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Zaxcom recording wireless


Jeff Wexler

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For those of you who do not take a look at r.a.m.p.s., here is another amazing account of Billy Sarokin's use of the recording wireless.

quoted from Billy Sarokin:

"The other day was unusual, even for the kind of work I do.  I ended up

using the Zaxcom recording radios in 3 different ways for 3 different

reasons.

We were at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.  It was New York's

original airport that became a military air base in the 1930's and

played a crucial role in World War 2.  It was abandoned in the early

60's and is now part of Gateway National Park.  We were using a

section of one of the taxi-ways to create a cold war border crossing.

The entire set probably stretched about 500' including active military

vehicles and guard posts on each end and the long razor wire

surrounded 'no man's land'.  Of course many takes ran the entire

length of the set.  My sound cart was about 100' past the end of the

set (since no one was ever sure where the set or the shot actually

ended!).

I had 3 speaking characters and a wireless boom.  I did tests before

we shot and radio range seemed to hold.  And for the first setups in

one direction everything worked fine.  I only got a few minor rf

dropouts at the very end of the take.

BUT, when we reversed direction everything fell apart.  The actors

were now inline with the very distant Empire State Building (and all

of NY's tv transmitters).  My range dropped from 600' to 200'.  My

options were to either go with it and use the recording cards or re-

rig and build a handheld rig and walk with the actors.  Since the rest

of my gear was at base camp and already pre-rigged on an insert car

for the next scene, it would have taken 20-30 minutes.  I decided on

using the cards.  Fortunately, after 2 very wide shots we went into

closeups where the boom (a Schoeps CMIT) worked very nicely.  It was

wireless too, but I had my third hold the transmitter away from the

boom guys body and that gave me enough range to cover the scene.  In

the end, we only did 2 takes where I had to use the cards.  I copied

them that evening (on the clock) and sent them directly to post using

yousendit.com

Next we were on an insert car towing the actors around.  That was all

going smoothly, but then they decided to have the B camera

simultaneously shoot drive-bys with the 2nd hero car.  Since my boom

guy (George Leong) was in standby mode while I was on the insert car,

I sent him out to the B camera to cover the drive-bys.  He used his

Zax 992 transmitter.  I jammed it with time code and let him record to

his SD card.  He got a bump to mixer rate and he kept track of the

timecode on the slate so it was an easy job to dub it to dvd that

evening.

Finally they called wrap.  But wait, I said three instances and there

were only two.  About 5 minutes into the 'wrap' the sun came out (did

I mention it was raining the entire day) and the director wanted to

get one more shot with one of the actors freewheeling.  They were

ready to go instantly and I would have needed 10 minutes to re-rig

from the insert car to freewheeling mode, so they called the shot

'MOS' and off they went. I was able to tell the assistant as they

drove off to slate it as if it were a sync shot.  When they got back I

pulled the actors transmitter, did a quick playback check of the SD

card and that night burned wav files and sent them to post.  btw, I

added 2 hours to my time card for the extra work.

It's getting complicated out there folks.

Billy Sarokin"

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Thanks for the re-post, Jeff.

Once again, we see Billy Sarokin pushing the envelope. Every time I read one of Billy's "I pulled the SD card and..." -- I think about purchasing a few of the Zaxcom wireless. Maybe soon if I can be fortunate enough to continue working?

I'm more amazed that he has been able to negotiate the additional time on the clock to do his conversions of the SD card files to wav files and send them on to post. I also begin to worry that this technology could mean we never get a chance to relax and unwind after a long pressured day!

But I guess that's the price, or in this case the "reward" of progress.

Regards,

RL

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I'm more amazed that he has been able to negotiate the additional time on the clock to do his conversions of the SD card files to wav files and send them on to post. I also begin to worry that this technology could mean we never get a chance to relax and unwind after a long pressured day!

Regards,

RL

I worry a lot about those aspects of a lot of the new technology. Once we demonstrate that we CAN do something, the production seems to just expect it! If we do this additional work it is of course best to be paid for it, but it does ultimately extend our hours, particularly on those jobs where the basic hours are already horrendous. We all now need more hours, and of course more money, but it does conjure up that oft quoted maxim: "Never confuse making a living with having a life." I think we know where that puts most of us for much of our working careers.

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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Hey Jeff, thanks for the re post, I may have missed it otherwise, and I do enjoy peering into Billy's world. You and RL both make good points. Almost seems to call out for another sound crew member who wangles all media from the days shoot. Thats right, Sound n Camera data. That time is all but here. Happy Mothers Day.

CrewC

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From Billy Sarokin

BUT, when we reversed direction everything fell apart.  The actors

were now inline with the very distant Empire State Building (and all

of NY's tv transmitters).  My range dropped from 600' to 200'.

Is this not just a question of swapping the actors transmitters from back to front, (or vice versa depending on the shot), so they remain in sight of the receiver aerials!?

Fortunately, after 2 very wide shots we went into

closeups where the boom (a Schoeps CMIT) worked very nicely.  It was

wireless too, but I had my third hold the transmitter away from the

boom guys body and that gave me enough range to cover the scene.

If you mount the transmitter for the boom on the pistol grip of the gag, just by the fact it is going to be high in the air means you will get far better range than keeping it in the boom-swingers pocket.

It's getting complicated out there folks.

Billy Sarokin"

I tend to agree, but sometimes it doesn't have to be.

