Gerry Jackman discusses how he got started in Sound, ways to hone your skills, and highlights from his 50 year career.
What is the role of the Sound Department on a production:
The Sound Department captures all the dialogue spoken on a film. We also capture the ambient sound around it.
What does a Boom Operator do:
The Boom Operator represents the Sound Department on set. The Mixer might have the power, but you're the one that's gotta be the diplomat.
The Boom Operator needs to pay close attention to the blocking, the lighting set up, the camera and dolly placement, etc., to notice issues and fix them before rolling. An actor might be sitting in a chair and moves a little bit and the chair squeaks as he says the line. Well, you can't just take that out when you're doing the mix. The Boom Operator is the one that says “Okay, can we fix this? Can we get someone to put a screw in here, put some oil on the door?” You know, all that stuff.
Say the actor is sitting at the dining room table and they’re supposed to be eating a meal. They put the cup down and bang. You gotta go up to the actor and say, listen when you're saying that line can you not put the cup down at that point or stuff like that. And they'll pick it up on the first take and then the second take they won't do it. If it happens on the second take, that's when I'll say, hey man, we're having a little problem with that. But you gotta be nice about it. The Boom Op is the one who's on set all the time, so they’ve got to be the liaison officer.
Gerry Jackman on set of The Itch Season 1
What does a typical day on set look like for you:
Before the show starts, I read the full script. You're reading the dialogue so you're not going in green. If you look at a script, there's more description. You gotta read that stuff to know if someone is coming up over a hill or something. That's what you're preparing for, so you're not surprised on the day.
The night before shooting I look at the call sheet. I go through all the scenes. That’s how you get an idea of what you're gonna do, where you're gonna be. Now, they might change on set. Production might all of a sudden say, “we're not going to do that, we're going to do this.” And you go, “okay!”.
The day of shooting I show up maybe 10-15 minutes before my call time. I help people out in the truck if they need it. We haul out the sound cart and all that. We hook up our antennas, and we give the Comteks out. As a Boom Operator, I take what I need and I go away. I get my boom pole, I get my microphones, I get my transmitters, and I get batteries. It's not a lot of stuff, but you don't want to be running back to the van. And then you go on set. You could be in a studio, or you could be out in the woods.
Always remember that camera's number one. If the crew is putting up lighting and the cameras are getting in position, they're putting up the dolly in a certain area, you should be aware of that. When they put the light up and they turn it on, you're gonna see shadows everywhere. But you can ask the DP to cut it with flags. It'll knock the intensity of the light down so that you don't have a boom shadow. But you gotta know all that stuff. If you're not aware of that, well, you're gonna screw up. It might take 3 takes before you can get it. Certain shows, they don't tolerate that. You're gone.
A lot of times you use the wires because there are big, wide shots and you can't get the microphone in close enough to pick it up. But when you're in tight enough, I don't want the wires, because I'm a Boom Operator, right? I'll say, “I’ll get that.” There's lots of times when you finish a scene and you go, “Whoa, that was good!” I'll tell the people around me “Hey, that was good!” you know? I think that's important. Sometimes you need a little pat on the back.
Productions Gerry worked over the years: From (season 1-5), The Shipping News, The Institute (seasons 1-2) and Washington Black
How did you get your start in the film industry:
When I was 18, I worked on my first feature film, it came up from Hollywood to Newfoundland. I did Electrics on that and then some Grip work with the Newfoundland Independent Film Coop. I ended up doing a series with CBC. But mostly I was working in a 1,000-seat theatre as a stagehand for maybe 20 years. I started off as a Stagehand, became a Flyman, became a Stage Manager, and then eventually, the last 10 years of my life there, I was the Head Sound Technician.
I fell in love with a girl who I ended up marrying. She was from Halifax, so I ended up moving there. I went to work on Emily of New Moon as a 2nd in the Sound Department for one season. Then I ended up going to Cape Breton and worked on Pit Pony as a Boom Operator. That was the first time I worked as a Boom.
My plan was to become a Mixer. I knew how to mix, but I would have found it very boring. It’s a lot of sitting. I just can't do that; it would drive me crazy. I thought, I can make enough money at boom and keep my sanity. And here I am now.
Gerry walks along a Nova Scotian beach, boom in hand
How did you hone your skills as a Boom Operator:
I watched the boom guy. We go wireless now, but back then [the boom] had a cable. As a 2nd, I always had to be on the cable, so you don't trip people up. But I was always watching what the boom guy was doing. If someone wants to get into the Sound Department, they gotta pay attention. You gotta be on the ball. Sitting down and someone telling you stuff is one thing, but the best experience you're ever going to get is on set.
