Behind the Sound Cart: A Veteran's Guide to Sound on the Set

by Patrushkha Mierzwa

Are you looking for real-life instruction on how to work in Sound for movies and television? How can you be experienced enough to be hired if you haven’t got ANY experience in the first place?“Behind the Sound Cart” explains in plain English just how film & tv sets operate.How to research a project before your interviewHow to prep a show and who to includeHow to prep differently for different locations and why that mattersHow can the Sound dept. save the production money and stay creative at the same time?There are other books about film & television but none of them walk you step-by-step as you learn about actors, celebrities and influencers; how to communicate with other depts. and how to understand the timing of what happens when, when everyone’s working and no one’s talking! Patrushkha shares real-life stories from the set so you can understand the outcome of decisions and maybe avoid mistakes that can sabotage your career before it’s even started.Patrushkha Mierzwa, one of the first female boom operators in Hollywood, has worked on over 80 movies and television projects for major directors including Robert Rodriquez, Quentin Tarantino, James Gray, and Robert Altman. She has been a judge for the Emmys, an IATSE Sound Local 695 director, and given workshops globally over her long career in the industry. Her Sound Oscar-nominated movies include “Ad Astra” and “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood" and her last projects are "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon."This book condenses 40 years of experience into a practical guide for you to be able to walk on to a film set with the confidence of a sound ninja.—Stuart Wilson, Sound Oscar winner, 1917Patrushkha takes you from the first work call to the final wrap, explaining the order of the work and the details that her decades of experience provides, so you can avoid mistakes that can sabotage your career before it’s even started. This book describes the job of the UST (Utility Sound Technician), a career almost invisible, yet extremely interesting, exciting—and paying up to six figures a year. It details how to act, how to relate to the crew, how to deal with and solve problems that are not just about sound itself—things you don’t learn at film school. * Discover tricks for microphone placement.* Understand how the UST interacts with the director, actors and producers.* Learn why you can know a lot about film yet still not sustain a career.* Get tips for balancing work and family life. Pick up pointers for managing life in a freelance world.*More than anything I've ever read, this has grabbed me. Amazing to say the least from the material covered to the presentation. Anyone who is anyone in the world of sound (but not limited to just sound people) should be required to read this. Any UST that's serious about their craft had better read this with the same gusto that a priest reaches for the bible during a sermon. A masterpiece!— Allen Lee Williams III, SOUND SPEEDSYour writing has this lovely, personal, honest style to it that I justhaven’t seen in other industry-based literature. It is refreshing. And there is a SERIOUS amount of knowledge packed in there, it’s impressive. You are a powerhouse of knowledge, insight, and entertaining stories.—Monica Bannon, Recent film school graduate, Screenskills Programparticipant, United KingdomPatrushkha has written the book I wish I could have read when I started out.This is my go-to reference and should be in every film school on the globe.

480 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2021

Reviews

[Maxim Osadchenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still reading the book. Sor far I like every page of the book. It's very informative and very practical book gives you full picture of the process of filmmaking. It gives you great understanding of the working process on set from low budget to high budget top movies with great examples. There's very just necessary for sound utility information about sound equipment no more and no less. What was the most interesting for me personally is communication with other departments and professional etiquette which not easy to understand and usually required not just to be a professional, but also being a good person.
Also even with my poor english language, but with understanding of sound department terminologies I was able to read this book and understand everything. And I highly recommend to sound people it all over the world.
I highly recommend this book for beginners and for people who works in sound for a long time.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a master class in production sound, Behind the Sound Cart: A Veteran’s Guide to Sound on the Set by Patrushkha Mierzwa is just that. From gear to career development this book covers it all. With her many years of experience as a Utility Sound Technician (UST), Mierzwa provides more than tips and tricks. Packed in each chapter is a guide to best practices and the reasons why.

Behind the Sound Cart is divided into chapters based on topics beginning with an overview of the UST’s duties. Also known as 2nd Assistant Sound, they work on everything sound-related not covered by the Mixer or the Boom Operator, even then the UST might have to use a second boom, or even cover for the mixer. In light of how flexible the UST must be, it makes sense to use them as a focal point for a guidebook on production sound. Mierzwa has the reader follow her footsteps through nearly every scenario a UST might face. I cannot believe I ever set foot on a set without Behind the Sound Cart.

Mierzwa stresses the importance of safety with every chapter. Current events show us that this emphasis is always necessary. However, safety is not just protection from a dolly running you over: heat, stress, and fatigue can also be deadly. Don’t skip the sections on first aid and COVID protocols either. Gear cleaning and maintenance fall into this category as well.

From cover to cover, Mierzwa leads by example of professionalism and integrity. Do not expect this book to be full of celebrity anecdotes. Part of being a respected UST is respecting the cast. One might expect a book on the basics of production sound to be dry without juicy gossip, but there are plenty of stories and jokes peppered through each chapter. Attached in the appendices are forms, paperwork, and other documents used throughout the film production process. Those alone are worth the price of this book. Refreshing is the way Mierzwa uses “she/her” as the default pronouns over “he/him.” Sure, a more neutral pronoun like the singular “they” would be optimal, it allows one to imagine a film crew that is more diverse than the “industry standard.”

I recommend Behind the Sound Cart to anyone looking to succeed in the film industry. That includes early career professionals, as well as students and production assistants. I would even recommend this book for fledgling directors and cinematographers. Patrushkha Mierzwa has put a career’s worth of information into a manageable package, and it should be in every production sound engineer’s library.
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[kiwi 🧙‍♂️ the wizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can speak first hand as a young sound utility that this book single-handedly prepared me for success. Although I’ve had the honor of working under some amazing sound mixers and boom operators, so many of them haven’t acted as utilities in many years. This book contained veteran knowledge and tips that helped me act more confidently and efficiently on my first day on the sound team. Cannot recommend enough, even if you don’t want to go into sound.

[Katfrazier25 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book - perfect for a student who is trying to get into the sound industry