Dudley Houlden

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From Billy Sarokin

Is this not just a question of swapping the actors transmitters from back to front, (or vice versa depending on the shot), so they remain in sight of the receiver aerials!?

If you mount the transmitter for the boom on the pistol grip of the gag, just by the fact it is going to be high in the air means you will get far better range than keeping it in the boom-swingers pocket.

I tend to agree, but sometimes it doesn't have to be.

Dudley Houlden

I understand your feelings here and have to find other ways to do this sort of thing since we don't have this gear available to us.  But Billy's methods DO show a new way of handling situations that we've all encountered in the past with rather less perspiration for the soundies and less delay for the production.  I too mused about production coming to assume that this kind of recording was not only possible but standard operating procedure for us all, and then realized that they think that ALREADY, if they think about it at all. I mean, they just assume things will work out somehow, and they usually do.  I just want to be sure that the costs of this method (equipment and time) are covered somehow, and that may be tough, especially if they haven't specifically asked for it (haven't contacted the mixer ahead of time so there is the opportunity to bring up extra rental and burn time).  On much of what I do, if I had been informed ahead of time that that's what was planned, and proposed extra rentals etc to do what Billy did, the production would turn down the rental $ request and either tell me to do the shot with what I had and they'd fix it in post, or they'd change the shot.

Philip Perkins

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I too mused about production coming to assume that this kind of recording was not only possible but standard operating procedure for us all, and then realized that they think that ALREADY, if they think about it at all. I mean, they just assume things will work out somehow, and they usually do. 

I have a consistent experience with new equipment. Whenever I purchase something that potentially enhances my ability to get a successful recording in challenging circumstances, I'll confidently pull it out of the kit at the proper moment and say something like, "I think I can get this with my double polarity MixMaster." I proceed to make a successful recording and find that the director treats the entire experience as a given. No pat on the back, no "attaboy," it was just assumed that I would have a double polarity MixMaster in my kit.

David Waelder

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I have a consistent experience with new equipment. Whenever I purchase something that potentially enhances my ability to get a successful recording in challenging circumstances, I'll confidently pull it out of the kit at the proper moment and say something like, "I think I can get this with my double polarity MixMaster." I proceed to make a successful recording and find that the director treats the entire experience as a given. No pat on the back, no "attaboy," it was just assumed that I would have a double polarity MixMaster in my kit.

David Waelder

My old friend and musical partner Scott Fraser's "day job" is that he is the "soundie in residence" for the Kronos Quartet.  To say that recording them and mixing their live shows is a challenge would be a serious understatement, and they have hundreds of highly complex pieces, often involving two laptops, a brace of footpedals under the board, many channels, out board gear, guest artists and sometimes choirs and highly interactive systems involving live video all being operated by him.  On top of this, when on tour (different show every night, every venue) they will decide that on some afternoon before a gig that they'd like to do a complex multitrack recording on location with someone they've been working with, with overdubs, monitoring, editing on the fly, mixing etc with less that 12 hrs notice sometimes, in a city that Scott might not have ever worked in before.  He, of course, pulls it off with panache, and then "downloads" to me his frustrations and tribulations over it.  My response: it never occurred to them that you wouldn't be able to pull this off.  This is also my message to Billy S, and the rest of us--they just assume it will all work.  Ignorance is bliss.

Philip Perkins

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In the case of Billy's MOS car and "splinter" unit situation, I would probably have made a DVD of the files the next day and dealt with a couple of shots without sound for dailies.  I expect nobody would have minded, especially with the added bonus of actually having sound for shots they would have expected not to have.  It's important to get plenty of rest.

I don't think anyone answered Dudley's question about the aerials (antennae, for those over here).  Billy was saying that when the camera turned around for coverage, and Billy moved to the other end of the set, he found that his sharkfins were now pointing at Manhattan.  With high gain directional antennae now pointing at a source of powerful RF, his radio mics were overpowered by that RF once they went more than 200ft.  Moving the packs to the side of the actor nearest you will help for range in general, but would likely not have improved much here.

Robert

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BTW, where's Billy?

Is Billy Sarokin a JWsound member?

Billy pretty much sticks to RAMPS with his postings. I think he does that so he can keep antagonizing "Roberto" a mixer from Holland who gets bent out of shape any time Billy or anyone else mentions Zaxcom. It's been going on for years on RAMPS, first with John Coffey when the Deva came out and now with Billy. It seems that "R" feels that any positive mention about Zaxcom is a sales pitch and free advertising. Obviously "R" has issues.

Eric

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Apologies for my late reply, but I was not criticising Billy for him throwing new technology at a problem, I was merely highlighting the fact that sometimes a simpler solution is at hand rather than getting out another piece of kit which as you are so rightly discussing now, it is almost expected by many productions that you should have all this extra equipment, without any further expense to them. And then of course was the additional time factor involved in processing the material for submission to the production. Again, I assume, no recompense to Billy for the overtime involved.

Regarding the range issue with the actors on the reverse shot, I'll obviously retract my simple suggestion as being naive in the light of local knowledge of the strength of the radiating Manhattan skyline!

Dudley Houlden

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the "heavy hitters" of Production Sound Mixing, the ones doing the big shows, have extensive "packages", they tend to get paid premium rentals, and thus usually are somewhat expected to have a lot of these new, and neat-o toys available...

IIRC, Billy indicated he remained "on the clock"

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