Last Rites Films

[glow=green,2,300]We need it! I know this is a lot to ask but In Our Hands Productions is seeking a sponsor... [/glow] Well titled production company, if you ask me. As in, "Take your hard earned money, and put it [glow=green,2,300]In Our Hands...[/glow]" It costs at least $25 to post an ad in Craigslist, but they ask for things for free. And yet they wonder why we get so P.O.'d about it?

Hey Folks, I just read that KC's Big Screen TV is going under; the latest recession casualty. What a shame. It was a family run business, and they treated me great when I bought my first HDTV. Anyhoo, they are seriously liquidating, and some good audio and video gear can be had much cheaper than usual. LINK: http://www.kencranesbigscreentvs.com/

Hey Jeff, First off, thanks for all of your hard work keeping JW Sound up and running. It is simply the best resource for the sound community EVER. I recently watched one of my old favorites, Strange Days, and I saw that you were the mixer on it. Knowing much more about sound now then when I first saw it (when I was 13), it seems like this must have been an extraordinarily difficult job. I was wondering if you could share some stories about some of the unique problems you must have had and what your solutions were. Specifically, I was wondering how you were able to get clean sound on some the POV sequences. Thanks!

There's been a lot of discussion about the price of PT and if Digi is gouging their customers. Recently, I build a 002 LE system in my apartment, and I have to admit I didn't like having to purchase a lot of the plug-ins and a dongle separately. All in all, Digi got about four grand of my money (would have been five without education discount). Had it been an HD sytem, it would have easily been $10,000 more. Expensive? No question. But let's rewind the clock a bit. Correct me if I get something wrong, but didn't we used to have to do post-sound mixes with giant tape machines? How much did those things cost? I'm guessing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Digi has made it possible for me to do a complete post sound mix in my apartment, and four grand seems like a fair price to me. Again, that's just my opinion. Now is what they're doing with the hardware a monopoly? Possibly. But it's no different than what Apple or countless other manufacturers do (like when there's a socket that fits a cord that only THEY make). It's a pain in the ass and a strain on the wallet, but it's just the way it is. But to the larger issue: please don't pirate. What you do makes a difference. In these times when no one seems to be playing by the rules, it is more important than ever to lead by example. If you've done it before, get off the wrong path and back on the right one. Besides, legitimate copies come with tech support, warranty, updates, and are free of malicious spyware. Whatever you save from a cracked version isn't going to be worth it when it fries your computer. I welcome your feedback.

Happy New Year folks! I'm sure many of you have heard about the FOX/TimeWarner dispute. FOX wants $1 per subscriber, and TWC is refusing to pay, citing increased cost to its customers. Personally, I do not see how it's fair to ask for that kind of share. I didn't have cable growing up, and the only channels we got were 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, and U (this was in Chicago, by the way). But the understanding was, it's FREE, paid for by advertisers dollars. FOX has claimed, according to the AP, that they must ask for a higher share to make up for lost advertising revenue. How is this the customers fault or problem? And why should TW cable subscribers have to pay these costs exclusively? DirecTV, DISH, and others will not incur this cost and will not lose FOX or its specialty networks. Does FOX have any ammo here? It's my understanding that TW Customers can still get the flagship network by using rabbit ears w/ digital converters. Also, big shows like American Idol, The Simpsons, and 24 can be watched online. It is unclear who would lose more. Cable subscribers could switch to another carrier, and FOX could immediately lose up to 6 million viewers. If the problem is advertising revenue, does it make any sense to risk 6 million viewers? Isn't that tripping over dollars to save dimes? Your thoughts, please!

Hey folks, I'm not a union member, but this has turned in to quite a post, so I hope no one minds me chiming in. I would like to bring up another reason not to work so long that the great director Edward Dmytryk mentioned. He said that he never allowed the work day to go over eight hours because the actors get tired. If that happens, and you keep shooting, then the picture suffers. Shouldn't that apply to the crew as well? Eight hours of work is plenty, and it's what most of America (hopefully) still does. Ten is too much; and twelve is wrong. I often work 12 hour days, and what we get in the can in the last four hours is rarely as good as what we got in the first eight. I don't expect a producer to give a damn about my mental or physical health, but why isn't this reason being recognized? Furthermore, there's always an hour added to the end of the day to wrap, unless it's a hot set. So an eight hour day is really nine, twelve is really thirteen, and so on. And more often that not, I've seen wrap time cut into the turnaround period, and we still have the drive to deal with. Before I ask for the rules to be changed, it would be nice to see the current ones enforced, as in, turnaround starts when you dismiss me from set AFTER everything's wrapped, not when you yell, "cut" on the last take. Last time I checked, wrapping up everything is still work. Any thoughts on this?

