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Rich Van Dyke

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About Rich Van Dyke

  • Birthday 10/06/1955

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  • Location
    Los Angeles, CA
  • About
    Started my career in post production at Sound Services, Inc. In 1977, I started working as a production sound mixer, and have worked in every type of production since. There's no place else I'd rather be than on a film set somewhere in the world.
  • Interested in Sound for Picture
    Yes

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  1. In the Spring 2012 Edition of the CAS Quarterly, in an interview with John Midgley the production sound mixer on "Hugo." Now for the "gear talk" segment of our interview. Can you provide some insight into your setup? Equipment: Deva V, Audio Developments AD149 mixer, Audio Radio (wireless) microphones with Trams usually, although I also have DPA and Countryman. In the booms, Sennheiser MKH60 mics. For post, I do a simple mono mix on track one, followed by radio mics and booms isolated onto tracks 2-10. I often experiment with different phasing on radio mics/booms, to try to lose background, but this probably is not apparent in post, unless they use my mix. Additionally, John was asked this question..... Sounds like a crazy set! Even with all of that, is there a particular scene or setup that you found even more difficult? One of the most difficult scenes was the Steadicam shot into Georges Melies' apartment. I think I used all 10 tracks, with some being switched to different radio-mics during the scene, and there was the band in the corner on an induction loop! Because of the complications of 3D shooting, during the scouts I spent most of my time trying to work out where all the engineering tents could go. Not too close to the set because of the noise, but not too far away because of the length of the camera cables. Also, working out where Marty's tent could go. Then, drawing a plan and diplomatically suggesting it to the first AD. An interesting dilemma came up for John, they were using Arriflex Alexa's as lenses not as cameras! So the fans that would normally turn off, when the camera goes into record mode, were constantly running. This explains the "camera cables..." he speaks of in his reply, but for this Steadicam shot I have to believe that the cameras are recording, as the only way to get the image to the DIT would be via wireless transmission, and I can't believe that they would do that, especially in 3D. Still a great shot, remember you're listening to the GO-PRO camera's audio not the production sound, this is a lesson in true perspective. As you listen to the soundtrack of this shot, hear the depth to the sound as the camera gets closer and further from it's subjects. Finally, trivia alert!! Johnny Depp was one of the Producers of this fine film, and he appears in the film, and this particular clip, as the wandering musician with the guitar, no credit. I read that he's suppose to be the famous guitarist Django Reinhardt, he would have lived in the same time period as Melies, but someone pointed out that the period guitar he's playing isn't correct to the period. Cheers, Rich Van Dyke
  2. What's unfortunate in this situation is that you've elected this person, the sign writer, to be the foremost representative of Grips and Electricians everywhere. I think you would have served the situation better by merely stating, a sign was posted on our truck/trailer by one of the most insensitive and homophobic people on our crew, period. It makes no difference what department he/she was/is in. Do you really think that a Grip's education goes something like, "Okay, remember this, lefty-loosy and righty-tighty. And whenever a sound person has the sniffles, we call it AIDS!" I've known many great people who were/are Grips and Electricians alike. I was also brought up in a family that had many gay people, both men and women, in and out of our lives. I'm shocked that RPSharman feels that we're "beyond...." any association of AIDS and the GAY community. Unfortunately, we're not, if you really want to break it down, CrewC's joke is homophobic, why, because it insinuates that you contract "hearing AIDS" by listening to too many "assholes." Gay men engage in the act of sodomy, anal sex, and it was originally thought that this had a direct link to contracting the disease, or correctly the HIV-virus. So to infer, that by listening to an asshole, you'll contract AIDS, is homophobic in my book. There is nothing funny about AIDS, Magic Johnson does NOT have AIDS, he is HIV positive for the VIRUS that causes AIDS. AIDS is what kills you after you've contracted the virus, it attacks your autoimmune system, and you die a slow and painful death. Ricky Gervais is a "shock comic," in my opinion, and the video posted is in poor taste. They show how uncomfortable they are within the scene and no one's laughing, and that's his idea of presenting AIDS in a funny way. I prefer to disagree. This is not about Grips, or Electricians, or even Neanderthals, this is about living amongst one another in a civilized and respectful way. By the way, those jokes you tell as "Grip Jokes," the Grips tell the same jokes as Sound Geek jokes, believe it. RVD
  3. So then, I guess you would say. "If a Big Bang happened in the Universe, and no one was there to hear it.........." Just to play devil's advocate, of course your assumption relys on the fact that someone was there to hear the first word, furthermore, I guess it was so dark, before Light, that there was no vision. So, if I understand your pursuit of Divine Creation, Adam must have been an Assistant Director! Why, because once we were lit, his first word must have been Roll Sound!! Cheers, no malice intended Rich Van Dyke
  4. Hey Larry, First question is, did you or someone in the "sound" chain on your show submit an "Entry Form" to the Academy, there was a deadline of May 4th 2012 for the entry form, this would have been accompanied by a $400.00 USD "Entry Fee.". The next deadline would have been for the DVD/tape of the episode you wish to be nominated for, and that deadline was May 18th 2012. So, are we to assume, since you're asking to be nominated, that you've met the entry requirements, and that is why you're soliciting votes. There's also a qualifiying period, and your show must meet their criteria. Good Luck to you Larry, I'm not a member of the Academy, I'd suggest becoming a member so you'll be more aware of the process. I haven't seen the show, I'm usually outside Crew's house and all he watches is old movies and sports!! Cheers, Rich
