Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475048
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I FA L L 2 0 2 2 41 "good sound," which is absolutely necessary. So, they hire based on crew that can get the job done, but fail to recognize the larger picture of the politics involved. As mixers evolve, it seems the hiring practices evolve with them. The hired crew is perhaps less than perfect technically, but has better skills in other areas. Talking with mixers who have a few years of experience, it seems that most are willing to make a middle- of-the-road compromise. Less than perfect technicians, but higher quality personalities and social skills. Still, neither is top-tier, but the hard edge is worn off and, for lack of a better phrase, some maturation has occurred and the bigger picture is starting to be less cloudy. As this moves on to several years behind the console, it is absolutely evident that the cream-of-the-crop mixer will have a well-rounded crew that handles the technical skills exceptionally well, and manages the on-set politics with the skill of a global statesman. Now the real question is, how does one DO just that? What choices are made, what qualifiers are there, what telltale signs indicate that a particular person is the one for you? It should be noted that the quotes in this article are intentionally left uncredited. A few whom I spoke to did not want to have anything taken out of context, but were willing to speak openly, on condition of anonymity. With that in mind, I pulled the names from all of it to be fair across the board. Let us begin with the elephant in the room. Race, Sex, Gender, Politics— yep. There they are. The big no-no's. Obviously, it is well known around the world that it is against all laws to discriminate against these things (and more) but, as a species, we discriminate every day about everything, whether subconscious or not. Lectrosonics vs. Zaxcom; Schopes vs. DPA; Hard-line vs. wireless; brussels sprouts vs. carrots; Democrat vs. Republican. I can tell you that, personally, I have hired just about every category you could find and thoroughly enjoyed each one of them as a teammate and crew member. Trans, gay, straight, white, brown, male, female, whatever… Here's the thing—I don't care. I cannot possibly care less what parts one has, nor how they use them, nor what shade they be. Personally, I hire based on the totality of the package of the person. Can they do the job? Can they represent my Sound Department professionally and skillfully? Can they represent themselves the same way? Then yes, they have a shot at my team. I do not have an all-white male team, and that is not because of a particular agenda or government- imposed quota. It is because I have the best people I can find who work well in my world. Having settled that, let us move onto the things that matter. Every single mixer I spoke with ended up at roughly the same place: "I can teach them the skills of the Sound Department. I cannot teach them to care." To build on this, I asked what that meant. Most mixers explained that "caring" about the department as a whole is a really broad statement to make, but it boils down to the little things. (Back - L-R) Boom op Elijah Maier and UST Keegan Osburn. (Middle - L-R) Boom op Osiris Hill and UST/RF tech Scott Beatty. (Front - L-R) UST Erin Gentry, mixer Aaron "Cujo" Cooley CAS, UST Nathan Cornwall, and boom op Max Osadchenko