Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475048
"I can teach anyone to wrangle cable. I can teach them to place a lav. By the time they are getting to me for a slot on my crew, they already know these things. If they don't, I don't want them. Not because I am arrogant, but because the shows I do don't have time for rookies. I will happily forward this person (if they pass the rest of my list) to one of many great mixers who DO have the shows that can afford to have minor- league players. I want to see how put together they are. So, I ask probing questions about life, finances, vacations, dreams, goals, and plans. Do they have a plan for the future? A one-year, three-year, five-year plan? Are they involved in the sound community? Do they want to stay in sound or is this a stepping-stone to another career? Do they spend all weekend at the party or do they 'adult'? Yes, I know, these are all tough questions to ask, but I need to get to know this person. I am going to spend more time with this person than my own family. I want to KNOW who I am working with and I want to be sure that when we are in the depths of film hell, that every team member is perfectly calm and collected and can handle the stress." It is interesting to see the differences in how mixers hire. Personally, I can relate to some of this, as it is how much of my career as a technician and then as a department head has progressed, but I wasn't fully ready for the commonality across the spectrum. To wrap this up, it seems that the seasoned mixers have it mostly dialed in, the successful ones any- way… Almost every one of them has a long-term, stable crew. This rela- tively stable crew is, in my opinion, part of the success story of many mixers. It is evident that when producers are looking for a sound crew, they genuinely like to see the same names and faces. Just like a DP has favorite camera operators, the producers buy into that package. It settles their minds. For me, and to take a moment of professional recognition for my crew, I have a UST that has been with me for several years and, quite frankly, she is a rock star. Her name is Erin Gentry and she is my version of Patrushkha Mierzwa. She truly loves her job, she excels in every way, and strives to grow and improve always. My boom ops have been few. Steve Young, Matt Derber, and Max Osadchenko. Top performers, all with excellent technical skills, and well-respected on-set presence. All the well-seasoned mixers I spoke with have similar situations. UST's and boom ops that have been with them for years—some for decades and entire careers. The newer mixers are still struggling to find and build those personal relationships and to build the foundation of experience that allows their team to grow together. If I were to offer any bit of advice, I'd take note of this… Hire based on the person. Hire based on the needs of your particular show, but focus on the people. Skills can be taught. Obviously, you want to hire someone with the basic skills, but the framework of the human is where it counts. Getting into a name-calling contest in the middle of a hot set with your boom op is NOT a career builder. Having a boom op who can work out lighting and blocking challenges with respect while you sit at the console and do your job is the way to get invited back. A UST that isn't as fast as one might wish, but has a willing and helpful attitude is less harmful than a UST who is fast and accurate, but tells the director to "deal with it" when his Comtek fails. Hire people who can see the larger picture. The ones with situational awareness. The ones who already have solutions for problems that haven't even begun yet. Do they need to be told to protect cables passing through doorways? Do they need to be told to have bag-it's on standby when the weather looks dodgy? Do they come to work with a foul-weather bag already packed? Can they adult or do they need a sitter? Only you can find out, and you have to interview them to know. Don't be afraid to pass and go to the next one. Yes. It is hard. We ALL want to be the nice persona and hire everyone and not say no. But that isn't fair. It's not fair to them, or to you, because you are setting each other up for failure. It's also not fair to production, because they aren't going to get the quality that they deserve. (L-R) UST Erin Gentry, mixer Aaron "Cujo" Cooley CAS, and UST Cynthia Munoz C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I FA L L 2 0 2 2 43