WAGES - What do location sound guys get?

[Matt Pacini]

... or girls :)

 

What's an average, saying working in a major city like Los Angeles, for both union and non-union work?

And what's the best way to get work, if you were starting out?

 

MP

[Matt Pacini]

Wow, does nobody actually come to this forum, or was this a bad question to ask?

[Tyler Faison]

Wow, does nobody actually come to this forum, or was this a bad question to ask?

Head over to jwsoundgroup.net for an answer.

[Matthew Freed]

I don't know much about the union wages but non union day rates are between $550 and $650. Gear is ALWAYS extra. A good sound package for ENG (bag work) costs around $30,000 to buy. Film packages are upwards of $100,000. Gear rates typically start at a couple hundred per day for a boom, two wireless, small field mixer and audio being mixed straight to camera via cables. Additional wireless lavs, wireless camera hops, TC sync boxes, IFB kit, etc are al a carte and generally hired/rented as production needs them.

 

And keep in mind...not all audio gear is created equal. A Wendt X5 mixer is a 5 channel field mixer but it's a piece of crap. A Sound Devices 552 or a Zaxcom Nomad 6 are also 5 and 6 channel mixers, respectively, but sound far better and are light years better and more capable in the field.