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2nd Boom Operator


RPSharman

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I was hoping that perhaps more mixers, especially the more influential ones, can start to call their Utility Sound Person the "Second Boom Operator", when appropriate.  It's something I've begun to notice popping up more and more in the credits, and Willie Burton thanked his Boom Operator and Second Boom Operator in his back room interview at the Oscars.  I plan to ask that my third get that credit on future projects.

The reason for this is two-fold...

Typically, especially on television, with there rarely being one camera at a time and with many shows having large ensemble casts, the utility person is required to be a skilled boom operator.  And also, with larger casts and poor lighting techniques and wides and tights, the utility person must be capable of wiring actors quickly and carefully, and skilled at placing plants while the primary boom operator keeps his/her eyes and ears open for changes.  They must also be knowledgeable about equipment, RF, and keeping track of a lot more equipment than in the past.  The "cableman" job is more or less out the door, and the title should go with it.

Additionally, it has become common for new producers and UPM's to observe the contract and see that Boom Operator is Y-8, and are starting to pay accordingly, many on a weekly.  Y-4 is technically over scale, and "customary" is leaving the vocabulary of this industry in a hurry.  If there are two boom operators, then an argument can be made that the primary boom is a "supervisor" and therefore requires the Y-4 designation.  The second boom can receive the Y-8 classification, which pays the same as Y-7a.  While this might affect some people getting a re-rate to Y-4 under current conditions, these occasions are getting slimmer by each year.

In the long run, this will work to benefit the membership when crew size and staffing is next brought to the bargaining table.

Anyone else have similar thoughts or different ideas?

Robert

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Hey Robert, your points about the 3rdman/2nd boom are bang on and reflect the reality of the job in these times. If commercials had credits, and I got to work with a 3rd man, I would lobby like I was in Washington D C for the credit. When I was a cable-man on films I often didn't get any credit at all. When I boomed on films, I lobbied for a Production Sound credit with the mixer and received it a few times. In my world these days, I just want them to call me. This is a good topic, I'm sure you'll get many thoughtful posts.

CrewC

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"I was hoping that perhaps more mixers, especially the more influential ones, can start to call their Utility Sound Person the "Second Boom Operator", when appropriate."

There was a long and protracted union fight for the mandatory 3rd person and when the classification name of "cable person" was dropped and replaced with Utility Sound Technician, many things came along with that. One of the main things is that the 3rd is expected to be a qualified boom operator and can be referred to as such when booming. As you point out, this used to get the 3rd a re-rate for the day, up from the Utility rate to the boom rate. Somewhere along the way, as rates and classifications (and typical practices in production) changed, the re-rate does not happen often anymore.

"It's something I've begun to notice popping up more and more in the credits, and Willie Burton thanked his Boom Operator and Second Boom Operator in his back room interview at the Oscars."

I used to insist on what I called a "Group Credit" on many of the movies we did in the past, particularly those where we had the same crew together and were working with a director and a producer who actually understood and valued what we do as a team. On several movies (and I don't remember which ones off the top of my head) the screen credit read: Production Sound - Jeff Wexler, Don Coufal, Jim Stuebe or Jeff Wexler, Don Coufal, Gary Holland. There would not even be job classification mentioned --- no sound mixer, boom operator, etc., just the three of us, the team, that did the production sound. I liked this the times that we could get the producer to do it but I did get into a little confusion one year with the Academy. The Academy claimed that they could not consider a certain movie for nomination that we had done because there were too many names and no designation as to who the production mixer was --- strange irony since that is exactly what we were trying to say --- I may be the sound mixer, the department head, but it is the TEAM that does the job.

"Typically, especially on television, with there rarely being one camera at a time and with many shows having large ensemble casts, the utility person is required to be a skilled boom operator."

As I said before, when the cable guy became the utility sound technician, it is a requirement that they be a (skilled) boom operator --- it is part of the job classification.

"They must also be knowledgeable about equipment, RF, and keeping track of a lot more equipment than in the past."

This is true for the whole sound crew (and the rest of the crew for that matter). Look at the job of the Key Grip these days who needs to be well versed in about 5 or 6 different kinds of cranes when in the old days it was just the Chapman, small medium and large.

"The "cableman" job is more or less out the door, and the title should go with it."

The title has gone out the door also. Our Union has diligently pursued this even requiring productions to re-do Call Sheets when they have a box for "Cable" in the sound crew area. Even the payroll companies have been slow to adopt the proper terms (and this is not accident because when there is confusion on classification and rates it always benefits the producer and makes the whole contract fuzzy and open to "interpretation").

"In the long run, this will work to benefit the membership when crew size and staffing is next brought to the bargaining table."

Our Local has been working very hard, for years now, to get the classifications and rates in order. It is always a feature of the so-called negotiations the I.A. has with the producers, but as we all know, the International is not really a labor union and really does not negotiate anything (except those things which help preserve and perpetuate itself, often and usually at the expense of the workers).

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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When I was a cable-man on films I often didn't get any credit at all. When I boomed on films, I lobbied for a Production Sound credit with the mixer and received it a few times.

CrewC

Hey, Crew, did we ever get the Production Sound credit I was talking about when we were working together? You certainly should have been prime candidate for exactly what I was talking about. I think it is something that had its origins with Jim Webb --- but I do remember you saying that you did not get credit on Flashdance but Grunt, the Dog did!

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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Hey Jeff, if we ever shared the Prod. Sound credit it was on "Lookin to Get Out" by Hal Ashby which no one ever saw,so.... I do remember you Don and I talking about it many times and agreeing that it was the right credit. I also remember well you saying that we were all equal, (as in important), to the job at hand, only the pay rates were different. I think team is the key to any sound crew doing a good job and enjoying the experience no matter how hard it is. We sure did. I got Prod Sound credit twice with Jim Webb, once with Keith Wester, and once Jim and I were both listed as sound mixer so you are right about the confusion it can cause. BTW I did do lunch with Grunt the other day, he's not doin to well. Bad hips, one eye, and dog breath from hell, but he did have his screen credit so... at least he had that goin for him. We are back from lunch. Later.

CrewC

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Hi,

The way we used to do it in the UK was to have a Boom Swinger and a Sound Maintenance Engineer. They were both at the same pay scale and therefore the Sound Maintenance could jump in and become a 2nd boom when needed. His regular duties would be the usual fixing of cables, keeping an eye on batteries, boiling the kettle for tea etc. So if a person was expected to be able to run a boom they would be paid that rate and brought on as a Sound Maintenance. If they were an entry level they would be brought on as a Boom assistant (Cable Monkey), but should they pick up a pole for a scene then the higher rate would be paid.

As we all know, a sound mix is only ever as good as the weekest link, and if thats the Boom Op. then we have a bad track. As said before, we are a team and the team should look after each other.

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