Behind the Sound Cart

A Veteran's Guide to Sound on the Set

By: Patrushkha Mierzwa

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

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 interview
• How to prep a show and who to include
• How to prep differently for different locations and why that matters
• How 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, 1917

Patrushkha 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 SPEEDS

Your 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 Kingdom

• Patrushkha 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.—Simon Clark, Head of Location Sound Recording, National Film & Television School, England