Mixing drama TV series, scheduling

[ErikG]

The thread about clipping lavs had some discussion about boardwalk empire that Tom Fleishman mixed.

I wonder what your typical mix schedule looks like.

Here's mine for a 1 hr crime series:
5 mix days mon-fri
Day one dialogue
Day two director screening 1/2 day+mix
Day three final music arrival+mix
Day four mix+producer screening
Day five fixes masters and m&e

In addition to this I will have a few scenes that will need directors fixes in terms of editing and additional sounds. And rarely is there an editor available to do them for me.

Unfortunately this leaves way to little actual mix time.

For my next series I will try to get all screenings out of the actual mix time and try to convince the composers to deliver the music while still in sound editing.

This is for a high profile crime drama series. And to make it food I spent a lot of unpaid extra time on it. I did that for myself as I want to be able to stand up and say "I did this", rather than be embarrassed about the final result because there wasn't enough time. Especially difficult was those episodes where the director spent almost a full day on the first prep screening and another full day on music. Not much time left...


How much prep will you editors do in terms of levels/pan/reverb and EQ?

If they do a lot how much of it needs rework?

How much do you want them to do?

[BodyByStarbucks]

would love to hear more about this particular process.

thanks, OP

[Airon]

If you want to optimize your schedules to get the most mix time, look to the daily drama folks.

Here is one of the schedules used in the daily shows.

Show length 22 minutes

One editor/premixer and one mixer.

Producers approve the cut. Then it gets sent to the sound editor and the composer.

Sound editing and premix - 6-9 hours per episode (5 days/week) 30-45 hours. Usually around 35 hours.

Mixer receives composer music at least a day ahead of receiving the premixed episode from the editor.

Mixer spends 1/2 day mixing each episode, doing touch up edits, extra effects, and the final mix.

2.5 to 3 days are spent on this in all, including any necessary ADR.

One day, screening to director with changes, usually with the music and the odd effect here and there.

Hand-off to network folks. Screened in separate, often evil sounding rooms.

Picture editor implements changes. Mixer spends 1/2 day implementing the sound side of the changes.

Mixer spends 35-50 hours a week on five episodes.
Editor/premixer spends 30-45 hours a week on five episodes.

This schedule has worked for over ten years.

I've mixed hundreds upon hundreds of 22 minute dailies and 40 minute dailies(at least one more editor/premixer).

I want editors to premix as much as their abilities permit. If they're no good at EQ'ing dialogue, I tell them to try and provide me with an unEQ'ed version on another track. I generally needed to rebalance the effects a bit. Dialogue mixes require a lot of experience. I haven't met more than a handful of editors who were good at this yet. Still, it all helps with compressed schedules like that.

[danijel]

Eric,
I worked on two similar shows (45-50 min length) - two days for dialog premix and overall volumewise balance of FX and BGs, although they came pre-balanced pretty well by the editors.
Then the music comes in, and there is two more days for mixing MX, FX, FOL, and final corrections. The director would then come in, or listen at a remote location and usually just sign it off, or ask for minor corrections, so there would be another 2-3 hours for fixes and deliverables.
Note: when I say 'day', I mean 11-12 hours, sometimes more!

[ErikG]

Danjel do they pay you for 10-11 hr days?

[danijel]

I'm never payed by the hour, so it's up to me to decide on the quality of work / quality of live balance

[Henchman]

Wow, 5 days.
I've done complete oe man mix MOW's in 4 days
Here's what our 1 hour episodic schedule looks like, 2 man mix.

9-3 or 4 mix dialog, while my sfx mixer does his sfx independently from me.
3 or 4-7 link up, and mix music, and rebalance sfx and dialog where needed.
Day 2, 9-1 playback and fixes with AP
1-2 playback and discuss notes from producers and network execs.
3-7 fixes and print master.

[ggegan]

I'm working on a one hour series for Starz called Magic City right now that is 5 days per episode (including M&E) with two mixers. However, it isn't cut like a typical network series or MOW, it is more like a mid-sized dialog based feature in terms of layout, the quality of the sound fx, number of tracks and coverage. There is no client on the stage until the first playback at the end of the third day, which is what makes it possible to get through it in that amount of time.

