Filmmaking can be a dirty business, but freelance sound technician Jane Porter wouldn't consider any other line of work. Here she adjusts equipment in her Halifax apartment. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff)

JANE PORTER has met some top-flight actors, but some of the most memorable moments of her work as a freelance sound technician have come while those performers in films or movies of the week were probably still in bed.

"Filmmaking is not as glamorous as it seems: It's a dirty, sweaty business that involves a lot of waiting around," she said in a recent interview.

"But I've seen some beautiful sunrises after lovely sunsets that I would never have seen otherwise. And all I had to do was lug lots of heavy equipment across a barren rocky moonscape outside of Halifax for a couple of hours before dawn."

Ms. Porter was bitten by the film bug in the 1970s while working in a Toronto office that was co-ordinating production on a program about the criminal underworld. She left her job, got a year's contact with the CBC and later moved back to Halifax, where she joined the local filmmakers co-operative.

A music lover from an early age, she said she has always responded to audio more than to visuals. Ms. Porter said she loves "pure sound" and relishes the moments during a shoot when she can break away from recording dialogue and focus on the sound of crickets or a passing tugboat in the harbour.

With uneven production schedules and advances in technology that make sound recording more accessible as a career, Ms. Porter said she sometimes feels she is part of a disappearing craft. But she has still been able to make a living at it for the past few years.

She said people who want to get into the field have to be creative, patient and prepared to work within the structure of a film or television operation.

Interested in the profession? Read on.

NATURE OF THE WORK
Audio and video recording technicians operate equipment to record, mix and edit sound, music and videotape for motion pictures, television and radio programs, videos, recordings and live events.

This gear may include videotape recording and playback equipment; machinery to generate graphics, animation, credits or program titles; audio consoles and sound-processing equipment, and dubbing machines.

SKILLS
To work in this field you need creativity, imagination and technical skills. Attention to detail and the ability to improvise with equipment and techniques are also important. You must be able to communicate your ideas clearly and work well with others.

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS
Completion of a program in recording engineering, audio-visual technology or a related field, or experience as a recording studio assistant is usually required for employment as a recording technician.

Recording engineers would need to obtain further formal training and experience.

WORK PROSPECTS
Work in this occupation tends to be cyclical, and demand depends on the production schedules of films, television programs and movies of the week. Employment in this industry is often on a project basis, and teams are assembled for each production. Many people have a second source of income to support them during slow times.

Due to the prevalence of digital recording studios rather than analog studios, sound recording technology has become more accessible to non-professionals. But professional audio technicians will continue to have a market in the production of high-quality recordings.

Demand for this occupation in the coming years is expected to be steady. But competition for these jobs is strong and excellent qualifications, work experience and contacts in the industry will aid employment prospects.

In general, the sound recording industry in Nova Scotia receives few government subsidies. Employment for this occupation is concentrated in the Halifax area, and self-employment is relatively common.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION