect ear. This is a skill that is constantly remembered that allows you to demonstrate your understanding of tone and clearly identify any notes you can think of or touch it randomly.

A good basis for musical sensibility

An absolute ear is by no means a prerequisite for a music career. Very few people can enjoy this skill. Although having this ability can help you with your musical sensibility, someone without an absolute ear can also become a great musician. This is also evident in the few examples that can be given of outstanding musicians with a perfect sense of tone.

Musicians with Perfect Pitch

Among musicians, having absolute hearing is a real rarity. In the near past, for example, you can name Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Puth, Bing Crosby, and Michael Jackson who have a perfect tone. However, from the many famous personalities that are missing, it can be seen that many well-known musicians do not have such skills, and yet they are well known.

The famous musician Charlie Puth was even bullied by his classmates during his childhood because of his special ability, he was able to assert himself in the music industry with his self-confidence and of course with the perfect tone. Today he is one of the most famous young artists, and he is also predicted to have a steep career in the future. However, it turns out that the requirements are not in the concrete singing, but mainly in the composition. There, musical sensitivity and exact knowledge are absolutely necessary.

Therefore, it is not surprising that many famous composers of the past have a perfect tone. These personalities include, for example, Mozart, Handel, Chopin, and Beethoven. This made it much easier to find the right additions for each instrument and create a harmonic effect. Within the search for the musician, absolute hearing became a universal and important skill even then.

How to achieve the perfect tone?

In most cases, musical understanding is innate. Even if you can also learn a lot of content about music theory and perception, this has nothing to do with the perfect tone. This is at least in line with the assumption of Brady and Levitin and Rogers, who criticize a possible workout for a perfect tone.

However, there is now some evidence that absolute hearing can develop without an innate and useful ability. To do this, the University of Chicago conducted a study in which several students with different musical experiences were tested. Immediately after the initial training sessions, the students showed significant improvement in tone recognition, which allowed them to expand their experience.

Any of us can have the opportunity to sharpen the knowledge of the right tones, with a lot of practice you can achieve it.

As a sound engineer, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with various musicians who possess this skill, it has been very enriching and a quite enriching experience.

I think that people who have this ability can have very interesting contributions to musical projects and therefore a development with a different approach to music and sound.

As Charly Garcia mentions,

“I know it’s genetic, that my great-grandfather also had absolute hearing and that sometimes when I pass by or I’m preparing a concert when I don’t sleep, that’s when things get a little difficult. There the degree of sound sensitivity is filtered to the other four senses and it is the sound that takes you and drags you. You see the sound and you play the sound, and you smell the sound and you like the sound.”

Absolute hearing can be a blessing and a curse at the same time, but it is a distinctive aspect, another artist who possesses this ability.

Carolina Anton is an internationally recognized leader in the field of live sound mixing, systems design, and optimization of sound reinforcement. For more than 15 years, Carolina has established a trajectory within her career, collaborating with distinguished artists and productions.

Carolina is co-founder of the company 3BH, which develops projects for technology integration, design, and speaker calibration for post-production and music studios in Mexico and Latin America, Anton is part of GoroGoro Immersive Labs, Mixing and creative studio specialized in different immersive formats such as Dolby ATMOS, Ambisonics, among others.

In 2016 she began to represent SoundGirls in Mexico, supporting women to professionalize in the entertainment industry.

 

El oído perfecto

Miles dijo en cierta ocasión: “Cuando pienso en los que han muerto me pongo furioso, de modo que rato de no pensar en ello. Pero sus espíritus siguen deambulando en mi interior, por lo que siguen aquí, siguen transmitiéndoselo a otros. Es algo espiritual, y ellos forman parte de lo que soy hoy en día. Está todo en mí, todas las cosas que ellos me enseñaron a hacer. La música tiene que ver con el espíritu y lo espiritual, y también con los sentimientos. Creo que su música aún está presente, en algún lugar, ¿entiendes? Las cosas que tocábamos juntos tienen que seguir flotando en algún sitio, porque nosotros las expulsamos con nuestro aliento, y el resultado fue algo mágico, algo espiritual. Todo eso sigue con nosotros. Todos aquellos que vimos nuestras vidas transformadas por Miles aún podemos escuchar la voz inconfundible de su trompeta y aún la sentimos directamente clavada en el corazón.

 

Quincy Troupe (Miles y Yo)

 

Con personalidad extravagante Miles Davis entre muchas habilidades, podía reconocer las notas musicales en cualquier sonido, lo que se le denomina, oído absoluto.

¿Qué es el oído absoluto?

Conocido como oído perfecto, es cuando una persona tiene la capacidad de identificar la frecuencia de un estímulo auditivo aislado sin la ayuda de un estímulo auditivo referencial, así que, se puede definir como la capacidad de leer los sonidos.

Estudios han demostrado que esta habilidad podría estar bajo el control del ADN. Los investigadores compararon las estructuras y la actividad de la corteza auditiva, es decir, la región de la corteza cerebral que recibe información auditiva.

Los inicios históricos del análisis de sonido

 

Desde el siglo XIX, la ciencia se ha centrado en investigar los antecedentes de la comprensión de los tonos musicales y su medición. Dado que las referencias de los tonos solo se definieron con precisión en este momento, la designación de tono perfecto solo se pudo analizar a partir del siglo XIX. Así, el oído perfecto se explicó simultáneamente con un oído musical y con una absoluta conciencia del tono.