What’s a simple piece of advice you’d give to Boom Operators:
Stand on an apple box. I'm a lazy Boom Operator, right? I'm famous for saying “okay boys, give me an apple,” you know, and they'll bring in an apple. I'll stand on the apple, so I don't have to have my hands stretched over my head. Keep your elbows against your ribs, that’s a good one too.
Why is the role of a Boom Operator so important? How does it impact the quality of a production:
It's major. It’s very, very important. Everybody might have wires on them, but that sound is not what you want. A microphone picks up all the ambient sound around and makes it a fuller sound. Everybody wants sound from a boom.
It's not so much a technical thing with sound as a Boom Operator. The Mixer has to be in control of all that stuff. They’re the one with the issues. They’ve gotta make sure the gain is right; they've got a lot of responsibility that way. I'm getting them the sound from my boom stick and the microphone. But if they’re not getting the sound, then it's gonna be my problem.
I know sound, I know what a microphone can do. There are different types of microphones so you gotta know what kind of microphone you’re gonna use. If you're green, the Mixer might suggest a mic, but as you get more experienced, you’ll learn what works best for you. I'll tell the Mixer “I'm gonna use this mic” and they'll say, “I don't like the sound of that one.” I'll say “Well, I like the pull on it. I'm not going to be able to get [the sound] if I don't use that mic.” Normally, we don't have any conflict in that field.
I think that a lot of people that are getting into sound, their goal is to be a Mixer. They want to be the boss, kind of thing and they don't pay attention to the boom. But they're missing the point because the boom is the sound. Any good Mixer will value a good Boom Operator.
Gerry working on various sets over the years
What are the differences between when you began in the industry and today:
For 15 to 20 years, I had to wire and boom. While [production] was setting up, I had to go wire the actors. It takes up a lot of time and you're not seeing the blocking. It was a horrible, horrible way to work. You’d go do the wiring and when you come back, they're ready to shoot. There's a dolly on one side of the room, another dolly on the other side of the room. There are lights everywhere. And you’re thinking where am I gonna stand? Where am I gonna go? What am I gonna do? It's very, very frightening. Now it's way easier because someone else is wiring, so I can hang around and see what's going on.
The biggest difference is we don't shoot on film anymore. When we used to shoot on mags, you’d get a break every 10 minutes when they needed to change the mag. Now we're shooting on cards, and the cards can last for 30 minutes. I once did a take that was 22 minutes long. That's a long time to hold a microphone.
How has the Union affected your career:
Producers will just work you to death, you know? They will. Especially if they got cash. If they got money, it's just, like, nuts. But if there's a contract signed by a union, then they're not allowed to do that. If they go over 6 hours in the morning, you start to pay a meal penalty. If you've got to drive an hour somewhere, you get compensated for that. It's protection. That's what I like. And the money too: we have certain scales and stuff. If you want a good career, you better care. You better have some compassion for people. And the union forces the producers to do that.
A Boom Operator works physically close with actors. How do you develop a good working relationship with them to ensure the best outcome:
It's very important to be able to get along. It's a tricky business. You're working with people for 12-14 hours; people start losing their patience. You gotta show respect and they should respect you too. You gotta be a good person. You gotta be able to talk to people. If you're not a nice person you shouldn't be doing it.
Gerry holds his boom out toward a woman holding a child in her arms, laughing and smiling
What are some of your career highlights:
The Shipping News was a good one. We filmed that in Newfoundland. Judi Dench was so great. [Production] hired a dialect coach from New York who gave her tapes and taught her how to speak Newfoundese. Judy found out that I was a Newfoundlander. She'd be doing the scene and when the scene was over, she’d say “Gerry, what do you think of that?” And I'd say “yeah, you gotta be more harder on the ‘r’.” Me and her had a great relationship. She told me if you're ever in England, you know, here's my address.
There was a scene I did on From. There are two actors and they're going back and forth around this room. There's a camera on the movie bird (that’s a big crane), there's another two cameras on dollies against the wall, and I’ve got to boom this scene. I'm going back and forth and dancing around these cameras and I never got in the shot once. When they were moving, I was moving with them, and it was tight. You could not move in there. But I pulled it off. That was one of the biggest ones I ever did. That was something else. I was proud of that one.
What are you doing when you’re not on set:
Not a lot. I am a great procrastinator, and I don't have any hobbies. I've been working for 50 years. I can sit around for days and not feel any guilt.
Any final words of advice:
Show a bit of passion for your job. Even if you don't know what you're doing, if you show that, that’s big. The most important advice I could say to anybody who's getting into the film business, whatever they do, is you gotta have a good relationship with the crew. If somebody gives you something, say thank you. Someone brings you an apple box, “thank you”, you know? Show respect for what they're doing. I enjoy my work because of these people. This crew is the best crew I've ever worked with.