Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1075515
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y W I N T E R 2 0 1 9 35 of a scenario like this and said, "Hey, they already sent me the music for tomorrow and I could have just forwarded it to you, sorry!" I responded, "It's OK, I need to check in with them and remind them I exist every once in a while!" Even as simple and non-confrontational as this example is, I personally would have still preferred to stay "off-radar." I do need to realize that I can assert more, but still never get carried away. This is because involving other departments in solving sound issues can be such a wonderful way to build two- way appreciation and trust. I recall the prop department helping us sort through their unorganized collection of mismatched shock mount parts for a studio microphone I wanted to use practically on camera. Under the gun, we solved this puzzle together and, in the end, made their prop look better and more accurate while giving our sound a healthy boost of proximity and realism. I felt like this could have been a distraction from other things they could have been doing but it made both departments feel like a team in the end. Here this approach seemed to have been a real asset. Every day, the camera department works with the boom operators to work out shots, and the grip and set lighting departments work with the boom operators to work out lighting and support equipment. Every day, the costume department collaborates with the utility sound technician to make our body- worn mics both sound good and remain invisible. Aside from these more common interactions, the volume disparity question can come from the more unique (not every day) interactions like my post-production coordinator and prop master stories. To me, I was increasing my volume simply because I was asking for help. ON BEING A NINJA OR STEALTHY This mode of operating is more familiar to me. I tend to not want to enter their radar at all. We slip in there and do our jobs. The only interface with the production department is in organizing the timing of the talent wiring process. We do it very breezily and calming, as we are often the last department they see before they go on camera after interfacing with several other more stress-inducing departments. I don't like being the sound department that is constantly giving actors more things to keep in mind over what they already have to. If they already keep themselves acutely aware of footsteps over lines and close-up overlaps, etc., then I love it. But I just don't like piling on even more items to keep in mind while they're trying to perform. The only interfacing with camera/grip/lighting is in simple cooperation. The only interfacing with hair and makeup is letting them watch our monitors (in exchange for the occasional hair mic!). The only interfacing with transpo is the occasional, but efficiently orchestrated, run request. Basically, just trying to always be "easy." Never being too needy or creating any erroneous friction to any of these production processes. Ninjas in the night who come in and record great sound without as much as making a whisper. Being self-contained and carrying certain pieces of gear as to not ever have to ask to borrow something. Carry our own shade, sand bags, plant mic accessories, location carpets, and Wi-Fi. Having a small footprint both on set and on the camera truck. I often like hearing someone say: "The sound department is so stealthy, we don't even know they are there!" I take it as a compliment when applied to my team. But then I've also heard other crew members refer to sound teams they've worked with when I asked about them and often hear: "They were so quiet, I can't even remember their names!" This drew my attention to the potentially negative byproduct of being too stealthy … being forgettable. THE BALANCING ACT There is a balance between being a social butterfly and being "all business" and there are virtues and pitfalls in both. However, I don't know if one could ever come out with any concrete conclusions that can apply to all situations. It is a complex landscape. For example, my fall 2018 Quarterly article titled "Cart- to-Car," albeit an opinion piece, concluded with a somewhat concrete assessment. I settled that a combination of follow van and bag drop or recording wireless were the best coverage options for moving-car work, given the restrictions and limitations and absence of process trailer resources that we've often been working with. But after talking to Jeff Wexler CAS, I realized that a major takeaway from the article was the fact that we as production sound crews may not actually have this new way of doing car work completely figured out yet. We've revised it, but we haven't perfected it yet. He's right! We can add it to the long list of unsolved topics. But it's possible to just hash out the dynamics of each side of a topic and benefit from the knowledge that that a spectrum exists. CONCLUSION While assessing "loudness" or assertiveness and stealthiness and sociability, sometimes I have doubts as to the right way to work things. What is the effect of not being tight friends with the bosses and "all business" if the sound I turn in is not always perfect because of extreme external challenges? Even though I am professional and I try to be a consistent practitioner, I continue to explore the "volume" spectrum as different situations arise. My commitment to the craft is permanent. And I am also grateful and inspired every day when I think about the fact that with the CAS, a constituency exists where the passion for sound mixing is both intensely scrutinized and celebrated. For instance, I feel very blessed to be given the opportunity to write here in the Quarterly. Sometimes for just the basic need to hash out a debate that exists or to share experiences with other professionals. Writing articles gives me a voice with my peers. That sounds somewhat ignoble on its own, but it comes from a place of desired continued education both for myself and others. We are all riding an ever-changing line where we must determine when to speak up and when to blend into the background. •