What Is Your Title?

[SPC]

So in the north-east I was referred to as the "Mixer". In the south-east, I was asking my client if the sound designer(s) would deliver me their work for me to do the final mix and the client was like "you're it"! I quickly discovered that the popular title there is "Sound Designer"... meaning I do it all!

Most recently, I noticed the credits on an old documentary I "mixed". My credit was listed as "Sound Editing" = THE FACILITY NAME (which is now closed / no longer exist). So no future / potential clients can find me if they like what they hear. Man! Can I actually call myself a Re-recording Mixer even if I don't mix traditional feature film style (whatever that was or is)?

So I'm curious as to how you all handle your credits and title. There are so many terms and categories:

Sound Mixer
Re-recording Mixer
Sound Designer
Sound Editor
and the rest...

So what is your title and what is it the you actually do? Most importantly, how do you check your credits before release time?

[KK Proffitt]

As long as someone is paying my rate, they can call me whatever they like (within reason).

[philper]

On old Hollywood features, all the sound work for the whole film might be credited solely to the manager of the sound department.

On many films I work on these days the credit roll has to be very short and on docs especially there are LOTS of people who have to be mentioned, in addition to all the legally-mandated music and archival footage credits, so I just ask them to put in "Sound edited and mixed by", or some lumped together sort of title. IMDB etc lists sound editing and mixing as separate categories, so anymore I like the title, however short, to reflect both if I did both. (On bigger shows there are more strict rules/traditions governing titles.)

Philip Perkins

[dr sound]

The problem listing your credit as "Sound Mixer' is that it usually is intended to be referred to as the "Production Sound Mixer".
You may consider "Post Production Sound Mixer", or "Post Sound by..."
or as Philper stated, "Sound Editing and Mix by...".
The main thing is to get credit!

[georgia]

Re-Recording Mixer
Sound Designer
Sup. Sound Editor
Mixing Engineer
Chief Cook & Bottle Washer

...whatever... just write the check, let me do a good job, and have some artistic fun!

cheers
geo

[jahtao]

In the UK, Dubbing mixer (doesn't make much sense to me either)

[jhorsley]

"Sound Editor" if I simply edited sound and that's all
If I record ADR, I go with "Re-recording" or "Re-Recording Engineer"
If Sound design and/or foley (assuming I do it all) then "sound design" or "Sound Designer" and/or "Foley Artist"
If it was the final mix, then "Mixer" or "Mixed by"
If I did all of the above and it needs to be brief, "Audio post by [Name] at [My company]"
If I did it for free, then "Producer" or in more accurately, "fool".



All of this should be in the post production section of the credits, are somehow clearly distinguished from "production sound/mixer"

Make sure they put you on IMDB! It matters more and more. Still trying to get 2/3rds of my work up there!

[philper]

Originally Posted by dr sound

The problem listing your credit as "Sound Mixer' is that it usually is intended to be referred to as the "Production Sound Mixer".
You may consider "Post Production Sound Mixer", or "Post Sound by..."
or as Philper stated, "Sound Editing and Mix by...".
The main thing is to get credit!

Most doco filmmakers I work with lump all the prod sound people (because there may be many) under "sound", and then have a separate line for post audio (one person only, often). I agree that being called the "mixer" in that case is confusing, fortunately IMDB allows a little customization of the credits for those situations that don't fit regular Hollywood-style categories. I too have had some trouble getting filmmakers to bother putting their films up on IMDB, and IMDB doesn't make it real easy for them.


Philip Perkins

[Bigbottomend]

Here in Australia the situation is just as confusing (especially since lots of the stuff I do is for U.S. doco markets...) lately I've just settled on "Audio Post Production - YOUR NAME(s) HERE", which seems to cover the multitude of jobs I (and my assistant) cover - Sound Editor, Foley Artist/Recordist/Mixer, Dialogue Editor, Sound Designer, ADR recordist/editor, Post Production Supervisor (well, someone's got to spot the flash frames and continuity errors!), Re-recording Mixer...

I'm working on a short film at the moment, where I'm doing all of the above AND write the music... how the hell do you cover that in one credit?

Yeah - just take the money and run!

On a tangent, what do you call yourself when the project is so bad you DON'T want your name on it?

[jimlongo]

Originally Posted by Bigbottomend

On a tangent, what do you call yourself when the project is so bad you DON'T want your name on it?

Mixed by Alan Smithee.