STEPHEN SCOTT - Director
Stephen Scott directed the pilot show. A seasoned and award-winning director of music video, he's worked with The Trews (So She's Leaving), Ron Sexsmith and Chris Martin (Gold in Them Hills) and Tea Party (Writings on the Wall) to name but a few. His television work includes Plucked (CMT) and Urban Legends. It was clear from the first moment we met Stephen that we were dealing with a major music fan. He immediately understood our concept for The Side Street Project and took all of our references in his stride. He proved to have the experience, energy, creativity and calm demeanour to do us all proud.
Q: What appealed to you about the job of directing The Side Street Project?
A: I'm a music junky. I used to be a DJ before I started directing music videos, so I came to this project first and foremost as a fan of music. I was excited by the idea of 'cross-pollinating' different artists and really dig the different musicians who came to play. On top of all that, the production team was superb and everyone involved seemed to be sharing the 'good vibe' feeling that we were creating something special as a team.
Q: What was your approach to the task of directing, given that there were a lot of different components and we wanted the artists to be as free as possible - we didn't even know the tracks the artists were performing until the day itself?
A: It was important to create an atmosphere that felt loose and open to collaboration, but there are always technical considerations and we wanted the final product to look and sound as good as it possibly could. A lot of planning and preparation goes into creating something that in the end hopefully feels very 'in the moment' and off the cuff. So everything from the lighting, to blocking, to camera placement was designed to be as unobtrusive as possible while allowing us to respond to what was happening in front of us as quickly as we could. We had to be ready for anything, because it was not a tightly pre-rehearsed event; we were working without a safety net!
Q: Are there any specific challenges from the day that stick in your mind?
A: Shooting with multiple cameras 'in the round' is always difficult, but ultimately you have to be willing to sacrifice a bit of technical perfection to capture all of the best moments the musicians are offering, because that's what it's really all about. Simply trying to stay out of each other's way and not have the machinery of production distract the musicians was a big challenge, but judging from the quality of their performances I would say that we succeeded.
Q: You seemed very calm on the day itself and well organised - is that your usual approach to the job?
A: I've always thought that if the Director is the quarterback of the team, they need to have their game together. There's a 'flow-through' effect that usually happens on set, so if the director is panicking or unprepared or unsure what to do, other people pick up on it and it can be very counter-productive. At the same time, you need to be flexible enough to deviate from the game plan when necessary, and experience gives you the confidence to do that. So I may seem calm on the outside, but on the inside I'm a raging cauldron of adrenalin, concern and excitement!
Q: Do you have a favourite moment from the show?
A: There was a moment when I realized that while I was giving the cameramen direction, watching 5 monitors and thinking about the next setup, I had a great big grin on my face and was bopping my head to the music - I had become a member of the audience watching a great show. During the collaboration part of the event, which was probably the scariest and most 'fly by the seat of your pants' part for all concerned, everything seemed to be firing on all cylinders: the music was incredible and both the musicians and audience seemed to be having an amazing time. Something really magical was happening, and it occurred to me that this might be the most fun I've ever had on set!
Q: You know Emm from a few years ago, and since directing the pilot and getting reacquainted you've directed a video for 'Blackwinged Bird'. It's a fantastic song, full of strong and curious imagery - what visual concepts did you bring to the song (or out of the song)?
A: For 'Blackwinged Bird' I came up with a very surreal interpretation of the song that places Emm in an imaginary world constructed entirely out of miniatures. Like Emm's music, it's playful and pretty, but a little dark around the edges. Contrasting images of confinement and escape were inspired by the lyrics and feeling of the song without attempting to be overly literal.
Q: How did the shoot go? Did Emm pull any of her legendary diva moves?
A: I wish I had some good dirt to share about Emm, but unfortunately she was a selfless trouper (not a state trooper) - the shoot was long and she was in every shot, but always had good energy and never complained. She also came through with a very engaging performance I think.
STEVE STEPANIC – Sound Engineer
Steve Stepanic was our second Man with the Golden Ears – our sound engineer who mastered the audio from the show. He works out of Joao Carvarlho’s Mastering, a world-class mastering studio in Toronto.
Q: Why did you agree to do this project, as it was an independent production where so many worked for so little?
A: Well, after seeing the rough cut, I was so enamored with the concept of the show, the performers and performances themselves, I was so eager to be a part of this. It really was an exciting new idea/concept for a show. Sometimes when you believe in a project, for me, the money is not as important as contributing to something exciting! And hopefully bringing in your skills/talents can help push the vision forward !
Q: Explain the difference between mixing live sound, like SSP, and tracks laid down in a studio, either separately or a ‘full band live off the floor’ direction?