I was recently on a shoot where the D.P. was given free reign. I mean he basically became the director. On one particular shot, he used mercury vapor lights to make this green glow, and when the talent had to speak near them, it sounded like someone shaving into a microphone. I couldn't even get good guide track. I asked if this could be changed (like simply gelling a few lights), and I'm assuming you can guess what their answer was. I brought the director over to listen to the sound and told him, "this is what your audio is going to sound like. If it's cool with you, it's cool with me. It doesn't change the number of zero's on my paycheck." He decided to go with the D.P., citing the now infamous, "we'll fix it in post" line. Sometimes I think that's all you can do: bring it to the decision-maker's attention, and have them make the call. I agree with Studio M: Attitude is everything. Take the B.S. in stride and keep on truckin'.

As a former member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Chicago), I'm really surprised he didn't hire union crew. Especially given a project about the ills of capitalism, and how big business "union-busters" are hurting the American economy. Teamsters were devastated by the closing of GM plants in his native Michigan, a subject he covered in the 80's in ROGER & ME. So of all people, I wouldn't expect this from him. Talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words. If Mr. Moore is serious about real change, then he should lead by example. In response to other posts about his filmmaking methods: love him or hate him, you have to admit he knows how to pick 'em.

Hey again, Thanks for the posts so far. A few comments: The crew was actually not bad. They admitted their ignorance up front, and for once didn't give me that, "I just want to direct/sound isn't important attitude." When I had a problem, they made as many concessions as possible, including changing a moving car shot to a stationary one so I could get clean dialogue. They were VERY concerned about getting good audio. But I agree, this is a first. Every other film shoot, this has NOT been the case. I think Richard made some good points: This is a big problem. I work at a film school, and it seems that very few students come into school with the attitude that they are there to start a career. Most think they will catapult to the top. I think there needs to be a new direction in film school that trains crew to be crew, and a good one. The best crew I have worked with from film school were the ones who dropped out! Agreed. Although I have noticed that post-sound classes do fill. I think this fuels the "we'll fix it in post" attitude. Sure, you can fix it in post, but many students don't realize that it's very expensive to do that. And when the time comes to actually fix it in post, a lot of students don't bother to either because they can't afford to, don't know how, or don't have the follow through. More often than not, they release it with the flawed sound, and that's when they have that "come to Jesus" moment you speak of, yes? Easy, sir! I said I brought my own package, I didn't say I gave it to them for free. No, they paid for my day rate and then they paid for my equipment. And I made sure it was a fully insured production with myself named as the loss payee and additional insured. I didn't touch their crappy equipment. Please, I've learned something from jwsound.com!

Hey Folks, I recently completed a shoot for the New York Film Academy. They had a lot of bells and whistles in the camera department, but when they handed me the sound package I was pretty disappointed. The kit had some G2 wireless, a really old 2 channel mixer, a Fostex FR LE, and an Audio Technica mic (no windshield, no XLRs), and a boompole. Luckily I brought my own package. The students said that sound isn't taught much at their school. I really couldn't believe that a school where students spend almost $30,000 a year wouldn't have a better package. A few terrific sound packages could be had for the price of just one RED camera (of which the school had many). From their website, it looks like the school doesn't even offer a production sound class; only post-sound classes. Does anyone else feel sound packages are lacking at film schools compared to the camera, grip, and lighting goodies? I know students don't usually enroll in film school to do sound, and I'm not suggesting that a film school should have Coopers, Zaxcoms, or Sanosaxs (though that would be cool). But for that kind of money it seems like they should at least have the right tools to get the job done. Please share your experiences with film schools' sound packages and which ones you think get it right or wrong. Thanks!

I agree with Mr. Blankenship. It seems like the biggest danger on a film set lately is a lack of food and water. I've been chewed out many times before, but it's a REAL risk and the folks running the show need to recognize that. I'm just getting started in sound, but this has been a consistent problem already. Is it too much to ask for a meal every six hours and having water readily available? It's in their interest to provide these things, isn't it? A well-fed, hydrated crew will produce BETTER results; mainly because their hands aren't shaking!

Hey folks, I'm just getting my feet wet when it comes to sound mixing, but I'm doing a job tomorrow filming a military show. The grand finale is the firing of authentic World War II artillery. I was brought on last minute so I don't have time to ask so-and-so about what exact models they'll be using, but it's safe to say it's going to be LOUD. I have never recorded explosions before, so I hope you can all give me some pointers. I'm mixing on an FP-33 with feeds to my FR-2 and a scratch track to the camera (DP hasn't told me what kind yet). I have Sennheiser ME-66s, an MKH-416, and a Neumann 82i Long Shotgun at my disposal. I have zeppelins and windjammers for everything. I also have wireless G2, but of course I won't be using that when they fire off the canons. My plan, and feel free to point out any errors, is this: I will have my output on the FP-33 set to 0 and calibrate the tone to -12 on the Fostex. When the time comes to fire the big gun, I'm going to change out my MKH-416 with the ME-66 in case, God forbid, I blow out the mic. I am keeping the limiters ON for both pieces of equipment. Could anyone tell me what level I should have the channel fader on? I was guessing really low, like 1. Should I be a certain distance away? I'll have earplugs in, so should I even bother monitoring with headphones for this, or will that just make me deaf? Sure wish I had a Nagra for this. I never blew one of those out. Any and all comments are appreciated. Thanks!

