Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475048
40 FA L L 2 0 2 2 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y b y A a r o n " C u j o " C o o l e y C A S WHAT I LOOK FOR IN MY CREW As production sound mixers, we are taught and trained in all the ways of how sound works, how to capture it, and how to get it on tape. We learn all the new gear, study RF technology, and generally get our groove on by managing the dark art of all things audio. What we generally are not taught, however, is how to build a winning sound team. Having that in mind, I spoke to several colleagues at different budget levels to gather some intel on what they think is the right way to build a crew that gets the job done. Here is what I have learned. Interestingly enough, and perhaps counterintuitive, it seems that the skill level of the mixer has an interesting correlation to the choosing of crew members. To be sure, every mixer wants the absolute best rock star crew they can get, but it is curious how that stratifies based on the experience and skill of the mixer, as well as the budget of the project. As that experience level increases, and as budgets increase, the particulars of choosing also changes. Let's unpack that a bit and see what we've found. It goes without saying, yet here I am saying it, that we all want the best possible crew we can possibly build and production can afford. Top markers in boom operator and utility sound tech (UST) are a given. But the less experienced mixer often doesn't have access to people of that pedigree, nor are they working on shows with the budget to support them. So, considerations and compromises must be made, and the choices where those cuts are made are, as mentioned above, interesting. I have found that most newer mixers will focus their hiring based on technical skill. They will hire the UST and boom op with the highest percentage of technical ability to do the job. This seems appropriate until we see that, at these strata, the technical skills may not necessarily jive with the interpersonal, set politics, and set etiquette skills needed for a mixer to succeed. Yes, the boom op absolutely gets the dialogue, but equally alienates the other working departments and burns cooperative bridges like so much kindling. Or perhaps a UST who can place lavs like a 10-year vet gets snarky or combative with a producer when a Comtek fails. Yes, the technical skills are there ... but the whole package is not. If I had to guess, I would say that the reason for this is that the mixer is trying to build a résumé based upon