The Sound of Music

Before you start reading this next interview I wanted to say that it was really interesting for me to talk to the next interview Drasko.

Drasko is part of our community from a very different angle.

He is a Producer/Sound Designer for the interactive industry. Sound design is one of the hidden aspects of our industry that goes unsung and very little attention is paid to this very important cog in our digital wheel.

Use this interview as an opportunity to take a peek into the life of "Sound Design" and realize how important it is in the story telling process.

As we move into the maturity of our industry I think that the more we start to create original content and quality of web content improves we will be interfacing with sound designers on a daily basis.

I want to try and expose our readers a diverse cross section of our industry and to try and educate us all on every aspect of what goes into what we do day in and day out.

So without further adieu, Drasko!

Q: Introduce us to yourself and your company.
My name is Drasko Vucevic. I am the Founder of Drastic Music Inc., working as the Audio Director, Sound Designer and Composer. DM was founded in 2006 and quickly evolved into a full audio solutions company. At the moment I am in the process of launching a new boutique-style audio solutions brand that should be up and running in February '09. I also recently joined Cordon Media Inc., an interactive production studio where I have had an opportunity to contribute with creative direction from both the audio and visual perspective.

Q: Interactive Producers come from all walks of life, they are a hybrid of talents, tell us about your background and how you got interested in digital production?
I was always drawn to art and technology. Art was soul food - music, comics, animation, film and books. Technology triggered excitement and provided me with the urge to create. It was and still is an ideal mix. As a kid I couldn't resist taking apart toys that had some sort of electronic functions within them. They were useless once I broke them and took them apart, but the electrical content inside that I cluelessly stared at gave me great satisfaction and put me in awe of what is possible. That amazement is still in me today, except now it is directed at all kinds of interactive media productions instead of toys. Digital production allows creators to bring their visual and aural imagination to life. This is what constantly attracted me to all sorts of digital works - everything was possible. I pursued music production and eventually started composing and doing sound design for various interactive media projects. I love the fact I can play around with electrical hardware and physical circuits in the process of sound design. The best of both worlds! I established great creative relationships with like minded creators and agencies, and am constantly on the quest to collaborate with innovative people around the globe.

Q: How do you stay on top of emerging technologies and keep your team informed and motivated?
I usually read and watch everything I can get my hands and eyes on. Especially on the web. From blogs and magazine articles, to videos and interviews. Also by talking with other friends and colleagues in the industry. New emerging technologies are motivation themselves. With each technological improvement and update, comes an exponential amount of possibilities for usability and creation. I never had to manage a larger team of people, so keeping others informed is not something I had experience in. If it came to it (and it will soon), I would organize an information-update-workflow through regular meetings, company e-mail threads and RSS.

Q: What does your ideal client/project look like?
An ideal client is eager to push boundaries on the content being created. They are multi-dimensional and open to new opportunities that may arise during production. They are passionate to explore at all times, and are welcoming to suggestions and input. An ideal project has various routes for expansion and integration of new technologies and ideas during the development process. It is also fulfilling and important to work with a client / on a project that translates into a positive message. A project like that will provoke and spark creative minds, open up new patterns of thought to those absorbing the experience. To be more specific, I love working on projects that give me an opportunity to create nontraditional sound design & music, that are very dynamic in terms of motion, style of interactivity, and of course, projects that push boundaries in quality and presentation.

Q: How do you educate your clients and set realistic expectations for a project?
Every client has a unique approach, and what they imagine their project should express. It is always tempting to offer a world of original but sometimes unrealistic possibilities, even with purest intentions and honesty. However, it is essential to have an upfront, direct discussion with the client on two elements of any project: what is definitely manageable and what might be manageable, depending on the time frame, technical capabilities and so on. I think there are many cases in the industry where production companies will promise elements that were never tested, executed, or worked on before, which is clearly the root of the problem that arises in many projects. Only after these issues are addressed can we attempt to push the envelope.

Q: What was the best project you have ever worked on?
One of the most unique concepts that I worked on were (and are) Cavedudez (www.cavedudez.com), an idea currently being brought to life by Nicholas Da Silva (Zoolook Inc.). I really believe that Nick might be one of the web-revolutionaries of our age. The Cavedudez are a group of football playing neanderthals from the Planet Rock, an earth-like planet not far away. Planet Rock is inhabited by Cavedudez (males) and Cavebettiez (females). The Cavebettiez are taller in stature, similar to the mythical Amazon women. The Cavedudez have short, muscular bodies. The Cavedudez and Cavebettiez live and breathe football. Their official football club is the Rockers FC (www.rockersfc.com) and they play in the PRIMAL LEAGUE. The Cavedudez and Cavebettiez represent all cultures and nationalities on planet Earth. But there is one difference. They all get along!

Q: How many projects are you comfortable producing at one given time?
This depends on the magnitude and intensity of the project. If I am working on the projects alone, comfort zone is two or three at one given time.

Q: What does your dream production team look like?
Keep your eyes and ears open, and you will see in early '09. To me, having a dream production team means working directly with individuals who truly inspire and motivate each other.

Q: How do you ensure that your client's best interests are met?
Plenty of communication with the client, from concept to creation. Keeping the client informed, not only on new production updates, but on ideas and direction possibilities, as well as any problems that might surface at various points of the production process. Ensuring client's best interests also means making sure not to enforce one's own creative wishes without a mutual mindset.

Q: What is your vision of what the next phase of our industry is going to look like?
I believe the next few phases of the industry are going to be very exciting. Here are some of my visions mixed with wishes. Interactivity between the user and the medium is going to increase dramatically. Audio will be created in real time based on users involvement in the experience, eye and body movement, etc. I also believe there will be a huge step forward towards interactivity between users in real time, multi-player type experiences, whether on mobile devices, web or TV. I am eager to see more interactive experiences where users can directly communicate, compete, or build on each others web experiences in real time.

Q: Please share a snippet of wisdom that you would like to impart on our readers.
Simple but true and sometimes easy to forget:

I believe our main focus should be to contribute to the involvement of the industry as a whole, and as a result, we will simultaneously grow as individuals. It's also very important to get involved and learn more about areas of the industry that we are not experts in. Here is a very nice one by our good ol' friend Franz Kafka: "By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired."