Since their Open Letter in August 2020, the organisations behind the Sound Credit Initiative have been overwhelmed by the private emails supporting their call for improved on-screen credit recognition for the sound talent on feature films. The online petition will offer fellow sound professionals and industry colleagues the opportunity to officially support the call for on-screen sound credits to be in line with other departments such as camera, costume, art and editorial.
Academy Award-winning production sound mixer, Chris Munro added, “We talk about seeing a film or watching a movie. If you try watching a movie with the mute button enabled, you soon realize that we don’t just ‘watch’, we enjoy films for the immersive experience that sound helps to create. Not giving equal on-screen credit to sound creatives, alongside those who create the visuals, gives the impression that our industry is stuck in the silent movie era.”
CAS President Karol Urban explained, "From production through post-production, sound professionals contribute to creative storytelling and the elevation of the audience's experience. This initiative allows filmmakers and studios to recognize their sound department's importance in a film's overall success."
MPSE President Mark Lanza added, “While there is a technical aspect to sound for film, the overwhelming majority of what sound people do is creative. Sound is visceral, it tells the audience where we are, focuses the audience on what we want them to feel and when, it leads them through an elaborate illusion. The people creating these works are amazing artists and should be addressed as such.”