Aunque las diferencias y distinciones radican en los detalles. Solo una de cada 10.000 personas tiene un tono absoluto y, por lo tanto, es capaz de cantar cada nota a la perfección. A nivel físico y funcional, no hay diferencia en el sistema auditivo cuando tienes esta condición. Más bien, es una expresión de una rara habilidad para analizar el tono con precisión. Por lo tanto, esta forma de búsqueda de tonos es un acto de cognición, mediante el cual las frecuencias escuchadas se reproducen en forma de tonos puros.

Desde un punto de vista científico, este es un enfoque de aprendizaje musical que también se puede aplicar a los sonidos o colores. Sin embargo, dado a que los tonos se definen mediante una distinción mucho más fina que los patrones de color comunes, esta habilidad es mucho más rara.

 

Efectos sobre el lenguaje y la percepción

Las influencias en torno al oído perfecto también se pueden definir desde una perspectiva cultural. Sobre todo, la incorporación de la escala de Do mayor generó nuevos enfoques que podrían simplificar significativamente la identificación con tonos concretos. En su mayoría, los tonos reproducidos corresponden a experiencias musicales, que luego suenan coherentes o sesgadas desde el punto de vista del oyente. Pero también en términos de lenguaje y percepción, el oído absoluto ha dado lugar a algunos cambios.

Idioma

Muchos dialectos dependen de variaciones en el tono. Las acentuaciones también son de importancia elemental para los procesos clásicos del habla.

Percepción

No solo la reproducción de tonos perfectos, sino sobre todo su percepción juega un papel decisivo en oído perfecto. Las clasificaciones exactas aquí no se definen por un mejor sentido de la escucha, sino exclusivamente por el reconocimiento y la categorización. Esto se debe nuevamente a los mecanismos del cerebro.

Las diferencias con la audición relativa

El oído relativo, a diferencia del oído absoluto, carece de independencia de una nota principal. Con un oído perfecto, se puede definir exactamente una nota y estimarla sin ejemplos concretos. Con el oído relativo, lo que sucede es que simplemente se compara la nota con otra nota y puede clasificarla de esta manera. Si bien esto hace que sea mucho más fácil para los músicos encontrar su camino musicalmente, está muy lejos del tono absoluto. Un oído absoluto es una rareza absoluta, incluso entre los músicos.

Estas habilidades son la base del oído perfecto.

El oído absoluto es un fenómeno muy raro. Pero ¿qué puede hacer específicamente alguien que lo padece? Los siguientes factores forman la base de esta habilidad extremadamente rara y ayudan a identificar un tono absoluto:

La característica especial de las personas con una comprensión exacta del tono es que pueden recuperar sus habilidades una y otra vez. Entonces, si tiene suerte y define un acorde correctamente, posiblemente no posee un oído perfecto. Esta es una habilidad que se recuerda constantemente que le permite demostrar su comprensión del tono e identificar claramente cualquier nota que se le ocurra o tocarla al azar.

Una buena base para la sensibilidad musical

Un oído absoluto no es de ninguna manera un requisito previo para una carrera musical. Muy pocas personas pueden disfrutar de esta habilidad. Aunque el tener esta habilidad, puede ayudarte con tu sensibilidad musical, alguien sin un oído absoluto también puede convertirse en un gran músico. Esto también es evidente en los pocos ejemplos que se pueden dar de músicos destacados con un perfecto sentido del tono.

Músicos con Perfect Pitch

Entre los músicos, el tener oído absoluto, es una verdadera rareza. En el pasado cercano, por ejemplo, se puede nombrar a Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Puth, Bing Crosby y Michael Jackson que tienen un tono perfecto. Sin embargo, de las muchas personalidades famosas que faltan, se puede ver que muchos músicos conocidos no tienen tales habilidades y, sin embargo, son bien conocidos.

El famoso músico Charlie Puth incluso fue intimidado por sus compañeros de clase durante su infancia debido a la habilidad especial, fue capaz de afirmarse en la industria de la música con su confianza en sí mismo y por supuesto con el tono perfecto. Hoy en día es uno de los artistas jóvenes más famosos, y también se prevé que tenga una carrera empinada en el futuro. Sin embargo, resulta que los requisitos no están en el canto concreto, sino principalmente en la composición. Allí, la sensibilidad musical y el conocimiento exacto son absolutamente necesarios.

Por lo tanto, no es sorprendente que muchos compositores famosos del pasado tengan un tono perfecto. Estas personalidades incluyen, por ejemplo, Mozart, Handel, Chopin y Beethoven. Esto hizo que fuera mucho más fácil encontrar las adiciones adecuadas para cada instrumento y crear un efecto armónico. Dentro de la búsqueda del músico, el oído absoluto se convirtió en una habilidad universal e importante incluso entonces.

¿Cómo lograr el tono perfecto?

En la mayoría de los casos, la comprensión musical es innata. Incluso si además se puede aprender mucho contenido sobre teoría musical y percepción, esto no tiene nada que ver con el tono perfecto. Esto está al menos en línea con la suposición de Brady y Levitin y Rogers, quienes critican un posible entrenamiento para un tono perfecto.

Sin embargo, ahora hay alguna evidencia de que el oído absoluto se puede desarrollar sin una habilidad innata y útil. Para ello, la Universidad de Chicago realizó un estudio en el que se probaron varios estudiantes con diferentes experiencias musicales. Inmediatamente después de las sesiones de formación inicial, los estudiantes mostraron una mejora significativa en el reconocimiento de tono, lo que les permitió ampliar su experiencia.