  5. Here's a direct example of this scenario. I was the third mixer on the film, ,"3:10 to Yuma." The production started in New Mexico, and finished in the fabled Bronson Canyon of Los Angeles. The director, James Mangold, is a sound conscience director in my opinion. The benefit all three mixers shared was that the boom operator, Joe Brennan was a consistent source of quality throughout the picture. In this "deleted scene" the secone one, "That's My Boy!" We shot at night and for the tracking shot of the men on horseback, we had asked production to use preferrably either a Shotmaker, or a Chapman crane as these two vehicles can be operated electrically. The DP, Phedon Papamichael was a very nice man and considerate of the sound department, needed to power a lighting balloon that would track with the riders as they had their dialogue. So that too was a consideration, when production decided to go with just a standard camera car, from which they could utilize it's generator and tow the lighting balloon. On the day, we were told of productions diecision and carried on as best we could, which was to wire up the cast and I had Joe tracking along with his boom to capture the horse's hoofs. Well as we start to rehearse, it becomes apparent that the now overloaded camera car, several cameras video assits and the accompaning bodies, is belaboring uphill and has to go into it's lowest gear to climb the hill, and thus revving the engine to a roar above the generator! At the end of the night, James Mangold came up to me and said, "I'm sorry for all the noise, but I think we got some good stuff." I replied to him, "No problem for me, it actually takes the pressure off of trying so hard." Here's the scene, production dialogue mixed with music and effects, the generator and engine roar are all but not there. Which proves to me, what I've always felt, be careful what you complain about, because it just might not be that bad.
  6. In pre production, on a film, you will break down the script to see if there are any special needs for your department. You do this by imagining in your mind's eye what the shot will be like on screen, or there may be a descriptive notation in the script: "The two lovers walked hand in hand around the lake, it was obvious that he was trying to find the right moment to propose to her...." So after reading that in the script, you can imagine that this scene will be shot one of two ways, long lenses following them around the lake, or maybe a steadicam shot. So you immediately know that you might have to employ two radio mics in order to record that scene. If your production is not budgeted for radio mics, this will be an issue for you and them. You know you'll always have a boom mic with you, or you should that's just piece number one of any good sound package. So you want to mention to production that on the day we shoot the proposal scene, we're going to need two radio mics. Now we're on the day shooting the scene, you and you're crew will need to wire the cast. After the rehersal, if there is one, you inform the AD that you're going to wire the cast. Now the AD knows that he/she must figure in the time it takes to wire the cast into their schedule. If it's a day exterior the camera is ready after the rehersal to shoot, no lighting necesary. So while the cast gets dressed and made up you and your crew must be ready to wire them as quickly and efficiently as you can. Unless you're working with an AD with little experience they all know that to wire an actor, or talent of any kind, you need time. As the department head, I feel, it's your job to see that this gets done within the "set-up" time for the next scene. Assistant Directors have a lot of pressure on them, the good ones know how to diffuse this pressure and the inexperienced one's go crazy and start yelling. As far as their role in conjunction with the SOUND department, audio is a consumer term, they wil help you get noises controlled, and help you to get any wild tracks of dialogue or roomtones and ambiances you may feel the need to record. Be proactive in this area and they'll help you, what I always try to do, is to give them a "head's up" as soon as I realize the need for something. In between takes one and two, I realize that I should probably have a roomtone from this scene, I have the boom operator communicate our need to the AD, or tell them yourself, so that as soon as the director yells, "Cut Print ! moving on..." The AD will yell,, "Everyone please hold still for thirty seconds of roomtone.!" Also remember that all members of the DGA, Directors Guild of America, are where the "line" starts when referring to those who work above it, and we work below it. So be friendly with them and you'll lfind that they may request you on their next show. I hope others will chime in, but that's a start. Cheers, Rich Van Dyke
  7. The original problem with having 00:24:12:30 as your time code, was that the Avid operating systems didn't like seeing 00 in the hours portion of the code. So subsequently the assistant editor would have to somehow input your sound with another method. Which is why I always prefer using hour 1 to start each day, hopefully you're not going to be working for 24 hours, and this issue wjill never come up. The only other "issue" is that the camera assistant will tell you he/she uses your slate as their own personal watch, and now they don't know what time it is. I do believe that this problem was dealt with in later, or more recent, software upgrades. So it just depends on the OS on the Avid that their editing on. Because many editors own their Avids, updating is not something that happens on a regular basis, much like some folks that keep older software versions running on their recorders, as opposed to using the latest version. Marc Wielage, usually posts in the evening, but he'll probably have a good take on this situation. So let's start the revolution here, do away with time of day code, tell camera assistants to buy watches and all will be well in the world! Rich Van Dyke Well, maybe that's expecting too much.
