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Izen Ears

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Everything posted by Izen Ears

  1. David, Richard, Lawrence I respect the shit out of you guys. But things change and you can't stop it by blaming producers and governments, and I can't stop it by moving to Los Angeles and being out of work. Here's a (slight stretch of) an analogy: Cars used to be cheaper to manufacture here in the USA, but as soon as it became cheaper to import, boom! no more Detroit. A little while later the monstrous GM plant in Atlanta closed. Yes it's a different scene we're talking about embargoes being lifted and no tax dollar incentives to (that I know about), but it's the same story. You're feeling just like the Detroit workers did, like everyone else in the world doesn't know how to make cars as good as them. Obviously they were tragically wrong. Everyone who invests in *anything* is taking a risk! I'd be a fool to expect things to magically work out just because I invested my time and money into my dream job. Of course I have to move to where the work is; location is part of the career choice. If I wanted to be an underwater welder I wouldn't move to Arizona to start my career. If I were someone who invested in propmaking medieval weapons or costumes, I would be forced to accept the risk that my career choice may be too specialized to make my living, or that I might have to travel to work. Many awesome jobs are lost to the mists of time due to cheaper (and often more effective) alternatives. For example, did you have to hire a cobbler to make your shoes, or a tailor to make your suits? There was a time before Sears when ALL clothes and shoes were made to fit individual people, but how often to you hear tailors and cobblers complaining about Target and Foot Locker? I agree it's a shame but I liken it to the fact that there are animals that have become extinct in our lifetimes, animals that we have pictures of. Standards change everywhere, and it's happening right in front of your face and you can't stop it. We all know if you're good enough people will still pay for you to travel and then work for them. There are five "major motion pictures" shooting in New Orleans and guess what? Only ONE mixer is a Louisiana local, the rest are your 695 pals from LA. (Actually one's from Virginia but I bet he's 695.) You're stating production centers have no business not being LA or NYC (or Chicago) - bunk dude! Why? Because you live there? Because the industry started there? Those are non-reason reasons. I'm sorry I just think it's silly to blame states when it's producers, YOUR BOSSES who are really responsible for Los Angeles and New York not being the ONLY place features shoot anymore. Get used to it, everything's going global! Dan Izen
  2. Here's something, not a fix but something! It only works if you are sending out a link to IMDB not if someone just goes there and searches for your name. Next to the golden "filmography" letters if you change your "show by" option to "year" it looks almost just like the old school way without those "known by" movies. Too bad you can't somehow "set your preferences" to automatically have this look if someone searches your name. Dan Izen
  3. Jeff Bridges is one of the best damn people and actors I've ever worked with, we did a Tier-2 a few years ago and he was a main character. He used that camera, in fact he took a few with me and Betsy my boom in it! I've heard his books are great but never seen them. That camera was the coolest! See, and he can get away with it because he's Jeff Bridges. He took set pictures without asking permission, in fact it was the opposite - people kept wanting him to take more so we could check out that cool camera. Me? If I had that camera and walked around like he did, I'd get it taken from me. Dan Izen
  4. Because my brand new fancy pants hoity toity Mac Book Pro did not come with this interface. Doh! I'm sure it's really great.
  5. Wyatt you are correct and calling this new connector Thunderbolt is as ridiculous as Firewire... I'm SO glad I just bought a new Mac Book Pro just in time to miss getting this connector. Then again it will probably take another 5 - 7 years before hard drives come with this interface just like the firewire. I don't need a locking connector for something that I'm not going to leave connected long term. Dan Izen
  6. Ah, I was thinking you might be doing some kind of supercool radio theater. You know like "X-1" or "Dimension X" or "Escape" or "The Whislter" or "Radio Mystery Theater" or "The Bickersons" or "George & Gracie." Oh well one can hope, personally I would love to see some sort of radio theater but I bet it makes zero dollars and will remain only a treasure trove from the 20s - 40s... Dan
  7. I wonder if a warm water rinse would help? I've heard that hot water sets stains so mebbe boiling them would make the dye un-runny? Someone should do that test and let me know. I keep my black ones separate from the white ones by happenstance, but that is a great call Senor Sharman about the wet costumes! Dan Izen
  8. This is a weird thread; I like it but it feels masturbatory to me. (Sorry for the image.) In this spirit I'm about to start season 2 of TNT's Memphis Beat which goes until the end of July. The wonderful and talented Betsy Lindell and Rene DeFranchesch are the two boom operators, both sharing the duties of utility whilst I sit on my ass. Yow! Dan Izen