Cualquiera de nosotros puede tener la oportunidad de agudizar el conocimiento de los tonos correctos, con mucha practica puedes lograrlo. Como ingeniera de sonido, he tenido la oportunidad de colaborar con diversos músicos que poseen esta habilidad, ha sido muy enriquecedor y una experiencia bastante enriquecedora.

Creo que las personas que cuentan con esta habilidad pueden tener aportaciones muy interesantes para proyectos musicales y por lo tanto un desarrollo con una aproximación diferente a la música y el sonido.

Como menciona Charly García,

“Sé que es genético, que mi bisabuelo también tenía oído absoluto y que a veces, cuando paso de largo o estoy preparando un concierto, cuando no duermo, es cuando la cosa se pone un poquito difícil. Ahí el grado de sensibilidad sonora se te filtra a los otros cuatro sentidos y es el sonido el que te lleva y te arrastra. Ves el sonido y tocás el sonido, y olés el sonido y gustás el sonido”.

El oído absoluto puede ser una bendición y una maldición al mismo tiempo, pero es un aspecto distintivo, otro artista que posee esta habilidad.

Carolina Antón es una líder reconocida internacionalmente en el campo de la mezcla de sonido en vivo, diseño de sistemas y optimización del refuerzo sonoro. Durante más de 15 años, Carolina ha establecido una trayectoria dentro de su carrera, colaborando con distinguidos artistas y producciones. Carolina es cofundadora de la empresa 3BH, que desarrolla proyectos de integración tecnológica, diseño y calibración de altavoces para estudios de postproducción y música en México y Latinoamérica, Ant n es parte de GoroGoro Immersive Labs, mixing y estudio creativo especializado en diferentes inmersivos formatos como Dolby ATMOS, Ambisonics, entre otros. En 2016 comenzó a representar a la Soundgirls.org en México, apoyando a las mujeres a profesionalizarse en la industria del entretenimiento.

 

LIVING SOUND Documentary about Ethel Gabriel

LIVING SOUND Documentary about Ethel Gabriel

A documentary film about the never-before-told story of Ethel Gabriel, a legendary record producer, and music executive.

Ethel Gabriel may be one of the most prolific music producers you’ve never heard of.

Despite having worked with some of the most legendary musicians of our time, her contributions to the music industry remain relatively unknown and largely uncredited.

It was only when she passed away in March 2021, at the age of 99, that Ethel Gabriel finally began to gain recognition for the more than 5,000 recordings she produced for RCA, as well as for earning 15 Gold records and a Grammy Award in 1983.

Help Support LIVING SOUND

A long-overdue tribute in The New York Times revealed her enormously successful five-decade career (“Ethel Gabriel, a Rare Woman in the Record World, Dies at 99”). The Washington Post called her a “trailblazing producer and executive at RCA Records” and NPR WXXI News in Rochester, NY covered Ethel reminiscing on her incredible career: “How could I forget Elvis?” she said. “I made him famous.”

Ethel Gabriel’s legacy includes convincing RCA to sign the young hip-swingin’ Elvis to RCA, helping to establish RCA’s famed Nashville Studio B, and producing some of RCA’s earliest mood music albums and early disco tracks.  Known as the “cool aunt” within her own family, she defied social, cultural, and gender roles in an era long before it was acceptable. She intended to study forestry in college, but women were locked out of the field at that time (the 1940s). Instead, she chose her other passion: music. As a student at Temple University (Philadelphia), Ethel started working for RCA in the record pressing plant. When she left the company nearly forty years later, she was RCA’s first woman executive at the label.

 WHERE WE’RE AT / WHERE WE’RE HEADING

We started production on our film in 2019–and we feel fortunate to have met Ethel Gabriel when she was 97 years old! Because of Alzheimer’s, some of her memories were fading, but her love of music and for her family was keeping her alive. As Ethel told us when we last visited, her music was still in her head.

We are the filmmaking team Caroline Losneck and Christoph Gelfand, and we are based in Portland, Maine. Together, we’ve directed films that have appeared in the New York Times, Camden Film Festival, Rooftop Films, Big Sky Festival, and more.

We’ve been learning and uncovering more about Ethel for almost three years now–ever since our Producer (and audio industry expert) April Tucker first learned about Ethel’s amazing career and story. She shared Ethel’s story with Karrie Keyes at SoundGirls and that’s how this film was born. SoundGirls established the Ethel Gabriel Scholarship Fund, which has been awarded to two students in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Since 2019, we have interviewed music industry professionals including Leslie Ann Jones (Director of Music and Scoring, Skywalker Sound), who has her own connection to Ethel. We’ve also been honored to interview Terri Winston (Women’s Audio Mission), Producer/Mixer Chris Lord-Alge, Leslie Gaston-Bird (author, “Women in Audio”), Matthew Kelly & Tom Tierney of the Sony Archives, and many others. We have talked with friends, former RCA colleagues, and musicians who Ethel worked with throughout her career, including Warren Schatz (former RCA executive), singer/composer/producer Anne Phillips, tour manager Doe Phillips, and jazz pianist/composer Dick Hyman.

We’ve spent time with Ethel and her family, shared meals, laughed, cried and have enjoyed more than anything having the opportunity spend time with Ethel. We have full access to Ethel’s personal archives, thanks to her closest family (Ed and Nancy Mauro), and are honored to be trusted by Ethel’s family to tell her story.

