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Accepting gigs beyond your skill level


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The dilemma with learning is, people don't know what it is they don't know

Or, as Donald Rumsfeld put it (and it was probably the smartest thing that @#$% ever said),

"There are no knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know."

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Or, as Donald Rumsfeld put it (and it was probably the smartest thing that @#$% ever said),

"There are no knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know."

i'm pretty sure he stole that.

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I agree with some of the sediment, that this thread has some highly critical areas...

All learning starts with not knowing... and honestly, people who went to film school are sometimes harder to work with because they don't really understand field experience, but they really believe that they do. So, I don't think you can say straight out: well go to school and you will learn what you need. I think the money is better spent of a few good books, some equipment, and taking a few no-budget jobs. Which leads to other points...

I think it is rare in today's industry to find work under a pro team with no experience. A lot of us are struggling to find regular work with a fair rate. And, more and more producers don't want to hire boom ops, yet alone utilities, etc. For me, it was student films and no budgets... asking my sound friends for advice, reading forums like this an RAMPS (back when that was better) and doing research in books, etc. I did work under someone great, who took a chance with me... but, as I took work on my own, I realized there were things I didn't know, and didn't know I needed to know until the right set of problems presented themselves. And, I made it through those situations... and am grateful for those experiences.

I also think the equipment statement is a bit harsh. These days most of us have to own our equipment before ever walking onto a set. I think for someone starting, knowing how to use their own equipment is enough to get their feet wet. I know Sound Devices and Zaxcom well... but, I have never used a Wendt mixer. Could I figure it out? Sure. I would look up the manual, too, if I was about to take a job where they provided a Wendt. But, having not used one yet, I don't think that this affects my ability to do my job. Another example is the zoom. I was on a job where they made me use it for transcription. Now, I bring my Fusion. I had to look up the manual and then keep looking at it. I absolutely find it difficult and annoyingly limited... and I prefer not to use it at all.

And, then there is equipment lingo... I get camera operators coming up to me with a million abbreviations for equipment. I am, admittedly a lingo/abbreviation dummy. If you come up to me spouting a bunch of letters and numbers, my brain slows way down and says, 'those were not words I just heard... decode, decode, decode'. It is a very messy ordeal. :) But, if you come up to me and say Sound Devices or Lectrosonics, etc, etc... and then the model number... I am better. Granted with sound lingo, I understand better than in most other areas of life... but, I have had my days of trying to figure out what someone just asked me in a series of abbreviated language. So, admitting my defect... I still don't think that this mental problem has ever compromised my role as a sound mixer or the quality of my work, or my knowledge of the equipment.

I am still learning... I will always still be learning. New equipment comes out, and there is more learning. I applaud the person on the forum who asks which boom to buy. Because many of them are great... and just when you think you know it all, someone may come out with a new, wonderful suggestion. The forums are great, because we learn from each other. We find ourselves in the vastness of other soundies and we pull ourselves up through this community and the inspiration it provides.

I quoted my grandpa once in this forum already... but, I will do it again because it is one of the best things he ever said to me... when I graduated from high school. He said, "Congratulations. Now you are a freshman again. Do you know what that means? A novice. Lacking experience. It means you are the bottom of the ladder again. And now it is time for you to climb that ladder, and when you reach the top, you will start at the bottom of another ladder." Then he said, "the older I get, the more I realize how little I know."

I think those who strive to be great... will often find themselves in situations where they don't exactly know everything they are getting into. But, by the end of the experience. They will...

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This is very interesting MFA

All of these things I understand...but when it comes to your theory based questions...I'm slowly overtime being able to quickly identify most especially phase cancellation...and you can almost know that you will have a standing waves problem when you walk into a room...is there anywhere online where someone goes through each example and lets you hear the problem and then goes into the room and fix the solution...You can do an apprenticeship but that doesn't mean you will pick up what masking, comb filtering and other things in the perspective of what they actually sound like.

+1

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I generally don't enjoy working with people who survive through these means:

Fraud - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraud

In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain...

Lie / Define Lie at Dictionary.com

dictionary.reference.com/browse/lie

a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. 2. something intended or serving to convey a false impression; ...

Deception - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deception

Deception, beguilement, deceit, bluff, mystification, bad faith, and subterfuge are acts to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth

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I generally don't enjoy working with people who survive through these means:

Fraud - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraud

In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain...

Lie / Define Lie at Dictionary.com

dictionary.reference.com/browse/lie

a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. 2. something intended or serving to convey a false impression; ...

Deception - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deception

Deception, beguilement, deceit, bluff, mystification, bad faith, and subterfuge are acts to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth

lol

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I learned everything I know (which is not much) by myself in the trenches of indie work. I always took bigger jobs than my experience, and asked a lot of questions, but I never screwed up anyone's picture and I always busted my ass for the opportunity to just even make a movie.

It was guys at the rental house that helped me in the beginning. Helping build packages, suggesting gear, without those guys I wouldn't have made anything happen.

I Know there are some Whales out in the waters, doing the biggest shows in the world.

I'm not there yet, but I'm willing to work up to it, and I'm not in any hurry to push out the giants whose shoulders we all stand on.

Those big cats earned their place in the food chain. I wanna earn mine.

I wish someone would take me under their wing and hip me to all the best info in the world but that's highest unlikely. I will learn on my own with time.

you have to want it. If that means scrambling to make it on a show and get gear and ask questions to learn I support you,.

I'm not mad you are trying to be a sound mixer, I know exactly what it feels like.

(null)

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