  9. The esteemed Paul Ledford is mixing ALVH here in NOLA, looks like a very cool show! I saw some of the costumes and they're going for broke. Dan Izen
  10. Without the LA (state) incentive I would not be able to live in New Orleans and mix movies right now. (For those of you who don't know it NOLA is the coolest European city in the US.) Nope, I'd have to move back to New York or Los Angeles and start all over again. Which may happen anyway but for now I'm loving it. I just saw the Krewe Du Vieux (a somewhat lewd) parade on Royal Street on Saturday, and I rode my bike. I think people who are down on the film incentives for the sole reason that they lose tax money are barking up the wrong tree. News flash - the real tax money wasters happen as a result of government and corporate oversight. One Enron would pay for all tax incentives in all states for years, maybe forever! One properly built levy system would have saved 3.5 BILLION tax dollars. How many movies could you shoot for 3.5 billion? "Tax dollars wasted" is a convenient semi-verified fact that serves as a platform for people who want to keep the movies in their cities. Nothing wrong with that, but let's not be confused. Dan Izen
  11. I'm sorry I have nothing to add to this thread, except to say that I worked with this camera the other day and it was hilarious watching the camera dudes run around like fire ants getting surprised. They had a 5-pin -to- 2xXLR cable and they set my tone at -20 and it worked! Dan Izen
  12. Pablo - painfully, so painfully can I relate to your clicking crap at a short distance with the Lectros, but it's weird that the signal strength ain't flickering for you. I like your theory of static electricity, in fact I hear clicks of that at home with no recording kit! Maybe you can request that all talent gets their wardrobe dried with double the standard amount of fabric softener sheets? I sprung for a fancy mount that I can attach a single sharkfin to the bag, but it is super awkward to walk around with, but if you can be set up for a little while (and only need to improve a single rx!) somewhere it can totally improve this kind of RFI. (Of course if you wanted to reach multiple talent with a single sharkfin you'd have to deal with an RF splitter and dB loss and it wouldn't be worth it.) So last week I was 2nd-uniting and I didn't bring the main cart. (Setup = Bag with Deva + 5x 411as, 3x SMQVas, 2x SMas.) I did bring the helicals & sharkfins though, and threw all four on a stand. When I had issues I swapped a whip for one of these and it worked out great. A few hours in I found something weird (or maybe considering some recent antenna threads not so weird): I had a 411a with a whip on one BNC, and a helical on the other BNC - and I got clicks and hits. When I removed the whip antenna the hits went away don't you just know it? With just one side connected to a helical, I got better reception than connecting the empty side to its whip. Weird RF shit man... Best of luck solving your problem! I think switching blocks is your only sure fire way out! Dan Izen
  13. Ah, I guess the moral is "be thankful for hacks." Way to go for saying no! Dan Izen
  14. Not sure why that last video was posted but whatever. To RVD: I agree with you that renting is a fantastic way to try out different gear, what I'm saying is once someone is sure that sound is what they want to do and have decided what gear they like best, one should purchase. In 5 years, if you rent everything, you have no gear and none of that rental income! (Okay maybe 20% instead of 100%.) But no toys! And no tax deductions! I also agree with Sharman's comments completely. Dan Izen
  15. If you're serious about a production sound career, buy your own kit, and don't get crappy stuff. If you're not sure what you're going to be doing in 5 years, go ahead and rent. But then again if you purchase a good sound kit in 5 years you could sell it and probably get at least half back, versus the whole "throwing your money away on rent" thing. Dan Izen
  16. !!!!!!!!!!NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!! Honesty prevailed for once. The driver went down the street to the same number address different block, and the residents were honest and gave him back the Zaxcom box which was just now brought to me. So I got it Monday instead of Friday. The box was opened but none of the internal bags were opened so everything is fine. Sorry for the drama fellow listers but hey my plan worked, the "make a big deal out of something and it will work itself out" plan! Thanks for the stories too they made me feel better. As far as that whole "Think about how many thousands of overnight parcels get delivered" business yeah so what? There's shitloads of amazing things companies do in this Age of Exponential Technolgy Advancement, and they all should be held accountable if they mess up! Despite this turning out ok I still will use, and recommend Fedex since their default is "signature required!" Dan Izen
  17. Hmm, Robert that's an interesting thought. I guess I could have added the Deva 16 to my Heffernan policy before it arrived, in order to cover it's initial journey. My plan was the moment it arrived at my house I'd add it! It's Sunday and I've heard nothing about this box being found. My guess is some sleazebag here in New Orleans saw the insurance on the ticket and just took it. (I don't see how it could not have been the driver since he's the one that reports it delivered.) Unless of course, there was no insurance. Had I been asked of course I would have gotten the full insurance, but in fact I wasn't asked what carrier, if a signature should be required, or how much insurance to get. Dan Izen
