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Jeff Wexler

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Everything posted by Jeff Wexler

  1. Thank you, Philip, for pointing this out. I remember the Skyline cart very well -- back at time when there were just a few, if even that, commercially produced sound carts. Audio Services/PSC definitely "borrowed" the design for their cart. The PSC cart only became somewhat of a standard because there were very few choices for sound mixers who wanted to just buy something and not have to worry about designing and building a cart themselves.
  2. Originally, at least in the US, the Recordist was a position established I believe in the early days of Optical Recording and certainly was a position for most of the years of on set Magnetic sound recording on film. The sound crew was almost always 4 persons: a Sound Mixer (also the head of department), Boom Operator, Utility person and the Recordist. The Recordist job was primarily setting up the recording equipment (aided often by the Utility person) and then while shooting,, monitoring the performance of the recorder, keeping the sound logs, and so on. So, the Recordist, in fact, was not "mixing" anything -- that was all done by the Sound Mixer, usually the Sound Mixer had little to do with the operation of the recorder. As for the ongoing discussion of what to call ourselves, I vote for continuing to refer to us as Production Sound Mixers. One very important thing to consider, as has been mentioned in this thread, is the importance of using the title/position that has been established by the Union. Arbitrarily changing it jeopardizes adherence to the contract (both sides) and can cause problems being paid properly. I am well aware of the efforts in the UK to change some of these titles but this is being done in conjunction with Union practices and is being done to try and elevate the various positions and pay scales.
  3. Word of caution to you, the most important sentence in your post is: "I'm really new to this" (as if this were not obvious). You have asked far too many fundamental and generalized question for anybody to really give you any meaningful answers. It is true that this site is open to everyone but generally we do not take well to people who are so inexperienced. It's like a few times people have come onto the site and asked "what's the best microphone for me to buy -- I have $200. Sorry to be a downer on this and maybe some others more generous (and patient) than I am will chime in here with some advice you can use.
  4. I'm fairly sure the whole event will be recorded and most probably available on the CAS website at some point in the future.
  5. The CAS & MPSE are co-producing, The Sounding Board v1.0 on November 20th from 10-2pm PT, a virtual free and open to the public event exploring the practical, technical, and creative aspects of sound for picture. Register Today!!! Link: https://ev3.perigonlive.com/7-evt75568eee9b2c451e9b1755ee736a8635
  6. Jon G said "The only issue I’m finding is that the all digital environment for Lectrosonics seems to be that when you get an rf hit, the result is a dropout in audio" When I first used the Zaxcom Digital wireless (about 20 years ago), this is one of the things I had to get used to. Unlike all of the analog wireless, the digital transmission is for the most part perfect until it is out of range or experiences a serious interference -- then it mutes and you have nothing. Never really turned out to be a problem, just took a bit of getting used to. Now, years later as other companies start to get into all digital wireless, users will have to realize there are quite a lot of differences.
  7. You're probably right -- I may have been referring to the turnout of just Local 695 which I think might have been 98%. Either way, still a remarkable turnout! A few percentage points one way or the other is no big deal --- let's just hope that it helps get the ball rolling again. - from our Local 695: Here are the final numbers from the strike authorization vote this past weekend: Do you authorize the IATSE International President to call a strike against the Producers covered by the Basic Agreement? IATSE Local 695 Yes 98% No 2% Eligible voter turnout 90% All 13 West Coast Studio Locals and 23 Studio Mechanics Locals Yes 98% No 2.0% Eligible voter turnout 90%
  8. Breaking News -- Union vote is in, 98% voter participation (has to be an all time record breaker) and the vote was 98 % in favor of authorizing a strike. Now, let's hope everyone comes back to the negotiations and we can have a new contract that truly protects our workers.
  9. I loved the several times I have worked in France, had a great time getting to know the French crews, watching our US producers trying to get everyone working the "American way" (but most of the French crew just ignored all of this). We did have a lot of fun explaining how we had corrupted the whole idea of a work day having "French hours".