We are also honored to have received Maine Arts Commission and Ellis-Beauregard Foundation grants. This allowed us to travel to the San Francisco Bay area for some filming in early 2020 before the pandemic began, and to do historical recreations, working with Maine actors and talent. Our film is part of the WOMEN MAKE MOVIES Production Assistance and Fiscal Sponsorship Program, which accepts donations for this film year-round!

WHAT WE NEED SUPPORT FOR

Caroline and Christoph are ready to go back out on the road for more key interviews, shooting, and digging into more archives. Next up is a Nashville trip to investigate Ethel’s role in the creation of RCA’s Studio B and learn more about her relationships with artists like Chet Atkins and Elvis, and her former boss, RCA legend Steve Sholes. We’ve also been invited to shoot more at the Sony Archives in New York City, and have friends and former colleagues ready to share their stories for the film.

KICKSTARTER FUNDING WILL IMMEDIATELY SUPPORT 

  • Costs to continue production in Nashville, TN; New York City, NY; Rochester, NY
  • Filming more re-creations in Maine (utilizing local actors + recording studios)
  • Helping us finish production, bringing us one step close to bringing the film to YOU!

WHY MAKE THIS DOCUMENTARY NOW?

Ethel’s story is more relevant now than ever. Recent studies, such as USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s “Inclusion in the Recording Studio?” reveal that only ~2.6% of record producers today are women. “Women producers — and particularly women of color — are virtually erased from the music industry,” the study’s author, Dr. Smith, said.

Why does the disparity still exist, why is it so extreme, and what is being done to change it? We talk with experts and researchers in this area (including the founders of Women’s Audio Mission and SoundGirls) who–through decades of helping women and uncovering and looking critically at stories like Ethel’s–share concrete ways the music industry can move towards real equity.

OUR REWARDS

We are excited about the rewards, both physical and experiential! The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland has a special tour that has your name on it. Our amazing friends at Acadia Recording Company in Portland, Maine (where we’ve filmed historical re-creations) are offering recording time. Maine artist Gil Corral has offered an original black velvet painting. Organizations like SoundGirls and Female Frequency have helped orchestrate the goodies you see in our perks. We’d love you to join this film as a supporter, and any amount helps! We’re grateful for your support.

TIMELINE

Filmmaking takes time. While we can’t say when the film will be released, we are aiming to have it completed in 2023.

And finally, YOU are essential to this process. Whether you know of Ethel Gabriel yet or not, it’s likely that her career and the music she ushered into the world has impacted your life and the music you enjoy. Ethel’s story can’t be told without your support!

Please SPREAD THE WORD about this film and important story.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also contact us on our website.

ABOUT THE TEAM

  •  CAROLINE LOSNECK (co-director, co-producer, editor) is an independent documentarian, radio/podcast producer, installation artist and filmmaker in Maine. Her radio work has been featured on NPR, Marketplace, BBC, Maine Public Radio, Kitchen Sisters, and in numerous podcasts. Her documentary film work has been featured in the New York Times, Camden International Film Festival and others. She has received Maine Arts Commission, Warhol Foundation/Kindling Fund, and Ellis-Beauregard Foundation grants for her documentary storytelling work.
  •  CHRISTOPH GELFAND (co-director, cinematographer, co-producer, editor) is an award-winning director and producer who has been making (mostly) truthful films his whole life. Since learning the craft on celluloid, his documentaries have been screened across the country on network and cable television, film festivals, and online. He continues to produce new films with his production company, True Life Media. His musical experience includes playing an occasionally functional tenor sax and a few improvisational piano ballads.
  •  APRIL TUCKER (co-producer, sound supervisor, researcher). April works in sound for pictures (broadcast TV, film, and streaming) in Los Angeles, California. Her sound for film work has been heard at major festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, and Tribeca, and her television mixes have been heard by millions of viewers. April has been researching Ethel Gabriel since 2019, uncovering details to Ethel’s story and career that would have otherwise been lost.

The film is also in association with SoundGirls. KARRIE KEYES is Executive Director and Co-Founder of SoundGirls. Hailing from Los Angeles, Karrie has spent over 25 years as the monitor engineer for Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. Karrie started out doing sound for punk bands in Los Angeles in 1986. She was the monitor engineer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1990-2000) and has worked with Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Neil Young.

Risks and challenges

Producing a documentary takes time (and even more time in a pandemic). We are confident that our experience in the documentary and news world, and our deep connections within the audio and entertainment industry (the people needed to tell the story), will allow us to complete our film. The funds we raise with this campaign will only comprise a portion of what we’ll need to finish the film, but our team has the resources to make a little go a long way. Funding will allow us to film our most important subjects and locations, and most importantly, to have more time with Ethel’s friends, colleagues, and those she impacted. An additional part of completing this film will be the rights and clearances that will enable us to use the music we find so important in telling Ethel’s story. We’ve always seen the music Ethel helped bring into the world as a main character. Any funds beyond our production needs will help cover these costs. Thank you!

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Saving the Show

We all like to think we’re absolutely indispensable, especially in the theatre world. There’s the old adage “the show must go on,” so we push ourselves to get tours into theatres where they barely fit, come to work even when we’re not feeling well because who else can run the show? Once, an actress asked what the A1 and A2 would do if one of us were sick. I told her that whoever’s not sick would mix the show, so she asked what happened if we were both sick. I replied, “then whoever’s less sick mixes with a trashcan at FOH.” Thankfully neither of us ever had to do that, but everyone on the road has a war story of doing a show despite illness or injury, bragging how quickly they came back or how stoically they soldiered through.

