Short Cuts meets freelance sound mixer Paul Davies for an explanation. But he's still surprised at the general lack of knowledge among first time producers when it comes to sound. There's a general misconception that sound post production is a kind of technical tidying up process. It's a very creative process, particularly if the director appreciates sound and wants to get involved.
Preparation is key.
Paul and other sound staff generally like to have a view of the script before it goes into production. In this way they can develop a good relationship with the location sound recordist and troubleshoot for potential areas of difficulty. It's usually a matter of getting extra wild tracks of dialogue in certain shots, like for things like club scenes or wherever there's going to be a lot of background noise. If the director does not have an established relationship with a sound post production house, the initial approach will usually come from the producer. The first point of contact in the case of Videosonics, is facilities manager Richard Conway.