  10. Open Letter on Strike Authorization from Jeff Wexler I grew up in a union household. My father, Haskell Wexler, was a proud member of IATSE Local 600 for 68 years. Pop's commitment to union membership was not just shown in his belief in the common good, but also in his readiness to work for it. Pop devoted himself to many causes but none more vigorously than the 12-On-12-Off campaign he co-founded to bring awareness to the extreme dangers caused by excessive shooting hours. The 12-On-12-Off website makes this simple statement. "As human beings, we believe that every personג€™s health, safety and life is worth more than any filmed product we can produce." Two years before he passed, and after years fighting for it, Pop attended the 2015 IATSE quadrennial convention and participated in the adoption of his "Long Hours Resolution." It says "Therefore be it resolved, that efforts be made to require all signatory companies to recognize fatigue as a health and safety hazard." Enough talk. It's time to act. Six years have gone by and some shows finally have 10-hour turnarounds for some members. But why not everyone on all shows? And why are our members still working 70 and 80 and even 90-hour weeks? And why are crew members still driving home dead tired, weaving left and right, literally wondering if they're going to make it home in one piece? I've been a Local 695 Sound Mixer for 47 years and have made that terrifying drive home all too many times, as I'm sure you have, too. For more insight into these dangers, please see John Lindley's "The Human Face of Unsafe Hours" at https://vimeo.com/220880990 It doesn't have to be this way. If they wanted, we all know they could schedule their way out of thisג€¦ and literally save lives. But they ignored our proposals at the bargaining table and refuse to work with us. They tell us it's all just fineג€¦ but it's not. Even if your particular work experience doesn't put you through outrageously long workdays, don't forget that this hazard poses deadly risk to many thousands of IA members. And this is just one of things that the Strike Authorization Vote is about. The right to have a lunch break, living wages for IA Sisters and Brothers, and the future of your healthcare and pension plan are at stake, too. If Pop were here, you can bet he'd be right out front on this. In all 50 States across the country, the IATSE is unified and prepared to fight like never before. We control film and TV production nationwide, and we have the collective strength to make a change. The time to be heard is now. Give the bargaining committee the power to show Disney and WarnerMedia and Amazon and Netflix and the rest of them that we mean business-- but also, that there is a viable path to a fair and decent contract. Beginning Friday and ending 9 pm Sunday night, EVERY Local 695 member must VOTE! And EVERY MEMBER must VOTE YES! In Solidarity, Jeff Wexler Production Sound Mixer Local 695 Member for 47 Years
  11. The Midas board (and all others similar in the music world) are mass produced items from large companies, expecting to sell thousands of units every year to a very large, diverse market. The Aria is not that sort of product. If Zaxcom sells an Aria to every single person in the world who wants one, it will still be a very small number, limited by our relatively small market overall. Even if they sold an Aria to every Production Sound Mixer in the world it would be a very small number. If the Midas board suits you and the way you want to work, go for it --- you'll save a lot of money. If, however, you want an incredibly well designed unique fader panel to use with your Zaxcom recorder, it is going to cost what it costs.
  12. Good point, Scott, but I think the absence of discussion here is just part of the basic social media overload we have all experienced. There are so many avenues for "discussion" (in quite just because so many of the social media outlets do not really encourage or foster real discussions). For me, long time supporter and Union member (46 years), I feel at the very least we need to okay a Strike Authorization to let the Producers know that we are serious this time. There is so much confusion with the membership, so many people thinking that strike authorization means we will have a strike -- this is not the case and authorization should be used to further demonstrate that we are in power and the producers need to negotiate.
  13. Jeff Wexler

    NAB - 2021

    Just got the word that NAB live event has been cancelled. http://go.nabshow.com/rs/927-ARO-980/images/21LV-CoLocation%20Header.png To Our NAB Show Community: For more than a year we have worked tirelessly to bring our industry together safely in Las Vegas at NAB Show. Unfortunately, the pandemic and surge of the Delta variant has presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges for our global community. As we have always kept the best interest and safety of the industry as our priority, it has become apparent in the face of these challenges that we can no longer effectively host NAB Show or our co-located events, the Radio Show and Sales and Management Television Exchange, in person. NAB Show is the premiere destination for the media and entertainment industry and we will not move forward with a show that delivers anything less than the excellence our community has come to expect and deserves from us. While we are disappointed that we will not be together again in person next month, we look forward to converging at the 2022 NAB Show, April 23-27, 2022, to reignite our passion for our business and focus on a bright future ahead. Stay tuned for details regarding virtual options for accessing select 2021 NAB Show content through NAB Amplify.
  14. So few videos feature Charlie drumming -- this one from Tokyo concert in 1990 has a several really good shots of Charlie Watts.
