Chat with Jorge Del Valle (Sound Department in Film and TV)
Please welcome Jorge Del Valle who works in the Sound Department.
Jorge’s IMDb
Jorge has worked on TV shows, feature films, and has done some ENG work (electronic news gathering).
For his ENG gigs, it’s a one man band: he has to boom, sound mix, and wire talent. It can be a lot of one person and carrying all that gear can get heavy.
Jorge shares some tips on wiring talent. Remember you’re working with a person, not a piece of equipment.
Jorge started off as a camera assistant when he was 16 years old. Fast forward a decade later, he was working at Channel 5 for 10 years and was let go. After being laid off, he met some musicians who also worked in the sound department. One of them gave him a call one day and said, “I need someone for tomorrow morning, can you be there?” Jorge was there!
Working in film means working as a freelancer and starting off as the low man on the totem pole. Keep going and don’t be discouraged.
Always be networking. You will need to reach out cold to sound mixers via e-mail and/or phone calls. Don’t be discouraged by no response. Stay in contact with them so your name stays on their radar. Follow up every 3 months as something could have shifted.
When you get the call for work, say “Yes,” and figure out how to be there. Cover yourself at your temporary side hustle and rearrange plans as necessary.
Reaching out to strangers will certainly jerk you out of your comfort zone.
Be sure to vet the sustainability of a job before you quit your side hustle.
Bottom line is don’t give up and have a backup plan.
Sound Hierarchy
Sound Mixer – owns all the gear. Ensures all the dialogue is recorded and labeled correctly.
Boom Operator – operates the boom. Ensures the mixer has all the microphones necessary to record all the dialogue. Boom operator will usually own their own boom poles, mounts, and caddy.
Sound Utility – wires talent and does everything else. Transports gear, identify and fix sound issues on location. Timecode slates, get video playback for sound monitors, keep batteries charged, and more.
Tools
Quiet tennis shoes (light, flat shoe)
Tool belt pouch
Scissors
Flashlight
Headphones – Jorge recommends Sony MDR7506 headphones
Walkie holster
Tech Scouts are the opportunity to know ahead of time what are the issues at each location and discuss how to solve them.
For anyone starting out, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, there will always be someone to correct you. There’s no way for you to know everything on Day 1. There will always be a learning curve, so be adaptable. Every crew works differently .
A great tip Jorge gives while being on set is to constantly be paying attention. If you see a red flag, say something, and always ask questions when you’re unsure.
Having worked in the business for years, Jorge reminds us to keep your ego in check.
It’s always better to make friends than enemies.
You will have disagreements with crew members at times and remember you will likely work with that person again.
Keep in mind, you need other departments help to get your job accomplished.
You don’t want anyone to look bad, just to make yourself look good.
When set is hectic, remember to slow down, take a breath, and get focused.
Everyone has a job to do and we all want to do it well.
Don’t take things personally. Sometimes there are bigger fish to fry.
Listen twice as much as you talk. Be coachable.
You may not get fired from a job, but you also may not get asked back.
Think ahead. Working as a freelancer, work can always be feast or famine.
You really cut your teeth on the harder shows and learn to appreciate the good shows.
Rejuvenate on the weekends by breathing and relaxing.
Let’s all take the learning curve of going digital.
