Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538091
28 FA L L 2 0 2 5 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y b y B l a s K i s i ´ c C A S Should We Have a Director of Sound? Until then, whenever I'd heard that title, it was usually in jest. I mean, we've all heard the anecdote of the production sound mixer whose director's chair has a backrest that reads "Director of Sound." But there have been discussions in recent years about the need to formally establish this role in film production. Many colleagues I've talked to agree that producers and other decision makers are somewhat unaware of the significance of sound. Their budgeting decisions tend to cripple the sound department and take away its agency in the creative process. I set out to know more about this issue and decided to interview a couple of colleagues. When I talked with Mark Mangini—the multiple award-winning sound editor and re-recording mixer—I was surprised to learn that, historically, the Director of Sound role was a management-based position, not a creative position. He said it "galled him" that this person could receive an Academy Award, while those who actually did the work went home empty-handed. "I would not be an advocate for such a position if that were the case today," said Mangini. But the current discussions are definitely aimed at having a sound professional in this role. Mark is definitely on board: He always tries to be an ally to the production sound mixer, which has often led to him becoming an unpaid advocate to sound. The established sound department roles in union narrative projects have changed. Until approximately 20 years ago, a properly budgeted and staffed production sound team would typically have a PSM Of all the talented directors I've had the fortune to work with, one stands out. On our first day on a feature film, he introduced me to the rest of the crew as "our Director of Sound." I'm happy to report it didn't go to my head; I knew he was simply signaling to other department heads that sound was important to him. And that introduction set the tone for what would turn out to be a demanding shoot, in which the sound department received the consideration and assistance needed to be successful.