We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christopher Woll. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christopher below.
Christopher, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
For me, possessing a healthy amount of self-esteem, especially around clients, is crucial to the success of a freelancer. And it starts with having complete and total confidence in your professional skillset. Being unsure of your abilities is a quick road to workplace anxiety and it shows to those who hire you. I know that when a director walks into my studio that any request of theirs can be answered quickly and with a high degree of creativity because I have spent years crafting my process. Stress in any job often stems from an uncertainty of your ability to perform at the level your client expects. But by spending much of my non-client time honing my skills over and over again, I can sleep well at night knowing that, “I got this.” Once your technical skills are in check, you can focus on what really matters – which is building a trusting relationship with the client in the room and understanding the psychology behind the project at hand.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the sole-proprietor of Downmix Post, a bespoke audio mixing company that specializes in creative sound design and mixing for feature and short films that are slightly out of the mainstream but have an important story to tell. I help the independent filmmaker navigate the post-production process and get them across the finish line. Producing a feature film is an enormous undertaking and my job is to re-inject energy and enthusiasm into the project in its final leg.
I’ve been in the industry for about fifteen years and maintain studios in both New York and Los Angeles. My brand of post-production audio is to create a very comfortable and professional space for the director to collaborate with me while we realize the creative vision for the film. My studios have been described as a cozy pub or familiar living room where the director can be at ease while we work. I take a very personalized approach to each project, getting to know the director on a human level – something you’ll get from me that many filmmakers won’t find at larger post houses.
I have a new studio facility near downtown Culver City in Los Angeles, stay tuned to @downmixpost for an open house.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
One: I think most importantly, above all else, is a love for what you are doing. I think the readers and other contributors to this publication would agree that we didn’t necessarily choose this path for its ease or financial gain. We chose it because it affords us immense personal freedom, all while working in a field that we are passionate about. I truly believe those two things are exclusively intertwined. If you don’t love the work you are doing, you wont be willing to make the sacrifices needed to make it work.
Two: which plays off of the above, is to remember to enjoy life above all else. Working in a passion based career field can come with a lot of potential abuse. Remember to put your work down and go out and enjoy what makes life beautiful. Especially if you are involved in the creative arts, like myself, it’s important to remember that is those very life experiences you draw upon in your work are what set you apart from other creatives. If you don’t have those experiences, you’ll be worse for it as an artist! The time you spend away from work is also an investment in the work itself.
Three: give back. Even at an early stage in your career, it is important to bring your community up with you. The more successful those around you are, the better you are by association. I was going to list “network” as number three in this list but I realized that all my most meaningful networking encounters were due to me supporting the people that have in turn supported me in this industry. Having compassion, instead of competition, for those that are going down the same path as you can create strong alliances that will last years. Always support your clients in their outside endeavors and teach the new generation what you have learned. By far, the greatest investment I made in my career was spending nine years as an adjunct professor in an audio engineering university program in New York. I would urge that every freelancer spend some time teaching and mentoring others.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
One tremendous part of running your own business is that you get to select the work that you want to work on and the people you want to work with. In the corporate world, you don’t have that luxury; you’ll do as you’re told. Here, we can select projects based on our creative needs, our financial needs, or perhaps a curiosity for something different. I will selectively offer reduced rates to directors I’m excited about, which has put me behind some very interesting films. This is a privilege we have as freelancers.
The main aspect I look for in a filmmaker is a drive to tell an important story that makes our audience expand their ideas about the world we live in. Films can be fun entertainment, but I’m interested in being a part of projects that aim to examine society and hopefully, in a small way, better the world. I look at my role on a film as a collaboration and not that of a service provider. The clients I work best with are the ones with an open mind and a willingness to have an experienced craftsperson contribute to their art.
Contact Info:
- Website: downmixpost.com
- Instagram: @downmixpost
- Other: IMdB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6008443/
Image Credits
©Downmix Post Production Services