  8. No, I got beat up at a David Bowie concert in 1975 at the Universal Amphitheatre, one guy sitting on my chest and another beating my shins with lead pipes, because we had snuck in to see the show for free. A Universal security guard rescued me and took me to the infirmary, and there I met Iggy Pop, who had also been beaten up by bouncers and was so high he just keep rolling around in the bed he was in say, "But, I'm Iggy Pop.......I'm Iggy Pop...." I felt the need to learn how to protect myself from that ever happening again. Choy Li Fut and Hung Gar from the Southern Shaolin Temple Just for the record, Wing Chun, which is the style that Bruce Lee studied originally, was a style developed and passed down by a woman, Yim Wing-Chun. She had been taught by a another woman, Ng Mui a Buddhist Nun. I still train today, albeit non contact, I achieved the status of a Chi Gung Master and I use the strenght sets and the breathing sets to keep myself in some kind of shape, oval! This is my Sifu Bucksam Kong performing the Siu Lum Pai set of Choy Li Fut in a park in China as a young man. He taught the Army hand to hand combat during the Korean War, one incredibly strong man. No apologies necessary
  9. You've never worked for David Fincher or Ridley Scott, I'm guessing.....
  10. Yes, I could have become a banker or something and get a lot more money, but I chose this path because it's something I genuinely want to do. Simply telling someone to go to another profession because they will make a better living discounts the reason they wanted to be a sound guy in the first place. Just to clarify, as I said earlier, to want to be in the film business it must be something that is your passion and you'll be willing to tolerate the hours on sets, away from family and friends, and be able to sustain yourself through periods of no work. The people, that I'm trying to discourage, are the ones that have only a passing interest in working in film. It seems from your post Jesse, that you have that kind of passion, and the fact that you say you're a mixer, boom op, and audio post seems that you're diversified enough to work at a couple of different positions. What I don't like about the business now, as opposed to when I started, is the decline in the quality of work. Everyone here gripes about low paying jobs, but some of you created this market, by accepting the low pay and driving down the quality of work. You'd never hear the expression, "But, the last sound mixer I hired worked for less than I'm offerring to pay you!" if someone hadn't accepted that rate and provided adequate sound. I think that whatever you do with/in your life, you should do it with love and passion and do it to the highest level of quality, otherwise you'd just be miserable. Good Luck to All, RVD
  11. Mirror, I would venture a guess to say that you've never trained in the "fighting arts?" I trained in two Southern styles of Kung Fu, and I have to tell you that a trained female is just as tough as a trained male, when it comes to fighting. What came to my mind was the fight scene from the movie,, "The Sand Pebbles," the new "coolie," Po-Han, played by the great actor Mako, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the film. He fights the big tough "Stawski," in a bar to protect the virtue of a "dance hall" girl. I couldn't find a clip of the fight, but if you remember it, he uses the exact same punching technique that Marty uses in his fight scene. Then finally realizing he might lose, Po-Han uses his head like a battering ram and seemingly defeats Stawski, except as he goes down the ships alarm sounds and all men are rushing out of the bar to return to the ship, and Steve McQueen continues to count Stawski out! My Grandmother was the costume designer on the fillm, after meeting Steve McQueen, he sent her a note requesting 10 pairs of Levis and several packets of white tee shirts. She informed him that all of his wardrobe for the film was to be military uniforms, and he said I know, the Levis are for me to wear while I'm not working! This was Candice Bergen's first film, she had been a model up until this film. Trivia note: The ship, The Sao Paolo, used steam engines in real life. However, for filmming purposes, they had special Cummins motors installed for reliability that were diesel powered and had the special effects crew send white smoke out the smokestack of the ship to simulate steam exhaust. Cheers, Rich Van Dyke
