Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1469840
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S U M M E R 2 0 2 2 67 Let's start with COVID. It is perhaps the biggest elephant in the room. And while it is true that, as of this writing in the spring of 2022 in the United States, COVID protocols seem to be relaxing quite a bit among the private and the public sectors, they're not changing much in the film industry. There are still stringent zone protocols with hard lines that can or cannot be crossed without proper clearance, certain personnel that may or may not interact with certain other persons on set, regular testing between one, three, or five times per week, and vaccine mandates for most, if not all, film workers. If we as a production sound team are going to be expected to work within these parameters, then the additional workload must be considered. In my mind, and those of our contemporaries, it is beyond question that a "wiring only" tech be employed to handle the duties of wiring all the talent, keeping the associated gear and accessories clean and sanitary, and to coordinate the interactions with the talent and associated handlers. This technician is also going to be expected to remain relatively and reasonably isolated—to the extent that one can—from the rest of the shooting crew, the rest of the sound department, and from the outside world in general. How to argue for this person on staff is really simple. The notes above are enough to qualify the need, and the financial side of it is quite simple as well. First, it is near impossible to calculate the loss to a production should there be an outbreak on set. Second, the COVID compliance budgets have—to date—been as near to infinity as one can imagine. Productions are allocating no less than a 25 percent-40 percent increase in overall budget to handle COVID safety. The added payroll of one qualified technician is less than a drop in the proverbial bucket. This 4th position is nearly a slam dunk to all but the most obtuse of producers. On the technical side of things, it is no less a need to have a 4th, but it is more delicate to negotiate. A side note, but particularly applicable and sorely needed solution is for IATSE and other guilds to mandate, by contract, the need for a UST on each job. Similar to the IATSE 600 Camera Local, each camera has a full complement of skilled techs to handle the job. It is time for the unions to do the same for the sound department. Once this is in place, the addition of a 4th should be even easier. While I am not an old-timer in the world of sound, I do have many friends that are, and they have all described to me the past eras of location sound where there was a single mixer, usually running a Nagra, and a boom operator capturing the dialogue. Single-camera, plenty of coverage, wireless didn't exist, and production schedules that allowed the time to respect the process. As things became more complex, the "cableman" position was adopted to handle exactly that. Wrangling cables, tape reels, batteries, and other tasks that were needed in and about the sound department. On Love, Victor S2: Mixer Michelle Guasto, UTS Danny Maurer, boom Jacques Pienaar, sound trainee Yisel Pupo On Monster S1: Trainee Britney Darrett, UST Saif Parkar, mixer Amanda Beggs CAS, boom Zach Wrobel On Chicago P.D. S9: UST Carly Perkins, mixer Jon Ailetcher CAS, boom Jason Johnston, sound PA Hardy Willis