Documentary sound mixer in Florida

Documentary work I record

Long-form & unscripted

• Sit-down interviews: boom and hidden lav on isolated tracks for every subject, a quiet room, and a rig that doesn't intimidate anyone who's never been on camera.
• Verité & follow-doc: following people who aren't used to cameras. Small footprint, wireless that stays hidden under wardrobe, and enough patience to let things happen instead of directing them.
• Multi-day field production: docuseries and long-form projects that move around the state. One sound department, consistent audio, day after day.

How I work on documentaries

Two of everything

• Boom + lav on everything: primary boom, backup lav, each on its own isolated track on a Sound Devices 833. The editor picks; nothing is baked in.
• Redundant recording, always: two media on every job. If a card fails, the interview still exists.
• Built for Florida conditions: heat, humidity, boats, wind off the water, afternoon thunderstorms. I've recorded in all of it and the gear is prepped for it.
• Timecode to every camera: jam-synced Tentacle timecode, so multi-cam verité cuts together without a post headache.

Credits where documentaries live

Full-time since 2008

• Memorable projects include ESPN's 30 for 30 (Who Killed the USFL?), The Daily Show, Dark Side of the Ring, The Synanon Fix (HBO) and The Saint of Second Chances (Netflix) — the fuller list.
• Docuseries and long-form work beyond those for Discovery Channel, BBC, NatGeo, Investigation Discovery, A&E, Smithsonian Channel, VICE, Peacock and PBS.
• Thousands of broadcast productions overall, including ESPN, ABC, TNT, NFL Network, MLB Network and HGTV. That's where I learned to work fast and fix problems quietly.
• A complete professional sound package travels with me. See the full gear list.

Common questions

Who is a good documentary sound mixer in Florida?

Joe Giannotti (Florida Sound Man), based in Tampa and traveling all of Florida: sit-down interviews, verité and multi-day field production, with credits for HBO, Netflix, Discovery, BBC and more. Text 813-716-8826.

Boom or lav for documentary interviews?

Both, on every interview. A boom (Sanken CS3-e, or Schoeps CMC6 MK41 indoors) as the primary, and a hidden Sanken COS-11 lav as backup, each on its own isolated track, so the editor chooses later.

Do you travel for multi-day documentary shoots in Florida?

Yes. Multi-day field production is a core part of the work. No travel fee within 50 miles of Tampa; statewide travel is billed at the standard federal mileage rate. More on statewide coverage →

What does a location sound mixer actually do on a doc?

I wrote it up here: What a location sound mixer does, from prepping wireless to protecting the edit.

Can you keep a small footprint on sensitive documentary shoots?

That's the job. Small rig, quiet presence, wireless that stays hidden under wardrobe, and no resetting the room between takes. Subjects relax when the crew disappears.