Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524736
C I N E M A A U D I O S O C I E T Y. O R G 41 At the heart of every production sound mixer's workflow, you're likely to find a production sound cart. It's where you'll spend most of your day as a mixer and it's a reflection of how you like to work. And when it comes to production sound mixer preferences surrounding them, volumes could be written. Throughout the years as technology has evolved, mixers continue to innovate and exchange ideas with each other at iconic events such as the CAS Parade of Carts, social media communities, and industry meetups. All of these pave the way for an evolution of sound carts, each one building upon the next, fostering new ideas and next-level innovation. Early in my own career when I built my first sound cart, I never really considered a standing workflow as an option. I just assumed that you sit at a sound cart be- cause that's what I saw other mixers do. I had seen some standing carts before, but they were few and far between. Having utilized a sitting cart for the last 10 years of my career, I decided to move to a standing workflow, which had a few considerations. Wouldn't I want to sit down occasionally? What are the tangible benefits in practice versus cons? And where do I even begin to design and build one? So, hence, this article was born and I've decided to share my journey and experiences with it; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let's begin this conversation with what has become a top priority for me—health and wellness. SO, WHY STANDING? A bit of back story is somewhere around 2016 while working on the FX TV series Atlanta, I noticed a tingling in my left arm while working on set that had me a bit concerned. After a trip to the general practitioner, then neurologist, orthopedist, and an MRI procedure, I was informed that I had an arthritic condition causing an impinged nerve which comes down my neck and left arm. Since then, I've been in an ongoing battle to keep a pain-free working experience. For long periods of time, all would be well, and then fast-forward to April 2023, I had a significant relapse that was both an eye-opening and debilitating experience. After months of physical therapy, I made the decision that my personal wellness had to come first in my life, and I needed to figure out how I could apply that to my craft as a production sound mixer. Through my research on best practices, I stumbled on an article that stood out to me. Here is an excerpt that I'll share with you, written by Edward R. Laskowski, MD. " Researchers analyzed 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels. They found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to that posed by obe- sity and smoking. Overall, research seems to point to the fact that less sitting and more moving contribute to better health. Source: Edward R. Laskowski, MD. mayoclinic.org "