Trying to fit the old tour life we knew into a new landscape where Covid dictates so much have proven challenging to say the least. But some good has come from it: now more than ever, we’re focusing more on our physical health. Which is wonderful, and long overdue. However, sailing in uncharted waters leads to so much uncertainty in our lives. That constant stress takes a toll on the mental health of the company. We’re on rigorous testing schedules that race against the efficiency of an ever-evolving virus that threatens cancellations or unexpected layoffs if enough people in the company test positive. Before 2020 most of us would have cheered some unexpected time off and made plans to relax, but now there’s a nagging worry in the back of our minds that our entire industry could shut down again or our show could close for good. We find ourselves half tempted to stay locked in the hotel room in the hope that somehow that will keep a positive test at bay, all the while knowing that our quality of life will suffer drastically if we try to avoid each other completely.

We’re now at a point where being indispensable is a liability, not only to the company but to our own mental well-being. Even more so for the handful of company members who have become linchpins in a Covid world: people that, if they test positive and have to quarantine, have no replacement or understudy onsite to cover, and the show will have to shut down until they can return to work. In most cases, there’s someone, somewhere that could fly out to the tour to cover, but even that would involve at least one or two canceled shows.

At the beginning of January, I ran into both of those situations. Mean Girls had an outbreak of cases and had to cancel a week of shows, which had already happened on a handful of other tours. I found myself with some unexpected time off, but that didn’t last for long because our industry is a very small one. On my first day off, I got a call at 9 pm asking if I could leave on the first flight the next day so I could fill in for the A1 on the My Fair Lady tour, and Tuesday at 10 am I walked into load in to help the A2 get the show-up and running.

This was a job that brought a lot of perspectives. It was a d&b main system and Helixnet com, neither of which I’d toured, and a Yamaha PM10 console, which I’ve never touched before (I have worked on Yamaha consoles, and thankfully that knowledge of the software transferred!), plus a design team that I’d never worked with before. Walking in, I’d toured for long enough that I was able to get the general lay of the land, and the A2 and I worked through setting up FOH and getting the system timed with a few phone calls and emails to design and the A1 to make sure we had the right patches and were getting reasonably close to the original intention of the design.

It was gratifying to see that I’d come far enough in my career that I could take unfamiliar gear in stride or at least know who to ask for help. It also showed me the gap between what we know as someone who runs the show constantly, and what a fresh pair of eyes actually see. Taking that back with me to Mean Girls, I’m starting to covid-proof my system to the best of my ability. So far I’ve added better labeling and color-coding to my FOH setup, taking more pictures of what things look like, and creating a Dropbox folder that I can send someone a link with most of the pertinent information they’d need to load in, run, and load out the show.

Luckily, this leans into one of my strengths. If you threw a dart at a collection of my blogs, you’re almost guaranteed to hit one that either mentions or completely focuses on some kind of paperwork: scripts, console programming, venue advances; I love a solid set of paperwork and some detailed documentation.

One of my projects on the post-Covid version of the tour was creating documentation of the show and my stint at My Fair Lady gave me a better idea of what I want to include:

For some, this sounds like overkill, but I find peace of mind in the idea that I might give someone too much information, but hopefully never too little. I also have a lot of practice doing this kind of documentation because it’s similar to what I’ve done for some of the shows I’ve left, specifically those where I didn’t have much time with my replacement to help train them. The only difference is that this would be a temporary replacement with who I’d have absolutely no crossover, other than answering questions on the phone as I sit in a hotel room in quarantine.

At this point in the touring world, it’s no longer about job security, it’s about sustainability. Eventually, we may move to a point where Covid won’t shut shows down for weeks at a time, but we’re not there yet. Until we make it to that point, we all have to be prepared for the when — not if — of being the person who’s in quarantine. For me, that means lots of time typing on my computer so I can rest just a little easier knowing I’ve done everything I could to make my replacement and my crew’s life as easy as possible.

The Groundbreaking Feminine Power of Rock Icon Stevie Nicks

 

Queen of shawls and heartbreak, Stevie Nicks has been creating hits since the 1970s. As a pioneer of women in rock, Nicks is a role model for many modern musicians. Yet Nicks’ journey to be a pioneer of women in rock, is an interesting story of feminine power in the midst of a hyper-masculine music world. Through her lyrics and clothes, Stevie harnessed the power of the feminine to carve a path for herself and build the road for women in music across the globe.

With 40+ years in the music industry, Nicks has dozens of songs penned under her name.. Her fearless proclamations of the dynamic feminine and her mystical garments are exactly what makes her the music mother for many of us. Her proclamations of the strength of a woman are still radical in many cultures, yet they were especially radical when she was penning her early song. In the world of macho rock in the 1970s, Nicks’s fearless proclamation of the woman’s spellbinding power while wearing flowing dresses and draping feminine shawls is a unique and empowering narrative to be written. Yet it is exactly what Nicks’ was writing, most importantly in the song “Rhiannon”.

