Origins of recording sessions

[mxsch 115]

Who usually leaks them?

And if it so common practice, why nobody even tried to block ways to do that?

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Who leaks them where? Online? Anyone who happens to have them, sometimes the source itself, sometimes someone who got it through trading and believes they should be out in the open for everyone.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

38 minutes ago, mxsch said:

Who usually leaks them?

And if it so common practice, why nobody even tried to block ways to do that?

 

I have absolutely no insider information myself, but I suppose the answer to your second question is that the answer to your first question is wisely not given by those who have it.

[HunterTech 994]

Yeah, thanks to the very nature of private trading itself, there's little one can glean from the tidbits that have gotten out. From what I've gotten myself involved with, a lot of what leaks is either as a result of the scores losing value or some people doing it to spite those they've done deals with.

 

As for how people get the scores themselves, I've seen a fair bit of those who pretend to be these important people from the sound departments of big studios, and getting lucky from there. Can't say that's how they all do it, given it's been such a long running thing that any method is likely viable at this point.

[Fabulin 3,511]

I don't know, but they are doing Promethean work that should not be jeopardized by wanton public speculation.

[karelm 2,913]

This is how it usually happens.  Scores for major projects touch a lot of hands.  In some cases the teams include interns and temporary staff who are very qualified but not part of a regular team.  The pros keep their mouths shut but in some cases they need help too. The extended teams need access to the very material because if there is one orchestrator credited, there is probably a team working with that orchestrator.  The same is true of the sound mixer or music editor especially on the biggest budget projects where the amount of the material can be unpredictable.  Buried within the teams, we are all fans.  No one does this because it's just a job.  there are a million easier "jobs" to do that pay more.  You do this because you are obsessive and passionate about it.  You are a fan.  The same goes with the sound editor, mixer, recording engineer, etc.  All of them are on NDA (Non Disclosure Agreements).  The workload is intense and it's hard to describe how much it is but it necessitates last minute hires who might not have the discipline to handle the material because they consider themselves already short term.  For example, you could get access to the server containing every cue because the team includes multiple people, not all of whom are full time employees...the costs of that sort of staff are cost prohibitive.  For example, if you are an orchestrator for a major film or do score prep (a completely different role in major projects), sometimes you might find yourself asked to come in at the last second for a studio session tomorrow at 9am.  You are called at noon the day before but the material hasn't been signed off till midnight (the night before the 9am recording session).  At this point, a desperate plea can go out to others who are qualified but not as invested in the project or its content.  From the hiring person's point of view, there is no way to make the absolutely last second 7am deadline to drive the final scores to the studio for the 8am set up before the 9am downbeat on time!  The bottom line, deadlines become desperate, some others get enlisted who might have access to content they have no business having access to.  In some projects, they are very well managed and this doesn't happen for many years but after years, you still get this scenario popping up somewhere, somehow.  I've been on projects where I had access to material that people begged for swearing if they got it, they would never pass it on.  It only takes one to say ok, just swear not to pass it on any further...which they tell the next guy...and it has leaked.  Watermarking can slow this down but there is usually the guy/gal who needs to do the watermark and at a point, they too are behind and need a hired hand to help so the same process occurs, just a little slower.