I just saw the film last night at a screening at the WGA theatre. The sound was bad, but in a weird way. The dialogue was always clean, just inaudible. The best (worst?) example of this was in the car at the start of the picture. It's loud, it's soft, it's loud, it's soft. Very inconsistent. I don't understand how this could happen. This was a $100 million budget picture. If a take was bad, ask for a second one. If it wasn't discovered until post, whatever happened to A.D.R.? I know it's not easy, but this is a JOHNNY DEPP film. Another problem was the music. It would be blasting, and as soon as the movie cut to another scene, the music would just cut, as if with a razor blade. A soft fade would have been better. On the other hand, you couldn't ask for better post-sound. The Remington shotgun blasts were incredible. The trains, automobiles, and artificial ambience were superb. And although this is a sound forum, I have to comment on the picture. I agree that digital was not the best choice in some scenes. It looked like VHS. The idea of digital can't come into an audience member's mind when they're watching a period film. There was no digital video during the great depression, so why would you want a marriage of new technology that shows itself during a bygone era? That took me right out of the movie and was much more distracting than any of the sound issues. Such a shame. If you're going to have huge gunfights and flip Packards over; then let me SEE it. Otherwise, I thought it was a good movie. No complaints about the writing, acting (even Christian Bale), or period detail. Hopefully they'll do a new mix for home video and the picture problems won't show themselves so much on a smaller screen.

Herb Linsey (this is how his name is spelled) was a UPM teacher at an LA-area film school in 2007. They are my current employer, so I must keep the name of school confidential, but he was not invited back. The man was an egotistical, arrogant S.O.B. He had a very confrontational attitude; always acting like it should be an honor that we had him around. In the end, he was not asked back for another quarter. That's really rare for a UPM instructor. As many of you may know, it is NOT easy to convince a Unit Production Manager to teach for a pay far less than they would get in the field. But we couldn't get rid of this guy fast enough. Good move not taking the job. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't pay you. Tip to all J.W. Sound folks: if you get a job offer from this guy, turn it down (regardless of the rate). It's simply not worth it.

Hey everyone, Thanks again so much for all of the replies. It definitely gave me some great info about sound in Chicago that I didn't know, and I'm from there! I did get some more information, and I regret to inform that the rate is ridiculously low. I'm talkin' lower than Craigslist, but some of you probably already suspected that. I think my friend is paying back a favor to someone, because I've never seen numbers like this. I won't even post the amount because it will just upset you. And I think all of us sound mixers are suffering enough. Much obliged, folks!

Thanks for all of the replies. Matt, I believe right now they are in early pre-production. And from what I understand the budget is pretty low (I'm getting really tired of hearing that, aren't you?). It looks like they're just number crunching, but I imagine they'll need: - Boom Kit - Shotguns - Wireless lavs - Mixer (board) - Digital 4 or 8 track recorder And of course, they'll need someone to mix. Feel free to e-mail me w/ names and rates and I'll pass 'em on. Thanks again.

Hey everyone, A good friend of mine is preparing a production in Chicago and couldn't find a good place to rent sound equipment. I checked myself and found some ENG rentals, but no store where I could rent a decent mixer or recorder. Is this possible? The third most populated city in America doesn't have a good place to rent a sound package? If anyone could point me to a good rental house in the tri-state area (Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin) I would be much obliged. Thanks!

I'm a little surprised about the Oktavas, too. I always considered them the ME-66's of Schoeps. Not as good, but really high quality for the price. I agree with Philip that they weren't the best boom mic, but I thought they were an excellent plant mic.

This guy owes your $600.00. Period. He took 20 days to inform you?! He could have worked on a number of shoots during that time and lost the cable during any one of them. Sound mixers know their gear. He would have noticed something was missing in a day or so, and two people checking together is pretty much idiot-proof. Give him 30 days to pay. After that, I think this is something small claims needs to know about. Good luck.

Absolutely. I work at a college in Tarzana (a film school, as chance would have it). Horrible problems with the G2. I think there's a lot of reasons: - Overhead lighting - Wireless internet (sometimes more than one signal) - Security systems - Every student, staff member, and faculty has a cell phone. Basically, the school, or at least the one I work at, is just pulsing with interference. I've noticed that it's worse on the ground floor, too. A lot of students have stopped using wireless altogether on school sets and have gone back to using wired lav systems. Unbelievable. I have much better results with the 411 Lectrosonics system. But even then, I have a hard time finding a frequency.

Hey Jeff, Okay, you're right. My name's Michael. I won't be any trouble, I promise. Just here to learn. I posted info on my profile, so feel free to vet me and thanks for approving me on faith!