In one line in the song, Rhiannon says, “ She rules her life like a bird in flight/ and who would be her lover?/ All your life you’ve never seen a woman taken by the wind” (Nicks). These lyrics of feminine power in a rock song were a new idea in music. At this point in time rock was a celebration of hyper-masculine, male sexual power, and a macho mindset. Up to this point few women and be able to enter into the misogynistic world of rock n roll. In much of popular rock, the dominating narrative of the women was either ideal woman/Madonna/Saint, evil or fickle witch, or Sinner/Whore/Victim. If you look at the lyric in Rhiannon as mentioned above, Nicks took this classic rock women witch narrative and turned it into a story of the feminine power of the witch.  Pop culture scholar  Carol  L. Thompson highlights this when she says, “Rhiannon transcends the evil fickle witch stereotype by casting the heroine as irresistible, independent, and in control of her own destiny”. The timing of this song being written as Nicks was experiencing the masculine world of music shows how Nicks understood the patriarchal music industry that she was against. However, Nicks took this understanding of the patriarchal system she was facing, embraced it, and wrote an anthem of how she would take these barriers as a way of gaining power. This narrative of taking power highlights Nicks’ history of her success in embracing femininity as a woman in music while facing rampant misogyny in the rock music industry.

Nicks embracing the power of the feminine did not stop at her lyrics. Following the commercial success of the 1975 album, Fleetwood Mac,  Nicks began to work with clothing designer Margi Kent to develop her clothing style for performance. This ultimately led to her wearing long skirts, platform boots, and numerous shawls.  This decision to make her image clearly feminine in skirt and heels was a bold decision knowing the misogynistic rock music scene she was entering. By overtly promoting her femininity through her clothing she chose to be strong in her femininity in a male-dominated space.  Through this unapologetic clothing expression, she visually expressed women were important and needed in the rock world. It clearly highlighted her difference as a woman and the barriers she was breaking in her success.

Culturally Stevie Nicks is an icon. Stevie’s music still tops the charts, years after the song’s initial release. Her longstanding popularity shows Nicks has inspired many generations with her music. Her legendary status comes from her pioneering actions as one of the famous women in music and in rock n’ roll. Through her lyrics and clothing, she chipped away at the singularly hypermasculine rock culture and carved a space for feminine power to enter rock successfully. Her achievements in these actions have solidified her legacy as a legend in rock n roll.

 

Riding the Creative Cycle

Aside from the obvious devastation caused, the coronavirus pandemic has done a number on creative folks. I’ve observed struggles, transformations, career challenges, and cycles that would normally span decades condensed into a matter of months. It’s been fascinating to see how people’s creativity has evolved over this testing time, and the new directions that have emerged out of crisis, changes, and a renewed perspective.

Everything in life moves in cycles, whether in work, our relationships, a project, or ourselves. Cycles typically go through the phases of inception, birth, growth, decline, release, death, and rebirth. It’s rebirth that I find most fascinating: the dawning of a new age and beginning of a new cycle is always exciting to see.

In ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology, the legend of the phoenix is often referenced as the ultimate motivational idiom of forging a new path in life. As the story goes, the phoenix was a magnificent bird with red and gold plumage. Singing songs for the sun alone in the desert, the phoenix grew old and weak after living for 500 years. The phoenix then built a funeral pyre for itself before laying down and bursting into flames. Instantly, from the ashes the phoenix emerged even more beautiful and renewed, and would live for another 500 years, repeating the cycle again in perpetuity.

Trying something new

Whether rebirth is borne out of crisis or experimentation, a common artistic method for overcoming a creative block is to ‘try something new’. It’s a topic that never fails to crop up in conversation, because so often we feel stagnant and like we need to widen our net, even during ‘ordinary’ times. In welcoming in the new – whether that be a new sound, a new instrument, technique, or area of industry, we metaphorically channel our personal Sgt. Pepper, like our inner Dylan plugging in his guitar for the first time. We can push the boundaries of what is comfortable or expected as often as we like – every life chapter, career move, and creative offering can be as fresh and unpredictable as each new album from Radiohead or Bowie, embracing a direction that is ever-evolving.

Paradoxically, another theme that consistently appears alongside trying something new, is the drive to reconnect with what we loved about our art as a child or when we first became inspired. When your art is your career, this one can be more challenging to figure out. With an unexpected hiatus such as the pandemic, taking time and space to let the ideas flow again has helped some to reconnect with this initial spark.

But what of the times when our lives and careers crumble, when re-emerging from the ashes is more dramatic? Sometimes a new cycle is more akin to Dave Grohl forming the Foo Fighters after the end of Nirvana when an entirely new start is necessary in order to move on.

In the same vein, my favourite Rock and Roll life story has to be that of Stevie Van Zandt, who started his career as the guitarist of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. After leaving the group at a high point in their popularity, Van Zandt faced struggles financially, emotionally, and spent a period of time without music in his life. However, his autobiography explains:

“Van Zandt left the band and transformed into a new identity, the first of many, and Little Steven became a political songwriter and performer, helping to mastermind the recording of ‘Sun City, an anti-apartheid anthem that helped get Nelson Mandela out of prison. By the 90s, Van Zandt had lived at least two lives – one as a rocker, one as a hardcore activist. It was time for a third – as Silvio Dante, the unconditionally loyal consigliere who sat at the right hand of Tony Soprano in The Sopranos. Underlying all of Van Zandt’s various incarnations was a devotion to preserving the centrality of the arts, especially the endangered species of Rock.”

Van Zandt is the epitome of the legend of the phoenix, changing direction, and making comeback after comeback from the ashes of his previous lives. While his first cycle came to an end with the band, he went on to use his skills and make an impact in a new way that wouldn’t have been possible without its ending. By modifying his creative mediums, Van Zandt affected one of the most notable political events in recent history and went on to be a part of the most renowned television show in the world. Even more, interestingly, he reconnected with Bruce and the band years later, and has been a staple of the group once again.