A: Well, "live" recordings/studio recording vary so enormously sometimes, and it all has to do with "being in the moment" and capturing those sounds with that raw energy that is inherent in a "live" project. With SSP, you really get a sense that this thing is just the musicians really "just getting into a place". There are dozens of mics, and leakage, and noises...all those things actually have a part in the final mix. Trying to keep the real performances intact is what we went for. We didn't really alter the sounds we had in the recording - we just basically brought out things in the mix that were there but maybe not heard as well in the live environment. You can't hide behind a "live off-the-floor recording". That's the beauty of it!
Q: What were the most challenging aspects of mixing and Synching the music to picture - any song in particular?
A: Sometimes with picture edits, it’s hard to make the music work as well, because the music needs to follow the picture edits, so there is sometimes some massaging that needs to happen. I don't recall any major issues with the tracks themselves. Some of them had a few picture edits, say 3/4 within a song that had to match on the audio side.
More specifically, the rehearsal footage was quite a challenge. In terms of digging out what the musicians were saying, no direct mic-ing was used, as in the performances, so there is no direct sound for the dialogue - that was tricky...but I think we were able to pull that aspect of the mix off nicely!!
Probably the most challenging in terms of mixing was achieving that sense of "liveness/ realness" and also mixing in such a way to help draw you into the performance. And, the most challenging aspect in terms of the synching of the music to the picture was panning the instruments in such a way that matched to where you saw the particular instrument/musician on screen to complete the visual/audio experience. The picture cuts often were from different angles and different perspectives.
Q: Do you have a favourite moment that you are proud of?
A: Put me on the spot why don't you!! I think I am most proud of the "feeling" we were able to pull out of "Blackwinged Bird" by Emm Gryner. That particular performance really pulls me in. I get shivers on that one !! Also, the 3 collaborations by all the musicians had some amazing interplay…amazing to listen to those elements combined in the mix !
Q: What kind of equipment did you use to mix?
A: The music was recorded live with ProTools, and also mixed in a hybrid environment, involving Protools and also some of the finest outboard audio equipment available. I really love the power of digital and the sonic beauty of great analog equipment, and for SSP, we used both to achieve the mix.
Here is how it went down:
---all the music was mixed separately from the final mix (post audio mix)---music was mixed using ProTools and vintage Neve console, equalizers, and compressors.
---from there, we inserted all the music, along with the dialogue tracks and audience tracks to form the final post mix.
---in the final post mix stage, we also utilized the same sonic setup: Protools--with Neve console, equalizers, and Neve compressors, with the addition of finalizing the mix through the Sequoi Mastering software as a final output to a digital file format.
Q: What advice can you give to aspiring music mixers?
A: I could go on all day here! I think (and I keep re-learning this simple piece of information) that one of the most important things (even though there are several) when mixing music is to do what is natural and feels right for the music. Try to picture the mix in your head before you start and trust your instincts. Easier said than done sometimes, but I think, we, as mixers, can become a slave to the process and the intent of the music may get lost. What 's the music trying to say?
ROSS BIRCHALL – Editor
Ross and his company Bijou have edited music videos for some of the finest Canadian talent. His skill and creativity were essential in coaxing the intimate, immediate and musical energy of the live show from the footage.
Q: Other than the huge paycheque, what appealed to you about the job of editing The Side Street Project?
A: I was drawn to the idea of collaboration. The thought of Buck 65, Emm and Holy Fuck, all writers, musicians and artists in their own right, coming together with their 'own' experience to create a 'new' experience was magnetic.
Q: Where did you start editing? There are many components: performances, collaborations, interviews, rehearsal footage, dinner conversations...
A: I started my process with the musical performances. I often like to start at the end and work my way backwards. Kind of like being given the answer and then figuring out the question.
Q: Did you approach each performance as a separate piece or were you always considering each piece as part of a whole?
A: I cut each song separately and tried to be as true to the music and performances as possible.
Through this process, it was clear that each artist realized their moments on stage in very different ways, which was quite fascinating. Some were more at home than others at first, but all went through certain journeys of their own and all found their way to a beautiful end. What was most interesting though, was the journey of the collaborative effort 'as a group' and that in itself I had to look at 'on its own'.
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of editing the show?
A: The most challenging part of the show was trying to figure out which songs to drop from the final
cut.
Q: What system do you edit on?
A: I edit on Final Cut Pro.
Q: You've probably watched the show more times than anyone - do you have a favourite moment?
A: My favorite moments are anytime I see Brian's 35mm synchronizer. In particular during "Wreck", where it occasionally reveals Emm pounding away at her keyboard. That and any allusion to water found from camera to camera during this performance.
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