Working with the right game audio team is an important part of any successful project – knowing your team’s trust level is crucial for delegating work and to get things done.
In our manifesto there are things we stand against when it comes to service providing. Based on our professional values, here are some thoughts about ways to spot if we are dealing with a trustworthy person or if it is someone who will take us for a ride and not deliver.
If you need a hand in finding the right composer for your team, consider reading the article “How to Choose a Composer for Your Game” where I dig into several points you should have in mind when looking for a composer for you game.
So focusing on audio services, here are 6 ways to spot a bad game audio team or freelancer.
1. THE LAST MINUTE PROS
Number one on our list is that fella we all know and DON’T love. They don’t respect schedules and often live by their excuses. Whoever you are looking to hire, it is really important that they arrive on time for meetings and respect the deadlines that the projects demand.
So if someone you are hiring starts off by showing up late for the very first meetings or calls, take that as a warning sign. Find a professional who respects your project enough to prioritise it and to spend effective time on it.
2. THEY DON’T ENGAGE
The best professionals will want to know as much as possible about the project they are involved in. They will want to immerse themselves in it and understand all they can about your vision and the “world” in which their service will take place. They will want to engage in it emotionally and really “feel” it so that when they collaborate, it will fit the mood, genre, setting and “world” perfectly.
Talking about audio services, any good game or movie composer knows that asking questions is essential to understanding the vision of the whole project as well as individual tracks. Beware if the professional you’re talking to doesn’t want to know more about the job.
3. THE BAD LISTENERS
This one goes out especially for composers and sound designers. To be great a great game audio team or composers or audio designers, it is imperative that you are first a great listener. So, when looking for a professional such as these, what you need to be looking for is someone who’s able to fully understand what you expect from them, what you are trying to accomplish, what emotions are being worked in the scene and how you want people to feel when they watch your movies or play your game. A talented composer will be able to listen to your comments and decipher what it means to the music.
If a composer or sound designer doesn’t listen to you, it will be very difficult to work with that professional. I would also wonder how they can be so good at their craft – because to be truly talented in music, having great listening abilities is a must! So if they don’t use their ears, how can they compose well?
4. THEY SHOULD DELIVER CREATIVITY AND ENERGY
If you have decided to invest in audio assets for your movie or game, it is important that the professional you are working with brings value to the project. If you have to think things through and lead them in all aspects of the job, then I would think it’s safe to say you can do that job by yourself…
Talking about an audio team, they are an extremely valuable asset to your project. But they should deliver solutions for your project. Things you couldn’t do by yourself. It’s a time tested truth that two heads think better than one, but here’s the catch: the two heads must be thinking!
5. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
Professionals you are considering to work with should have no problems with techs. They should have all the necessary material to do the job and deliver the task with the highest quality.
If you do not know how to measure technical quality, ask for another professional to evaluate the work. It is alright to look at several options before closing a deal.
This is just the beginning of a long list of how to spot amateurs and also how to find the best pros available in the market. I hope you have learned something today from this article.
Flutu Game Audio is a company that works finding talents and evaluating their commitment to their work. Choosing us to take care of all your audio assets is the easiest way for you to feel safe in this business, think of us as a dedicated musical safe harbour!
Tell us more about your project, I will be honoured to discuss it with you! Visit the “Tell us more!” section of the website and I will personally get back in touch with you!