[Henchman]

Originally Posted by ggegan

I'm working on a one hour series for Starz called Magic City right now that is 5 days per episode (including M&E) with two mixers. However, it isn't cut like a typical network series or MOW, it is more like a mid-sized dialog based feature in terms of layout, the quality of the sound fx, number of tracks and coverage. There is no client on the stage until the first playback at the end of the third day, which is what makes it possible to get through it in that amount of time.

Wow. That's still quite a luxury.
I would love to work on a show with that kind of time.
We had a lot of design and fight stuff on On nine Lives of Chloe king (witch also had horrendously noisy dialog) as well as the last three episodes of Alphas, which I mixed last year.

[gsilbers]

nah,,,

you should be able to mix it in 2 days..


oh wait..

there are directors AND producers involved... never mind.

[00stiffy]

Originally Posted by ErikG

T
And to make it good I spent a lot of unpaid extra time on it. I did that for myself as I want to be able to stand up and say "I did this", rather than be embarrassed about the final result because there wasn't enough time.

Agreed 100%!

[cananball]

Originally Posted by ErikG

The thread about clipping lavs had some discussion about boardwalk empire that Tom Fleishman mixed.

I wonder what your typical mix schedule looks like.

Here's mine for a 1 hr crime series:
5 mix days mon-fri
Day one dialogue
Day two director screening 1/2 day+mix
Day three final music arrival+mix
Day four mix+producer screening
Day five fixes masters and m&e

In addition to this I will have a few scenes that will need directors fixes in terms of editing and additional sounds. And rarely is there an editor available to do them for me.

Unfortunately this leaves way to little actual mix time.

For my next series I will try to get all screenings out of the actual mix time and try to convince the composers to deliver the music while still in sound editing.

This is for a high profile crime drama series. And to make it food I spent a lot of unpaid extra time on it. I did that for myself as I want to be able to stand up and say "I did this", rather than be embarrassed about the final result because there wasn't enough time. Especially difficult was those episodes where the director spent almost a full day on the first prep screening and another full day on music. Not much time left...


How much prep will you editors do in terms of levels/pan/reverb and EQ?

If they do a lot how much of it needs rework?

How much do you want them to do?

Thanks for this info. Any idea what the sound edit schedule looks like?

[cananball]

Originally Posted by Airon

If you want to optimize your schedules to get the most mix time, look to the daily drama folks.

Here is one of the schedules used in the daily shows.

Show length 22 minutes

One editor/premixer and one mixer.

Producers approve the cut. Then it gets sent to the sound editor and the composer.

Sound editing and premix - 6-9 hours per episode (5 days/week) 30-45 hours. Usually around 35 hours.

Mixer receives composer music at least a day ahead of receiving the premixed episode from the editor.

Mixer spends 1/2 day mixing each episode, doing touch up edits, extra effects, and the final mix.

2.5 to 3 days are spent on this in all, including any necessary ADR.

One day, screening to director with changes, usually with the music and the odd effect here and there.

Hand-off to network folks. Screened in separate, often evil sounding rooms.

Picture editor implements changes. Mixer spends 1/2 day implementing the sound side of the changes.

Mixer spends 35-50 hours a week on five episodes.
Editor/premixer spends 30-45 hours a week on five episodes.

This schedule has worked for over ten years.

I've mixed hundreds upon hundreds of 22 minute dailies and 40 minute dailies(at least one more editor/premixer).

I want editors to premix as much as their abilities permit. If they're no good at EQ'ing dialogue, I tell them to try and provide me with an unEQ'ed version on another track. I generally needed to rebalance the effects a bit. Dialogue mixes require a lot of experience. I haven't met more than a handful of editors who were good at this yet. Still, it all helps with compressed schedules like that.

Can you give me an example of a 22 minute daily drama? Like a soap opera type?

Dialogue probably doesn't need much work as they are mostly filmed on quite soundstages? Does this include foley?

[Henchman]

I mixed a Disney multicam sitcom show, Pair of Kings.
Easiest thing I ever did.
Sitcoms, IMO, are the easiest thing there is to mix.

[danijel]

I mixed a Disney multicam sitcom show, Pair of Kings.
Easiest thing I ever did.
Sitcoms, IMO, are the easiest thing there is to mix.

Agreed!
BTW, my kids are watching a Pair of Kings, and from what I remember, it's not all done on a soundstage, right? There are quite a few outdoor locations, with beach and everything.... Or is it all fake?

