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bperlman

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Everything posted by bperlman

  1. I agree with most of the posters regarding the seperation of services and equipment. Keep them seperate, not only for the potential tax advantages, but it gives you room to make deals without compromising your rate. I also agree on the need for professional equipment. The film sound rental houses often have used equipment for sale. Check with them and let them know what you are looking for. They are very helpful to beginning mixers with hopes of having you as a continuing customer. Even if you acquire it one piece at a time, industry standard gear is worth the cost. The difference between "pro-sumer" and professional equipment (albeit with some exceptions), IMHO, is night and day in quality and reliability. One thing I would add that I tell new sound folks I've mentored, is to begin gathering all the little things that add versilitity to your package but don't cost much. It is easy to rent recorders, mixers, radio mics, etc. But it's the doodads and gizmos that help define your preparedness. So while you're saving your pennies for the big ticket items you can begin acquiring things like: adapter cables and barrels (everything that handles sound, into and out of everything else that handles sound); mic mounting hardware (something to place a mic on a podium or in a car or hold your boom when you are alone); wireless stuff (tape, moleskin, belts, etc.); mic cables - short and long; some basic playback equipment; your own tape rolls; and on and on and on. This stuff is invaluable and not what you think of when you're renting. And one last very important item - a good pair of headphones. Consistancy of monitoring is imperitive especially to a new mixer! Thats my two cents - good luck. Bruce
  2. Not necessarily. I've been working with the camera a lot lately, and what the DITs have been doing is putting a Lockit on the camera - especially for long take jobs. They jam from my 788T, using it as the master clock. Like Scott, I run at 29.97 . With the cross jam (or feed) the camera can run at whatever frame rate they want. No sync issues so far, including takes that run very long. Bruce
  3. Boy, all this talk about the "bad" old days brings back that knot that used to reside in my gut. Hard light, 10Ks behind the camera, unreliable wireless, and lots of hack DPs... whew. One particular bright spot (pun intended) for me was on a way too long mini-series. The DP declared war on us the first day. "I don't give a f**k where you put your mic, I'm going to light you off the set." The battles were frequent, tedious, and ugly. About a third of the way into the film the producer and the exec producer call both the DP and myself into the office - actually behind the motorhome. I'm figuring a "play nice boys" speech is next. I was shocked to stand there and witness the DP get a serious military type upbraiding about his behavior. The producers had no intention of spending either the time or money looping this show because of his antics. They even added how mediocre his work was. If he didn't straighten up, he was gone. But either way this sound department stays. P.S. He was gone in a week. Sometimes the good guys do win. One last note. These days almost all of my work is on Commercials and I must say that, with only a very few exceptions, the DPs I get to work with are an incredibly professional, personable and considerate bunch. It is rare that I don't the the professional courtesy one would expect the sound mixer to receive. Maybe it's my grey hair. Bruce
  4. An interesting variation on this theme is that a number of times over the years I've had DPs ask that we stay close to the frame line to protect their composition. No one can reframe their shot in post if there is a mic or two hanging there. Of course, you stand the chance of being thrown under the bus if the DP doesn't take responsibility down the road when someone higher up the food chain wants to re-compose the shot. Hey, it's what makes our job interesting! Bruce
  5. I like the muzak idea. I was a DJ a looooong time ago (when being a DJ meant working at a radio station) so maybe I could have a little fun entertaining the folks. LOL Here's a great visual. The other day during a long re-set I walked by video village and noticed all of the agency and clients had their comtek headsets on. Panicked I sprinted to the cart expecting to find an open mic. Relieved that everything was down, I then saw that every single one of them had the phones plugged into their laptops. I guess if it keeps them from talking to each other they might not come up with any more alternates to shoot. Bruce
  6. I use the burn-as-you-go setup for everything except over-shoulder stuff. With my old 744T I rarely had any issues, and when I did they usually seemed to be solved with a new disc. However, I now use a 788T and agree that it is not completely reliable. Burn performance has improved with the new software, but the bug still rears it's ugly head. I have experimented with the wallwart vs the bus power and to me there seems to be no difference. I now rely solely on bus power. I've become very diligent about heat - my recorder is mounted in my stack for max air flow - and I suspect that heat can be a contributing factor to burn performance. Before I took the heat issue as seriously I had a higher rate of the drive going off-line. Although I still rely on burn-as-you-go I keep a wary eye on the screen when I'm recording. It's a drag to turn in an incomplete take because you didn't notice when the drive went off line. I suppose that ultimately mechanical disc burning will become a thing of the past with affordable CF cards or some other out-board media being the daily hand-in. Until then I guess we will suffer with this very flawed system.