When cycles end as they inevitably do, embracing the situation and looking to art and stories like Van Zandt’s can give us hope that incredible things are possible, and when one chapter in our lives burns to the ground, it doesn’t necessarily mark the end of us. We might take a break, reinvent ourselves, or try something completely new, but every ending is a new beginning. Whether good or bad, the cycle will roll on, and rebirth always comes at the end of the sequence.

Some Tips From My Last Location Sound Gig

TUGELA SKYE

I have this weird love-hate relationship with location sound. It’s still a relatively new area of expertise for me, but there have been some amazing, and not-so-amazing experiences. I recently went on a trip with a well-known film producer, Timothy Hay from Hellmot productions. It was a last-minute adventure, and I must admit one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. So, I thought I would tell you a bit about the trip, what I learnt and what I might do differently next time.

So, the gig was as follows: Tim was the winner of the My Rode Reel competition the previous year and this year he decided to go all out for his second entry. I was contacted by a friend of a friend of a friend (because we all know that’s the only way to get work in this industry haha!), who asked me if I was free to do a gig in about two weeks.

We were going to hike up to Tugela Falls (the highest waterfall in the world), stay overnight, and capture some truly beautiful footage. Would I be interested in going? My answer was a simple “HELL YES!”

So, I got acquainted with the gear, the nature of the job, and what was required of me and took off on the adventure of a lifetime.

Here are the things I faced, and tips on what you might need to consider for your next location sound excursion:

When doing a location sound recording gig that’s going to be in the middle of the mountains, make sure you take the right camping gear!

I found myself having to share a one-man tent with another girl, we froze through the night and I totally forgot to bring simple things like a coffee cup. Yes, we had to be very careful as to how much weight we were carrying up the mountain (it was hellishly steep), but things like correct hiking boots would have saved my feet a few weeks of blister recovery.

No matter WHAT the film producer says, make sure you take extra cables!

This was a funny one – when working with videographers, or anyone else for that matter, and you haven’t had a chance to check the quality of the cables beforehand, just bring your own in case. We had a faulty cable running into our Zoom recorder and it meant we couldn’t use all the mics we had hoped to use for the film. This made room for error as we were relying on a limited feed for our takes. If something went wrong, we didn’t have backup feeds. So, just tuck them in a pocket if you must but take extra cables with you!

Make sure you are familiar with the gear.

I knew what I was doing but had never used the model that was provided. So, before the gig, I spent some time on YouTube simply making sure I had a good idea of simple things, like where the menu button on the recorder was. Trust me, you don’t want to look like an idiot when you go ask the DOP where to find the menu button on a piece of gear you should be proficient at.

Take as much wind protection as possible.

I’ve never experienced as much wind as I did at the top of that mountain, if it hadn’t been for the wind protection we brought with us, everything would have been ruined. Even if you don’t think it will be windy, take it with you.

Don’t be afraid to tell the DOP that it was a dud take.

The worst thing happened – we were taking a shot for the climax of the film. After a few takes and struggles, we got the take.

Everyone cheered.

I said, “Guys, we have to do it again.”

When they asked me if I was sure, I hesitated. For a moment I was embarrassed that I was the one killing the buzz after that amazing take, but I knew professionally that I needed to do my job, and I needed to do it well. I, very assertively said, “I’m sorry but you’re going to have to do it again, we can’t fix this in post.” And I am so glad I did.

Take in the view

We walked with 20-30kg bags on our backs, shooting in between scaling up cliff faces, and you know what – every time I got a chance, I looked around me and took it in. I was in awe. I couldn’t believe how magnificent the view was, and that I could justify this as “work”. The people, the place, the purpose – all exceeded expectations.

Be realistic with your post-production limitations.

So, because it was all done about a week before we had to submit the film, we had about 3 days to do all the audio post-production editing. I spent those three days doing nothing else. I had to know when to say, “this is the best we can do for this part.” But I also had to not be afraid to say, “I don’t think this will work here”.

Do push-ups.

You may laugh but carrying a boom mic for two days straight can take its toll. Make sure you get your upper body in good condition if you don’t want weeks of residual backache.

After about a week of filming and editing, we did it! And the feeling was SO good. I couldn’t put into enough words how much I enjoyed the experience – the early 4 am starts, the relationships and banter, the late nights editing, and the lasting connections made.

So, next time you go on an exploration-style sound recording gig, keep in mind these things, and good luck with your adventure!

The 8 Nights of Hanukah with Yo La Tengo

A holiday tradition at the Bowery Ballroom has returned once again. Signaling that maybe, just maybe, we have returned to normal.

It was 2017 when I found out Yo La Tengo would be reinstating their holiday tradition at the Bowery Ballroom, after a 5-year hiatus due to the closing of the original venue host, Maxwells. I was beyond excited to have them, but I was green in knowing what it would take to host an 8-night residency when most of my job involved turning the club over each night.  Over the 4 years that followed, fond friendships grew to give me deep, nostalgic feelings of the tour, and the joy and pride that comes with seeing an artist grow, and seeing your skills grow in the process.

When the 2021 holiday residency was announced, a warm smile fell over everyone at the venue. If Yo La Tengo believes we can do this safely, maybe live music can finally return to normal. All 8 nights follow a similar format. Doors open to a playlist made by someone near and dear to the band, a supporting artist takes the stage, followed by a comedian, and finally Yo La Tengo- with a 2-hour set featuring many special guests.