[Garret]

Typical schedule for 52 min Drama here with one mixer:

Day one: dialogue premix.
Day two: fx and foley premix.
Day three: final mix with director (music delivers today so have to mix this in as well) . 4pm. screen and fix with director and producer.
Day four: international versioning (commercial music replacement) 1/2 day.
M&E 1/2 day.

[Seabornstudio]

The way i work (completly different)
I got 3week for one hour documentary Film
5.1, LT-RT, LO-RO, Vocal description and blu-Ray version with higher dynamics

I began my work with the video editors before the final edit to chek if all dialogue cut will be clean at final mix...
I'am making my aaf files and includes all other materials that i can need... 1-2 days (depending of the editors)

And start dialogue editing, denoising, sync with recorder
I edit and make foley, sfx, sound design in the mixing room! And premix all really close to the final mix.
Depending on project (sound design need) 3-5 days
Final Mix, producer, director approbation 4-5 days
1 day off to get back view of the job
1-2day making fine tune and all delivery

This is the way i decide to work
7/h day
2-3 documentary a year
13 30min kids series a year
And some short movie not much
I was working in a biger studio in the past
But now i'm on my own and i have the time to take back view and this is so great

.... Just to share mine...
Excuse my english

[Henchman]

Originally Posted by danijel

Agreed!
BTW, my kids are watching a Pair of Kings, and from what I remember, it's not all done on a soundstage, right? There are quite a few outdoor locations, with beach and everything.... Or is it all fake?

All fake.
For a sitcom it's actually quite involved.
Lots of visual fx, special fx and more than normal sfx.

[Leverson]

I found this thread to be really interesting and informative. Thanks for putting it up Erik, and thanks to the contributors for discussing their workflow schedules for mixing for network/serial TV.

Most of the discussion was about the mixing schedule (hence the title), but I'm also curious what the typical post sound editing schedules are like for episodic dramatic TV, and the size of the editing teams on average. I know this varies dramatically from show to show, but I'd love to hear a discussion on it like the above was for mix schedules.

[jrfountain]

I'm on a 22 min kids show for Teletoon/Disney right now. For editorial, dialogue/ADR gets 5 days, fx gets 6 days, and I think foley is 2 days. I split the fx edit with another editor 3 days each. It's more time than what's typical for a 22 min show, but that said it can get pretty busy too.

On another doc series I'm on (45 min, Discovery), I only get 2 days to cut fx and it's pretty busy too. Lots of design stuff for the pix editor's schizophrenic cutting/vfx style. Often I'll have to go into a third day to finish it.

Hope that helps.

JR

[Henchman]

Originally Posted by jrfountain

I'm on a 22 min kids show for Teletoon/Disney right now. For editorial, dialogue/ADR gets 5 days, fx gets 6 days, and I think foley is 2 days. I split the fx edit with another editor 3 days each. It's more time than what's typical for a 22 min show, but that said it can get pretty busy too.


JR

Wow. You are spoiled.

[jrfountain]

Haha, ya I know. I wasn't involved with the budgeting, but the producers were new to live action and the tier level was low so it got compensated for in days which worked out well for us.

[Leverson]

Thanks for that JR, it's interesting to see the different schedules various productions run. Hopefully others will chip in here as well. Either way this has been a great thread.

[ErikG]

In My original post i failed to mention that my schedule was for prime time showing on Swedens largest channel. So intentions were high. Not like a run and gun show. But unfortunately these short type schedules seem to be pretty much the tv norm. Well, I'm doing my best to change that on my end. Our next series have two weeks for 90mins TV mixing. Getting better!
But I'm happy to say that I won't be mixing that as I'll be doing mostly feature films this year.

[Henchman]

Originally Posted by ErikG

In My original post i failed to mention that my schedule was for prime time showing on Swedens largest channel. So intentions were high. Not like a run and gun show. But unfortunately these short type schedules seem to be pretty much the tv norm. Well, I'm doing my best to change that on my end. Our next series have two weeks for 90mins TV mixing. Getting better!
But I'm happy to say that I won't be mixing that as I'll be doing mostly feature films this year.

These are nt short schedules at all.

[ErikG]

I beg to differ.
Can it be done faster? Of course! Will it sound as good as if you had more time?
Of course not!
But two weeks for 90 mins is pretty ok.

[Sidechainer]

Wow some tough schedules....