ABSTRACT
Production sound is the sound, primarily dialogue, that is recorded during the actual production of a film. In addition to dialogue, production sound can also include the ambient or environmental sounds associated with a specific location as well as individual sound effects, which can be of value later for the sound designer. The individual responsible for recording production sound is called the production sound mixer or sound recordist. The recording of clean, intelligible location sound is just as critical if not more so in documentary production. Because documentary crews are usually small and mobile, the production sound mixer and boom operator is usually the same person and therefore must be adept at booming, mixing (if additional microphones are used), and operating the recorder simultaneously. Production sound mixing is the specialized craft of recording dialogue and sound effects during principal photography. The Boom Operator or “boom op” is one of the most misunderstood and underestimated positions on the entire crew.
