phenix Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 I wonder whether people might have thoughts to share on the following? Today I got a call from a producer who needs to hire a "Sound Operator." to team up with their "Director of Photography". I've never previously been asked to be a sound operator. A couple of years ago, I was disqualified from a National Emmy Award nomination because the credit on the project was "Sound Recordist". Their board did not recognize this title, which I had not requested but the producer had insisted on using. The Emmy award department required a protest letter from the producer to let the nomination stand (which I recall the producer was reluctant to do --presumably their office was busy with more current projects). Lately, I notice the "Recordist" title seems to be accepted in the Awards judging nomination rounds for "News and Documentary" Awards. "Recordist" also seems to be very much the normal title in British film and television productions. I was party to a phone discussion with a union local at one point, in which it was made clear that "Recordist" does not refer to the person recording sound on location. I am seeing "sound mixer", "production sound", "production sound mixer", "sound", and "location sound". IMDB does not list "production sound mixer" the last time I looked in their dropdown menu. I understand that the use pf "mixer" has the quicksand of potentially being confused with the role of "Re-recording mixer." One producer once said that if it's a program consisting of interviews with one person sitting in a chair, there is only one signal and hence nothing to mix and therefore the credit should not be used. The National Emmy judging rep told me that this is not the case--"if your hand is on the fader, you are the mixer, period." Has anyone written or researched a definitive overview of the correct credits for this job? Often I find that producers have their own opinions (or perhaps legal reasons) which cause them to refuse to use the requested credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tourtelot Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Apparently, you did some work for a producer who was/is a jerk. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phenix Posted July 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Hi Douglas, Thank you! Well, I've heard it said, "The more I've worked with ______ the more I've come to respect him as a professional ...and the less I've come to respect him as a human being..., , My grandfather's mother - my great grandmother on my mother's side of the family-- -- was named Alzadia Tourtellot. (sp?) She died long before my mother married, possibly in the 1918-19 flue epidemic. I heard stories about her and have a few photographs. Her father's name was Amasa and the wedding took place in Providence. I sill try go upload one photo: bowling on he lawn with son and other family, c.1902 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 I'd say it was the Emmy board who were the jerks. A union insisting that a "recordist" is only someone who operates a magfilm or multitrack etc recorder or a producer who gets shirty about what their location sound people want to call their jobs is jerky too. Everyone involved knows who does what, and often even a job that is "one-subject/one mic" is much more complex than the number of record channels in play might lead someone who was not involved to believe. IMDB needs to update their list of job titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tourtelot Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 And well OT: Awesome photo. I believe that the spelling of your great grandmother's name means that we are not related. I am told, however, that anyone who spells their name as I do mine is related although I can't prove that. I do know that I'm related (somehow) to a lawyer in LA who spells his name Tourtelot and he was on the defense team for OJ Simpson. That's about as close as I come to family fame and I have never talked to the man. I do occasionally get "lawyerly" emails intended for him. Nothing juicy yet, tho. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 The terrible term for a sound person in NZ and OZ is "soundie" Cameramen are "shooters" Actors are called "talent" mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bash Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 1 hour ago, mikewest said: Actors are called "talent" mike I always rather liked the British affectionate term for the actors.... 'turns', as in 'bring out the turns', or 'fetch the turns'. sb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Lovely! Actually I've been to Tern Island where the tracks of birds were recorded for Hitchcock's "The Birds" Also Hitchcock used to call for the extras by saying "bring in the cattle" Hope you are well Simon, it's blxxdy cole in Auckland Cheers mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Smith Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 On 7/20/2018 at 1:27 AM, mikewest said: The terrible term for a sound person in NZ and OZ is "soundie" Cameramen are "shooters" Actors are called "talent" mike “Talent” is making a huge assumption when it comes to actors. I’ve seen plenty more talent behind the camera than in front of it😊. -Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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