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What do I do?


OyinSound

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I am a freelance sound recordist based in Nigeria. I love this job so much.  But you know, as a freelance,  jobs don't come always. My question is this,  what exactly do i do at those times when jobs don't come? I don't have my equipments yet so i can't be playing with equipments  etc..  Please can anyone suggest blogs to me where i can download videos and tutorials as regards location sound recording? I will also take suggestions on what to do with my spare time cos at times i have too much of it.  Lastly,  if anyone is coming to Nigeria or any African countries to work,  I'm always here to assist. Thanks. 

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Well, you can work as a lawyer for those princes that die and have left $10 million dollars to their nearest relative that just so happens to live in the whitest part of America and the white guy only needs to send $5,000 via Western Union to claim the $10 million dollar inheritance. Apparently there's a lot of sickly princes in Nigeria because everyone I know is somehow related to one.

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Well, you are on one of the best resources in terms of reading past posts about production sound. There is a lot of content here. In terms of videos, manufacturers and dealers have videos they make, so you can visit their websites. Often, they will be about a specific piece of equipment. 

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Hi OyinSound. Good question.

Here are some ideas; forgive me if I underestimate your experience since you don't give us much information:

  • Learn the name and contact information of every sound person within driving distance of you and meet them over coffee/lunch/beer. What gear do they own? What kinds of jobs do they work on? Who do they work with? What is their particular expertise? Share war stories. Take notes and make a database of all this information. Do the same research for your region (more than driving distance). Whenever you have time, go through the data base and get in touch with your now-living community of colleagues and make updates including birthdays, wife/husband and kids' names.
  • Do the same research relative to all the production companies.
  • If there is a film commission, find out what information they have and how to get that information. During down time, check with them.
  • Start figuring out an exit strategy.
  • Do the numbers. Make sure you've got an increasingly-large financial buffer so that when the slow times come you're not freaking out about money. Take note of when the slow times come each year and use that information to schedule some kind of learning or fun.
  • Keep up to date on the industry.

There is more stuff, but you get the gist.

Good luck!

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  • 4 weeks later...

  Mirror has actually provided some help too.  In the production world, there are people you will encounter who's egos are so swollen they truly believe the world revolves around them.  They have a sense of entitlement that is laughable.  Production not only attracts these types, it often rewards them.

  Mirror does a really great job representing this type of douche, and is a fantastic resource for building up thick skin.  If you don't have a thick skin you'll just be miserable.  I should know, because I have very thin skin!

  In fact my friend, after all the technical and networking crap you do to become a Professional Sound Person, this will be your biggest challenge: dealing with crazy douches who control your cash flow.  At least that's been true for me and every other soundie I know personally.  And, amazingly, this is the ONLY area where being a soundie can actually help your Real Life Skills!  In other words, if you can learn to negotiate with irrational people in production, you will have a better life outside in the real world.

Dan Izen

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In your spare time, find out who works at your local tv or radio station and find a way to meet them, let them know you're willing to help. There may be a cameraman or producer who needs assistance.  Tripods are heavy! so carry it for them. Find a way to get on the crew and when you're there, let them know you're into sound. As for learning in your spare time-  read equipment manuals- you can find manuals on the manufacturer's websites. Also study camera manuals- cameras are sound recorders! 

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