  7. I know this is topic we've discussed before, but here's my two cents with regards to the TV commercial world. I think that every commercial director I work with expects privacy when they confer with the talent. This is especially true after they've just been given notes from the agency or clients - it's a given that directors are likely to say something derogatory about the people pulling their strings. Many producers listen to Comteks specifically to protect their director and I know mixers who have lost clients for not being diligent about muting the director. The same goes for muting the set between setups and during re-loads. Add to this the loose lips of clueless actors and you've got to be on your toes when mics are hot. That said, I find myself using the PFL buttons a lot. I too use an ambient mic (usually at low level) to avoid the "these aren't working" complaints. However, when I take my phones off and leave the cart I always bring down all the mics. When we're standing-by I will bring up wires briefly, when appropriate (often guess work), and will sometimes will keep them up, also if appropriate - with my fingers never far from the faders. I rely on my boomers to help keep me honest by giving them same feed as video village. If I have problem mics that need attention I can route a seperate feed to the boom person while they work on it. On set we use the term THX - meaning the audience is listening - to keep ourselves honest about open mics. I think, ultimately, controlling the feed just becomes another work habit. Although each of us approach our set-up checklist differently, IMOH being diligent about the audio going to the people paying the bills is a very important part of our job... and our job security. Bruce
  8. What is the best tool to convert AES to SPDIF? I'd like to take the AES out from my 788T into the SPDIF in on a Sound Devices USBPre or other interface. Thanks, Bruce
  9. Thanks, everybody, for all for your help. Good advice all around. I heard from the mixer who usually works for this production company and got the low-down, and fortunately there will be a DIT. Bruce
  10. A couple of teamsters are making their way to the craft services table when one of them turns around and crushes a snail that was behind him. "What'd you do that for?" asks the other teamster. His buddy, annoyed, replies, "That thing has been following me all day!" An amusing true story. I heard it myself many years ago on the Johnny Carson show. Johnny's guest was, the then quite old, Alfred Hitchcock. Carson asked the director about an industry story that had been circulating for years. Was it true that Hitchcock had once said that all actors are cattle? After much fluster and indignation, Hitchcock replied that he had far to much respect for actors to have ever said that. At this point in his life he would like to set the record straight. After a moment's silence, and with a perfectly straight face, he affirmed that he had never said that all actors are cattle, what he had actually said was that all actors should be treated as cattle. Carson nearly fell off his chair.
  11. I've got a Sony F35 shoot tomorrow and because of the nature of the shoot there won't be a DIT on board. Also, neither the producer or the editor can offer spec specifics (say that fast ten times). I've looked through the camera manual and can find no info about whether the camera can be T/C jammed so I'm planning to cross jam from my 788T with a Lockit Box attached to the camera. I suspect that will cover the sync issues. but what about setting audio levels in the camera? Can anybody offer any caveats, suggestions or advice about recording to this camera? Obviously, I'll also be recording to my 788T. Thanks, Bruce
  12. Q: What do you call a grip in a suit? A: A defendant. An out of work grip calls his director friend begging for a job. The director asks if the guy is willing to do some painting for him. The grip agrees. He shows up at the directors house and is told to use the white paint in the garage to paint the porch in the back. Twenty minutes later he comes in and announces he's finished. "You can't paint a porch in twenty minutes", the amazed director says. The grip replies, "first of all, boss, it wasn't a porch it was a Mercedes..."