  18. Ha! That is amazing pverrando! Honestly in 120+ boxes I've had Fedex-ed NONE have had dents, yet with 20+ boxes UPS-ed all but a couple arrived un-dented. So this morning Zax called UPS and initiated an investigation, the first step of which was to call me and ask if I had received the package yet. Nope. UPS also stated that there was no signature required. I cannot imagine why they would have that since it is inconceivable that Zax woulda sent a Deva 16 no sig req'ed. There's no way. They told me 8 days to try and find the package, now I'm going to have to figure out what to do on my JOB that starts on Tuesday, not in 8 days. UPS messed up big and I hope they pay big! Shocking what dfisk says about Fedex, but that was years ago. Maybe they used to be like UPS but they've cleaned up their act? It feels good to rant thanks JWsound! Dan Izen
  19. No didn't get the package sorry I was unclear - I meant the driver left the box at SOME door, not mine... Wow Mr. Sanders I am impressed at your quick response here! Wave of the future I guess. I was just ranting and expecting no more than perhaps some similar stories, not a direct response that helps me! (You'll be getting a call from PSS Monday.) See Senator, sometimes this board is quicker than CTM, since the "M" was closed for the weekend! Yeah let's hope they can find it. I for one find it *very* odd that the driver can't remember where he dropped the box. I looked at my phone and my call to UPS was exactly 20 minutes after the box was reported delivered. Very suspicious. Dan Izen
  20. I just purchased a new Deva 16, paid cash outta my account. (Nothing wrong with my 5.8 I just wanted two.) Zaxcom sent it UPS. As soon as I learned this I had a bad feeling in my stomach. In the past it's been a miracle if a UPS box arrives un-dented, they NEVER require a signature when it's supposed to be required, and they always come really late in the day. They lost my new Deva 16. And they listed it as delivered at 4:10pm today! I wasted the whole day waiting around and checking the online UPS shipment tracker, then at 4:25pm I check and suddenly it's listed as delivered. But I was home the whole day in the front room right next to the door: no one knocked, no one came onto my porch, no big truck pulled up except the Fedex truck that came at noon. I called UPS and they said they'd start an immediate investigation and call me before an hour was up. After an hour they failed to call me, so I call back and they said they spoke to the driver and he didn't remember where he left the Zaxcom box. Even though when I first called was a HALF HOUR from when his delivery is listed, he can't remember where it was. Then they inform me a detailed investigation can only be instigated by the shipper, Zaxcom, who closed 10 minutes earlier. It's Friday. I'm working all week next week how am I going to be home to get a delivery? By the way no one mentioned that the driver left the box at the door despite the box requiring a signature. Never had a single issue with Fedex ever, except once where there was a storm in Chicago and that delayed my box a day. Have a great weekend y'all I know I will. Dan Izen
  21. One thing that has always stood out to me about sound people, is that we try to help each other. When I meet another cool sound recordist I pass them jobs, I tell other clients how great they are, and it comes back to me when I get a ref from them. I daresay I would not be where I am if other sound people didn't pass my name along. Unlike say the vanities, sound folks are all bonded by the fact that we're the only people who care about sound on a set! (Okay maybe a director or editor here or there cares also.) I happily use both Remote Audio and PSC products and I haven't had either fail! I would think this conversation could be more civilized like Ron's response was, without "ripped off" or "stole" being used, but I don't want this to become private! I enjoy seeing people's passions in text. Dan Izen
  22. As terrifying as the implications are, it would be awesome to have to go back to 100% hard line boom sound!!! Dan Izen
  23. Ok so forget the anecdotes just numbers on how long (if ever) it took to get paid. That's not slanderous right? The RFI sounds great also, really really great. I would not host it. Dan Izen
  24. There is something about this shot that I keep coming back to for some reason. In T2 when Eddie Furlong is riding his bike right before getting chased by Arnold in a semi. He's just riding in a ditch with the camera leading him, close enough that you can see his expression. No dialog. It's weird I know but I was 19, just becoming a young man when I saw this in the theater and somehow that shot made me think about becoming an adult, being independent, riding a bike into freedom. In the movie the kid wants to run away from home. I didn't want to do that I just didn't want to have to grow up! Luckily I've avoided that so far. About 2 years ago I watched the movie again and again that shot stood out to me, and also the cool dolly zoom when he sees Arnold in the semi crash through the barrier of the overpass right at him. Dan Izen
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