Sound

Production Sound Mixer playbook.

Owns audio on set — responsible for dialogue that's actually usable in the edit.

What this role owns

Boom Operator · Director

Not your call

Performance is the director's call — if the audio's bad, you say so, you don't reshoot it yourself.

First move

Do a full sound check of the location before the first rehearsal, not the first take.

Titles are usually given to whoever's already doing the work — if that's you, say so.

Also in Sound

Holds the mic where it needs to be — close enough to catch dialogue, out of every frame.

Builds the sound that wasn't recorded on the day — atmosphere and effects that make a scene feel real.

Balances everything audio in the final mix — dialogue, music, and effects — so every line is intelligible.

Writes the original music — the score that tells the audience how to feel before the story does.