Load In always happens on the night before the first show. Then the production schedule always follows something similar to the following:

3:00 pm- Crew Arrives, preps gear

4:00 pm- Band arrives, rehearsals start

6:00 pm- Support Soundcheck

7:00 pm- Doors

8:00 pm- Support

9:00 pm- Comedian

10:00 pm- Yo La Tengo

The band comes with a Tour Manager, Backline Tech, Monitor Engineer, and FOH Engineer. And I always staff a Stage Manager, Monitor tech, FOH Tech, and Lighting Designer. Ideally, I keep the same crew for all 8 nights, strangely easier said than done.

The bands’ engineers use our house consoles and their mic package (mostly all Electrovoice). Our lighting designer lights the whole show. The band is all on wedges. With all of the special guests, we quickly use up all our 10 d&b M6 wedges. Most nights also use up all 48 of our inputs from stage, and I found myself grateful for our new digital console at Front Of House, and the importance of snapshots. The stage always starts exceptionally organized with every XLR being labeled, every sub snake box labeled and color-coded, and maintaining proper cable lengths. Stage speaker management is equally detailed, and the use of Layouts and console views on the Avid desk really helps FOH to stay on top of any last-minute surprises. Additional house equipment is stored off-stage, but still accessible, to create as much performance space as possible

Organizing FOH as a newly appointed Avid console tech, was a challenge for me. We loaded a show file that had passed from a Profile to another S6L, before coming to our desk. While Avid does boast a unified platform and ease of show file transfers, it does take a careful engineer a bit of time to prep the file for each new desk. Currently, I am taking the winter season to learn and understand session structures and system preferences. This has helped me achieve the workflow I was always used to on the Avid desk, and now I have the understanding as to why it behaves that way. I am also coming to understand that sometimes, the things engineers enjoy about their files/workflow, are things that might be better reproduced as a snapshot or User Preset, rather than a whole Session file. It is humbling, gratifying, challenging, and fun to poke through this new desk in a room I know and love, and with a band, I know and love.  By the end of Hanukah, I felt like I could speak the desks’ language much better than when we started.

Unlike the 300 other shows I advance with throughout the year, the support band, comedian, and special guests are kept top secret. Over the years, I have gone from feeling extreme anxiety over the anticipation to feeling excited and actually enjoying the unknown. I have arrived to work greeted with hugs from artists I used to tour with, had my jaw drop when seeing my idols take the stage, and of course, had my “grey hair moments” when figuring out how to fit all 14 members of the Sun Ra Arkestra on our stage. This year we were lucky to see their return, along with personal favorites Low, whose FOH engineer patched some analog effect pedals into the desk, including a real Moogerfooger that sounded heavenly.

Yo La Tengo has always been an important band for me. Having found them on a mixtape from a friend over a decade before I knew I even wanted to pursue live sound as a career.  I never could have thought I’d come to love and appreciate their crew as much as I do. It is a joy to hear Marks’ mixes, and how authentically he reproduces the bands’ sound.  It is inspiring to absorb Dutch’s patience and organization of wedge mixes on such a small stage. And always, always a joy to see the way Kevin works with Ira’s army of guitars. Magically fitting and tuning more guitars than nights of Hanukah to mate with the tube amps that defined such a genre of music. Joe, their TM holds them together, keeping everyone well fed, well caffeinated, and as prepared as possible.

With all on their crew, it always feels like genuine work together, rather than house vs. tour. What makes this, and any crew so great and effective is their ability to work together towards the whole. To understand that FOH is not just sitting in front of a desk. That mixing monitors is also balancing the stage volume. It is understanding volume and tone, and how the space is affecting what you are doing, as well as who you have on stage with you. I was always taught and always appreciated that FOH is something you work up towards, not simply something that you are trained for in books or videos. It comes when you can understand all of the parts of the stage, and when you understand your artist, and how they make their sound. To date, the most successful mixes I have heard are from engineers that understand those concepts completely.

These shows wrapped just as we learned of Omicron. All on the house staff, artist, and crew remained healthy, and each show was a success. Just a week later, we were shook with increased case numbers, and NYC saw its nightlife begin to dim once more. Broadway canceled shows, New Year’s Eve got a little more intimate, and Artists’ postponed their tours. January had 2-weeks worth of shows canceled, leaving only 4 dates with 3 artists, and a tightening of our protocols. In the strange, and all too common downtime, I have taken to education and practical training in our space. I cannot help but feel sad and exhausted. We have wasted years that could have been spent really understanding the needs of the industry in order to tour in a healthy manner. I feel safe and proud of the protocols we as a venue have put in place, which now feels somewhat fraught. If improved health, safety, production equipment, and training are not the reasons why an artist would choose to play your room over another, what are they? Is it possible to see something more than a guarantee?

I should leave it here by saying that all the Hanukah shows are put on in support of a different charity every night, and not only speak to organizations I feel proud to support, but also a sign of the times. I found this tradition the most heartwarming and meaningful of all. In a year when the band, [and the whole industry] performed a small fraction of the shows we thought we would when many artists suffered and put that aside for a moment, with the understanding that there is so much more out there, and so much to continue to fight for.

If you get lucky enough, I encourage everyone to check out one of these celebratory nights, and please come back to Bowery soon. We miss ya!

 

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