  13. Hey Scott, I'm curious why such a high bit rate. Also, what do you deliver on, CD, DVD-Ram... ? Bruce
  14. Hey Jeff, wonderful films and great work all around. A special and memorable time I'm sure. I particularly, like the picture with both Brett and Eric standing beside you. Michael Haller was my wife's Uncle and they are her cousins. Cool guys, both. Bruce
  15. I've got 2 IV-STCs. I'd be happy to sell them if they were worth anything. Maybe that way I'll stop having bad dreams (another thread) about forgetting how to operate one. I've also got my original III, but it's not for sale. I plan on being buried with it (the ultimate battery test). LOL Bruce
  16. Ditto about reliability and rental. I use comteks for the peanut gallery and IFB for directors and any other critical listeners. But while we're on the subject of wireless monitors, has anybody had any experience with the assorted wireless music world ear monitors. I know there are quite a few choices from Shure, Sennheiser and others. They aren't necessarily less expensive than Comteks but they must sound pretty good and be relatively bomb proof to survive in the professional rock and roll world. Any thoughts? Bruce
  17. A friend sent me this link to a clever solution for making use of all that old tape we tend to collect. http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/celebrity-art-made-with-cassette-tapes/
  18. I had the same problem myself. My 788 worked fine prior to the hardware upgrade for the CL-8. Went through a few burners (3) until finally finding one that works okay. I do have one burner that will work fine with my 744 but not with the 788. Strange. Besides problems caused by bad burners, I suspect that somehow the firewire configuration is more fragile (if that's possible) with this new built. Sound Devices position is that the problem is most likely with the burners and/or perhaps the DVD RAM disks. Who knows? For now, everything is working and I'm hoping the problem is solved. Bruce
  19. Boy is this getting crazy. Both on this thread and others related to the contract, some members find it necessary to muddy the discussion with wider political opinions. I say this fractious side argument is exactly what the AMPTP could hope for. So far they, and the International leadership, have done a pretty good job of spreading half-truths and creating confusion among the IA membership. Do we need to help them? Certainly, these personal political opinions are important and have a place in a wider conversation but do they directly address the question at hand. The future of government healthcare or taxes on people who earn x number of dollars is hypothetical. The ballot in our hands is not. What this new contract will either provide or take from us is the important issue. There is a lot at stake here, let's stay on track. While many agruments against the ratification have been presented, I would like to hear someone (other than our union leadership) present a clear case in favor of it. My mind is open. Bruce
  20. Working mainly in the TV commercial world, I frequently hear how people barely make their hours. While I understand that this is a risk one takes to avoid working on long projects, the 400 hrs will be devstating to this pool of folks. Busy commercial people average about 3 1/2 days a week (or did until this economic slow down), so some might just squeeze enough hours in. The rest are likely to lose their coverage, and that's a lot of people. I'd like to add that I've been talking about this issue on every set I work on and it's appalling how few crew members are aware of what's going on. Maybe they've heard something, but they don't really know, and is it for real, and blah blah blah. I pass out reprints of some of the information Jeff and others have shared here and direct people to the 400 hours site but still there is no general sense of alarm and outrage. Is this just the sets I'm on or do others find the same apathy in other parts of the industry? We need to wake people up or this contract will be ratified! Bruce
  21. To reopen discussion about the Sound Devices CL 8, I'd love some input from anyone who is using it as a primary mix panel with their 788T. I need something until I can replace my tired old mixer. Thanks, Bruce
  22. Hey Robert, I feel your pain. For my first feature I was barely two years in doing any kind of movie sound. What I did do was mainly Public TV doc stuff. Anyhow, newbie, in a middle eastern country, working alone, foreign language dialogue, near-by fighting going on, no radio mics, and producer who was an ass****. Whew, it was bad, it sounded awful. Lot of lessons learned - with many more hard ones to follow. You move on. One additional thought. I've also done films that I was confident sounded great, only to end up hearing a really lousy final mix. Sometimes you just can't win. So before you beat yourself up over what you think is your fault, check out some of the pre-mix dialogue. You could be suprised. Bruce
  23. One thing I'd add to this discussion is that regardless of which distro and/or charging system you use, it's important to have some sort of protection from the AC coming to your cart. I use a Monster conditioner with surge protection and seperate outs for analog and digital devices. Don't know exactly what magic is going on inside the box but for $200 I enjoy clean power and peace of mind. There was the time when some homeless guy pulled a cable from the generator sending 220v to the set.... I survived with only one blown fuse, but many departments were no so lucky. Bruce
  24. And who says this business isn't glamorous?
  25. From here in the heart of Tinsel Town I'm hanging up my soldering iron, coiling up my cables and putting the "Gone skiing" sign on ye olde sound shoppe. Have a wonderful, happy, prosperous, healthy and safe NEW YEAR all!! Peace - brothers and sisters. Bruce Perlman
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