Avatar Session Tips

yeah a big requirement ......... Cell Phones

Not to defend them, but sometimes, filmmakers go f...

2011-03-24T13:08:52.546-04:00

Not to defend them, but sometimes, filmmakers go for a look & feel that is dramatic, which may not necessarily be historically accurate.

Very interesting information. Thank you for sharin...

2011-03-24T11:04:52.549-04:00

Very interesting information. Thank you for sharing.

But it's sort a shame that the audio people for the movie must not have thought twice about it.... ?

Amazing!! Thanks for sharing

2009-07-02T02:40:06.807-04:00

Amazing!! Thanks for sharing

Changes that need to happen in this economy involv...

2009-06-10T01:38:00.361-04:00

Changes that need to happen in this economy involve both short and long term items. For the short term, you have to review all your expenses and start cutting back without sacrificing too much of your quality. For example, you can reduce overtime, hours or even some headcount. If you don't have a lot of staff to begin with, there won't be a lot you can cut, but small things do add up. This is only a stopgap measure. When bookings are dropping fast, you might not be able to cut fast enough.

The the more important task involves asking yourself why clients are not booking your studio. Unfortunately, the action items generated in this step will not yield results right away. This is why you want to constantly be asking this question.

The immediate action item is drumming up business. The first step is going through your Rollodex and calling every one of your past clients. You start by leveraging your existing or established relationships, no matter how old. This is an excellent time to get feedback on their experience and ask what changes would induce them to come back. It is important to ask for referrals as well.

Next step is to reach out to your local community, i.e. music schools, local AES & NARAS chapters, rental companies, music stores, pro audio dealers, publishing companies, ...etc., to ask for referrals and see if you can work with local bands and musicians with introductory deals. Again, this might not immediately pay all the bills, but might be a quick way to establish new relationships.

To establish longer term relationships (e.g. with record labels, established engineers & producers) require networking (starting with referrals, getting introductions and going to lots of meetings), legwork and some patience.

When Gordon Ramsay goes into a restaurant, he reviews the restaurant's overall concept, menu, food quality, ingredients used, chef, staff & personnel, operations (communications, chain of command, division of labor, reservation system), reputation, decor & presentation, ...etc. One can come up with comparable equivalents in the studio business.

More specifically, changes may have to be made to your operations (how you book, invoice, collect money, even the tone of your voice when you talk to clients on the phone), your positioning (are you known for tracking, mixing, overdubs; are your clients labels, ad agencies, video gaming companies and/or indie bands; are you charging too much / can you charge more), your marketing (how do clients find out about you), your assets (gear too old, need targeted maintenance, need better/different gear, need better assistants) just for starters.

Your blogs are very interesting. Could you share w...

2009-05-27T07:39:23.571-04:00

Your blogs are very interesting. Could you share what you see as some of the changes which need to take place? I interviewed with Tino Passante last week for working (interning) at Avatar, and we discussed this a bit.

Mor
mmezrich@yahoo.com

I consider that going through all this work in a c...

2009-05-10T12:20:00.000-04:00

I consider that going through all this work in a city of New York will eventually make sure that only the people that really wants to be an engineer make it, Is a process that takes time but is needed to ensure the knowledge and responsibility of the assistant engineer, If you can't trust someone to clean a room how can you trust he or she with a Neve 8088, being humble and respectful are also things that can't be learned in college or a studio.

You are correct - the original Broadway cast album...

2009-03-20T17:15:00.000-04:00

You are correct - the original Broadway cast album was done at Right Track. We recorded the cast from the Wynn Las Vegas version of the show.

Umm, your post seems to say that the original cas...

2009-03-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

Umm, your post seems to say that the original cast album for "Avenue Q" was recorded at Avatar when the liner notes on the album say it was recorded at Right Track. Was there a mix up? (pun intended)

Yeah, that does seem gimmicky, but it also makes t...

2008-12-24T20:24:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that does seem gimmicky, but it also makes the object (the carrier of the music) desirable and worth owning beyond just a digital download.

Dear Avatar Guys,

I've been reading the blo...

2008-10-22T11:17:00.000-04:00

Dear Avatar Guys,

I've been reading the blog since it started. It's great to have such well stablished professionals sharing experiences with everybody. I always had the feeling that our duties are very "lonely" in some sort. I'm the chief engineer on a recording label's studio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and I've always felt I had too little "contact" with people that do the same things as I do, the long hours, the decisions.
Thanks for making this "link", we're not alone! Hehehehe...
Best regards,
Gabriel Pinheiro.

Thank you BIG time for this post. We are neighbors...

2008-09-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

Thank you BIG time for this post. We are neighbors as I live at 431 west 54th. i ran across a link to your site at jeremiah's vanishing new york. i'm a big fan of history and the owner of the metrocard bike. you may have seen it in the 'hood. Andy

This town dissapears block by block, no placards, ...

2008-09-16T19:23:00.000-04:00

This town dissapears block by block, no placards, no statues, no memories. It's like it never existed. The only thing that seems to exist in NYC is THE FUCKING BUCK. History, culture, romance, beauty be damned, the past doesn't exist nor is card for here.

Actually, I was trying to be gender neutral, but I...

2008-08-26T18:32:00.000-04:00

Actually, I was trying to be gender neutral, but I must have missed one or two. I stand corrected.

Hasn't the time come to use "He or she" when refer...

2008-08-26T18:25:00.000-04:00

Hasn't the time come to use "He or she" when referring to an unknown person, even in this still-very-male-dominated field?

Avatar Session Tips

yeah a big requirement ......... Cell Phones

Not to defend them, but sometimes, filmmakers go f...

Very interesting information. Thank you for sharin...

Amazing!! Thanks for sharing

Changes that need to happen in this economy involv...

Your blogs are very interesting. Could you share w...

I consider that going through all this work in a c...

You are correct - the original Broadway cast album...

Umm, your post seems to say that the original cas...

Yeah, that does seem gimmicky, but it also makes t...

Dear Avatar Guys,I've been reading the blo...

Thank you BIG time for this post. We are neighbors...

This town dissapears block by block, no placards, ...

Actually, I was trying to be gender neutral, but I...

Hasn't the time come to use "He or she" when refer...

Dear Avatar Guys,

I've been reading the blo...