Jump to content

carbonhobbit

Members
  • Posts

    299
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

About carbonhobbit

  • Birthday 01/19/1963

Profile Information

  • Location
    Somewhere between Iowa and Nebraska
  • About
    I record sound for out of towners but don't do much for local productions because I charge too much and any body can do sound.
  • Interested in Sound for Picture
    Yes

Recent Profile Visitors

3,502 profile views
  1. Seems to be the results of the Covid buy by mail symptom. You can buy anything on the net, but the stores have turned to the cheapest product because the walk ins want lowest price and don't care about brand or quality. I have lost all available ways to buy name brand stickies in my area. Just sucks when you put off buying replacement at the last minute. Scott
  2. Ask mixers in your area the same question. If most have brand x and you are leaning toward brand y, just know they won't be able to help you out if you are in a bind and need a replacement fast. Also check out how easy it is to rent equipment and check if brand y is rentable when most rental houses have brand x. Just a few more thing to think about when buying. But if you really like everything about brand y, then go ahead and buy brand y. And saving money isn't always the best option in the sound world. Better to buy once than by again and again.
  3. Different rate question and let me try to set it up. Non-union, non-payroll, non-incorporated. Dayrate with OT after 10. No rate drop for less than 10. The state is in the midwest. This is a production company i have worked with for many years where most of the project are two to three days at most and hardly ever more than one project a week. This past week they had a five day project. Tuesday thru Saturday. By Friday after one 8.5 day, two 10.5 days and one 10 day, start Saturday at 39.5 hours and we work almost eight hours. Total worked hours are 47.5 hours. Day rate would be 5 days plus the one hour of OT on two days or 51 hours. I billed 4 day rates giving up the two half hours because of the early day on Saturday plus the 5th day at an OT rate since it would be a day over forty hours and law says any non-exempt is guaranteed time and a half after forty. My bill was rejected because I was told I couldn't bill the OT day because I wasn't an hourly employee of the company. They look at me as a contractor even though most would say the workers could never pass the rule of a contractor. They accepted my bill of 5 day rates with an hour of OT. Partner says bill how the company wants, don't be a thorn and keep working. My question would be what was the correct answer? How do most jobs handle the over 40 work week. There have been times where I do work over 50 hours in the week, but it might be with three different companies never going over 40 with each one. Then there is working with the same company, but on different projects. If this had been payroll, it's an easy answer. Billing as a freelancer not so much. Happy to hears all answers.
  4. Kent, I work the same in Omaha, NE. Trying to get a second is like blood from a turnip. I like the slate in the belief that just maybe it would help an editor out incase something were to go wrong. It helps tie all the parts together. Smaller markets mean you are doing more types of jobs than a larger market where the people you work with are use to how you work and they share your name with the same type of productions and you may never see a large scene format. Scott
  5. Learn to say the word "NO". Or I'm sorry but those needs are above my capabilities. Equipment of Mixer/recorder, two wireless lavs and a 9 ft boom with a good mic on the end with a "Beta" camera snake will cover most beginning jobs. As you get more jobs and make more money, then start the slow process of adding equipment. In my early days, I worked for a production company that did have equipment, so my first purchase was a boom pole followed by a mixer, then a good indoor mic. I think it took me almost 5 years to get to the small package above and then to where I'm now another 15 years going thru dats and then the first mixer/recorder. Don't think you need a full blown package to get started. Be willing to kick some jobs up the ladder and hopefully some will come down too. Good luck.
  6. Yes they did change the size of the mic a few years back and the old caps would fall off the newer mics. I would think that as long as any glue wouldn't get on the top of the cap, you would be fine. With all mics like this, talent can lose the caps when they take them off themselves since they don't know about the two pieces. L&D. Scott
  7. carbonhobbit

    Cold 5G

    Here a fun one for you where I had my worse day of using a wireless mic. Working on a 5G spot in an area where it is all set up and working. This day is also on the cold side of around 20-22 degrees F. Using Src A1 with a block 20 SMVQ. Scan had a clean RF for the Freq. but was still getting drop outs and spifts in the audio. As the day went on we moved into the close-up and things got worse where the battery display would just fad away and then a big dropout and no audio. Power to the Src was thru my BDS and my recorder was working just fine. Changed the batteries four times on the SMVQ without much improvement. Then I remembered reading about cold day working with Wireless that Lectrosonic had put out. Started packing hand warmers around the Src and everything started to come back and most of the audio held up, but would still get a few drops now and then and I was less than 10 ft away from the talent. Ended the day wondering if it was the cold or the 5G doing me in? Of course by the end of the day I was asking myself, why didn't I just hard wire the talent since we were so close? Today, different parts of town, in and out side, but not as long outside and the same setup, same Freq, was just rock solid and had no dropouts thru cars or buildings. There are some days when audio just puts me in my place and other days, it's a piece of cake. Scott......
  8. Has any thought been put into completing the camera hop system with a receiver with a six pin plug to be a reverse of the transmitter for us so we (sound people) don't have to worry about the cable now used with the IFB unit coming unplugged at the camera? I also see the on/off volume knob going away. The old receivers would become very high end IFB's for directors, producers and Red Cameras. Scott
  9. Because people do silly things. Most want to bolt from the chair the moment the interview is over. Saves a broken wire and reduces tripping hazard. I have a hard enough time just getting the boom out of the way before someone stands up into it. Not everyone knows to stay put until they have been de-wired.
  10. I just use a 25 ft extension and when the dolly moves, just coil back to the pushing post. Always have at lease 50 ft of cable between me and the camera if they are doing any moves and have two more 25 ft extensions for bigger moves or to go to other cameras.
  11. What does this mean for the new boards for the SRc's in B1? Is there a deadline to get them replaced before Oct. 1 too? Scott
  12. My last commercial, busy intersection, "cool" part of town. On scout ask if we will be blocking the street to cut down on the traffic; truck, buses, motorcycles. Stoplight doesn't slow the noise. I tell them I'll do my best after they tell me the city won't let them shut down the street since it would involve two major crossing streets and would need two detours set up, plus they had already promised the businesses they wouldn't hinder foot traffic to said businesses. I told them they just might be looking at ADR and they agreed. Day of the commercial is actress walking along different sections of the sidewalk in a two block area set up from the base camp. Get as far away from base camp as we are going to be all day. I'm hopping my audio back to base camp with just whips and all seems good, even do a test. Third take in the whole base camp is around me saying they had lost audio, I look up and a beer truck has parked between me and the line of site receiver. What was I going to do to fix it? I had nothing, but started to hand out comteks that I had brought with me. Did have the production manager come up to me and ask me how the audio was going. Since we weren't holding for traffic, I told her it would have to be decided in post and I was only recording for sync. Haven't heard since then and haven't seen the ad air yet and no phone calls.
  13. Also the loop of the film coming out of the mag needs to have the proper loop. Too tight or loose can add to your noise problems.
  14. In the olden days, I used a comtek setup to transmit my TC from my recorder to my TS-1. Could still do it today if I wanted to punish an AC. Nothing to set, it reads whatever rate is sent to it, even 23.97 or 29.97 drop or non-drop. Scott.....
×
×
  • Create New...