  15. Drummer Charlie Watts, whose adept, powerful skin work propelled the Rolling Stones for more than half a century, died in London on Tuesday morning, according to his spokesperson. No cause of death was cited; he was 80. A statement from the band and Watts’ spokesperson reads: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family. “Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also a member of the Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation.
  16. Thank you Mathew for posting here -- I wasn't sure you had any time to spend on these forums. I was pretty sure I got it right about the work on that show, I had forgotten that you were an Audio, Ltd. wireless user (the 2000 which is what I used for years until it could no longer function because of lack of frequency agility), and that the Deva II came into play at the end of the show. Stellar work on the Sopranos, always love to hear others talk about what sound recording was like before the digital multitrack wire everybody iso type work became the norm (where the boom was really the primary method) -- these days the boom is lucky enough to record the slate! I have done talks and shown clips from movies I have done and so many really found it hard to believe that a scene they just watched was boomed. In all fairness, production procedures have changed so much -- back in my day for the bulk of my career, it was always one camera, lots of rehearsals, there was discipline on the set (the least of which dictated by the cost of film raw stock!).
  17. Maybe Mathew might chime in here, but I'm sure the gear was very traditional (as were all productions) and it needs to be said, again, that until the digital era got under way almost all productions used the same gear and the same traditional procedures. I would like to know how you reached your conclusion that Sopranos had a lot of ADR -- I certainly did not feel this was the case when I watched the series, first run, many years ago. If you came to your conclusions because there appeared to be lip sync issues, this may very well be a factor of the specific broadcast you were watching (or, if you were viewing off DVD, possibly some bad DVDs). As far as I know, the Sopranos in general did not have a lot of ADR. As for being "recorded with boom only", many, many TV shows and movies were done with primarily boom and wireless only when absolutely necessary, and the majority of those shows sounded great and had little or no ADR.
  18. From my experience, filtering the music track is not the best way to go -- even if you have steep enough filters, what you are left with is often complex low frequency notes (in a song) that may not actually represent the beat effectively. Establishing the BPM (beats per minute) of a given piece of music, even if you do this "manually" by just listening to the music, then dial this into an oscillator to produce a low frequency thump for the dancers to feel. Ideally you should use a click track (often available since it was probably used when the tracks were recorded) and let that click generate the thump. Understand that this thump may not be able to be completly removed in post (and there may be other sounds generated in the room by the energy of the thump) but it usually is not a problem when the music is put back in and masks the thump.
  19. I am wiling to agree with you about the price (though many have expressed that it is properly priced considering the features, functions and build quality) but I cannot agree with you about the size. Have you actually picked one up and tried it yourself? It is quite compact and slim, can easily be put in the front pouch of a bag. I personally would not want it to be any smaller. Comparing it to Oasis doesn't make any sense (particularly if you're concerned about size --- Oasis is just about a full sized mixing console). Also, I may be wrong on this, but can't Oasis work with Nova?
  20. I hope to be able to make it to this "live" event -- been a long time since I've been out and about, lots of people to see. It would be great if you're in town, love to see you.
  21. Colleen with Zaxcom has posted this announcement: "Hello LA friends! Come join us next Saturday - July 17th - at Audio Department. Myself, Glenn Sanders, gear, tacos, margaritas, and *maybe* something new" Eventbrite LINK to Register
  22. “…I don’t care if you’ve got ninety tracks, what does it sound like baby?” - Ray Charles
  23. Fair enough. Please don't take an offense to my comments, I was just trying to sort out some of the reasons why lots of people seem to not want to do the investigation, research, etc., to discover what there is available for us.
  24. If you are itching to buy something new so that you have some functions and features you do not have with your present wireless, why not buy something from one of the other manufacturers? If the most important thing is transmit and record at the same time, buy Zaxcom. If real remote control is your priority, go with Zaxcom or Shure. If slot-in form factor is most important, you have choices, though Wisycom is still analog. Is it just brand loyalty that keeps you from purchasing from some other company? I understand that people that already have a large stake in one manufacturer do not have the financial resources to start buying new stuff, but you are suggesting that you would jump at the chance to buy something new from Lectrosonics if it just had some of the features and functions which other company's wireless already have.
  25. Well, it's "fixed" I guess but this last major update to the forum IPB changed the whole RANK system introducing new badges like the one associated with you now: "Mentor". These are based on the number posts, not the best metric to assign things like "Mentor", "Intern", "Veteran", etc. I am inclined to drop the displaying of Rank altogether.
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