The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft
The Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG) is the labor union representing post-production workers in the Hollywood motion picture industry, including seven sound craft classifications. The sound craft has low status within the hierarchical structure of the Hollywood film industry in comparison to othe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publications Inc.
2020
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/61306/ |
| _version_ | 1848799859716390912 |
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| author | Andriano-Moore, Stephen |
| author_facet | Andriano-Moore, Stephen |
| author_sort | Andriano-Moore, Stephen |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG) is the labor union representing post-production workers in the Hollywood motion picture industry, including seven sound craft classifications. The sound craft has low status within the hierarchical structure of the Hollywood film industry in comparison to other filmmaking crafts. This article evaluates the workings of the MPEG in concerns with the sound craft and status within the industry through a thirty-plus year review of their professional journal, website, sound practitioner discourse, and other industrial documents. The article argues that the union does not sufficiently protect sound practitioners from employer exploitation, contributes to the alienation of sound practitioners from their work, and constraints the level of and recognition for creative contributions. These actions are seen as perpetuating the low status of sound practitioners and the sound craft, which weakens the power of the union. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:42:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-61306 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:42:22Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | SAGE Publications Inc. |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-613062020-08-07T08:05:14Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/61306/ The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft Andriano-Moore, Stephen The Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG) is the labor union representing post-production workers in the Hollywood motion picture industry, including seven sound craft classifications. The sound craft has low status within the hierarchical structure of the Hollywood film industry in comparison to other filmmaking crafts. This article evaluates the workings of the MPEG in concerns with the sound craft and status within the industry through a thirty-plus year review of their professional journal, website, sound practitioner discourse, and other industrial documents. The article argues that the union does not sufficiently protect sound practitioners from employer exploitation, contributes to the alienation of sound practitioners from their work, and constraints the level of and recognition for creative contributions. These actions are seen as perpetuating the low status of sound practitioners and the sound craft, which weakens the power of the union. SAGE Publications Inc. 2020-09-01 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/61306/1/Motion%20Picture%20Editors%20Guild%20Treatement%20of%20the%20Film%20Sound%20Membership%20Enforcing%20Status%20Quo%20for%20Hollywood%E2%80%99s%20Post-Production%20Sound%20Craft.pdf Andriano-Moore, Stephen (2020) The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft. Labor Studies Journal, 45 (3). pp. 273-295. ISSN 0160-449X motion picture; labor union; film sound; Hollywood; production studies; media industries studies; IATSE; MPEG; film production labor; below-the-line http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0160449X20912337 doi:10.1177/0160449X20912337 doi:10.1177/0160449X20912337 |
| spellingShingle | motion picture; labor union; film sound; Hollywood; production studies; media industries studies; IATSE; MPEG; film production labor; below-the-line Andriano-Moore, Stephen The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft |
| title | The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft |
| title_full | The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft |
| title_fullStr | The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft |
| title_short | The Motion Picture Editors Guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for Hollywood’s post-production sound craft |
| title_sort | motion picture editors guild treatment of the film sound membership: enforcing status quo for hollywood’s post-production sound craft |
| topic | motion picture; labor union; film sound; Hollywood; production studies; media industries studies; IATSE; MPEG; film production labor; below-the-line |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/61306/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/61306/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/61306/ |