  12. In many ways, and for many reasons, I kind of think "Mirror" has a valid and good point. The "business" is and has been changing for the worse for years. I don't think anybody loves the movie/film world as much as I do, but I cannot realistically recommend it as a "profession" anymore. In today's world you must have the kind of desire and passion to be a filmmaker, because I don't think you're going to get rich working, especially at the crew level, on films, series, or commercials for that matter. It must be the end all to your be all it must be the only thing you want to do, and you must be willing to put up with all kinds of poor behavior, by those in charge. My vision of the future for film, and television series, is going to be downloadable. Since the advent of the 70" high definiton television, what is it that will make you go out and pay to sit in a theatre and subject yourselves to random talking, poor focus and less than perfect sound systems? It's my belief that Netflix, Funny or Die, and YouTube are leading the way in this transition. Many new apartment complexes already have "viewing" rooms, where you can reserve the room for a time period and entertain friends and watch a DVD on a high quality televison, or projection system. Ask the students, what is it that makes you want to go to the theatre, as opposed to downloading a film from Netflix and watching the film at home on your personally designed home entertainment center, where you control the sound and image quality? Studios are already chasing this now, it seems to me, that they think the "event film" is what will get people to come, and they're spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to prove it. IMax 3D films are events larger screens and three demensions of visuals. However, look at this year, "John Carter" with a budget North of $200M USD, and "Battleship" with a similar budget, both "tanked" at the box office, John Carter did so poorly that Disney Studios wrote off a loss of $200M USD. "Battleship" a film from a board game, proved that no matter how much money you spend, you still must have a story. The harsher reality for them is that what still rules the day is a good story. This is evident by the winner of this year's Palme d Or, a film about an aging couple, and how they care for each other. I haven't seen the film, but I would bet that there's not one gun shot or car crash in the whole film. So teach them the structure of story, the importance of foreshadowing, the denouement, and climax. Finally, I would suggest that when working with professiionals treat them with the respect that you want them to treat you with, you'll get more out of them this way, then if you're the tortured artist and demanding they respect you first. I'm not trying to be negative, but after 35 years of working in the film business, I now find myself on the outside looking in. Cheers, Rich Van Dyke
  13. What it looks like to me, Marc, is just the bottom of a Rycote zepplin. As if you just slid the mic out of a zep and used it with the zepplins suspensioin. Then it appears that they have the wireless transmitter attached to the "smart" end of the pole. Larry McConkey is a great operator. Listen as they make the last pass through the hallway, it sounds to me as if there is some Comtek, or IFB, feedback, low squeaks as they go into the room with the robot. Let's not forget the grips, do you see them pull the wall out as the camera pans around the seating woman, just after the music starts. Great boom work too, nice to see the other hardwired boom working on the conversation before the other mic can get there. Thanks Marc, love that stuff. But I could be wrong, it's happened plenty.... RVD
  14. Right you are Jim, Spin and Marty pitted the country boy against the city boy. Tim Considine, who originally played Spin left after six episodes. He also appeared in the television series "My Three Sons," with Fred MacMurray who shot all 26 episodes of his scenes before any of the shows were completed, a schedule never repeated in television history. You might also remember Tim as the soldier who gets slapped by General George S. Patton, George C. Scott in his Oscar winning role, he refused to accept his Oscar. In this scene, shot at the Disney Ranch in 1955, Spin and Marty try to settle things like men? The man who's refereeing the fight is none other than the great Harry Carey, Jr., his Father Harey Carey was in many Westerns and a great friend of John Ford's, and through Ford Jr. starred in many a Ford Western. In, "The Searchers," it's Harry Carey, Jr. that races head first into the encampment of the Indians who he thinks has taken his beloved. Trivia Note: At the end of "The Searchers," John Wayne stands in silhouette in the doorway, he reaches up and grabs his arm just below the elbow. This posture is an homage to Harry Carey, Sr. as this was an unconscious habit of his, and John Wayne didn't tell Ford he was going to do it, and it's a touching tribute. Also in the cast is the "stereotypical" Asian cook played by the late Sammee Tong, who also played the character Hop Singh who was the cook on "Bonanza," or you might remember him from being the valet of John Forsythe in the series, "Bachelor Father." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rkLL3reXYY&feature=related The corrals you see in the video were eventually replaced by stables on either side leading up to the main barn. Cheers, down memory lane..... Rich Van Dyke
  15. Wyoming is one of the most beautiful states in America, in my opinion. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole is a fun tourist spot, the "stools" at the bar, are fulll size saddles, they cut you off when you can no longer "ride." The Grand Tetons are also some of the most majestic mountains ever. Dave Fisk is right about the sulfer smell though, don't mention this until you're there! Save travells Steve
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