Arnold F.

To change direction just a bit I wanted to pass on some advice not about how to protect your equipment, which has been well covered, but about how, in this dynamic environment, to record dialogue that is cut-able. Dane Davis told me to see to it that there is no dialogue both between "action" is called and the first line of dialogue, and between the last line of dialogue and the time "cut" is called. The resulting handles will permit a cross fade between lines. Few, if any of us will ever convince anyone on set to do this but it there you go. A.

Surely some here have had to mix whilst wearing a hardhat. What did you do? I hate to use earbuds but I may do if I can't undersling my cans. A.

Sergio: Many thanks for the offer and not the best recommendation for the Petrol although I think it's a matter of personal preference. Today I tried the Petrol, Versaflex and the very basic Portabrace (not the memory foam model). The Petrol and Versaflex were functionally very similar, both with the wide, padded yoke. The Petrol had a slight edge in that it had quick release lower connectors (that hook on to the bottom of the bag) and it came with the removeable lectro pockets that you can also put on your Petrol bag - a $20 value right there. However, I did not find the Petrol very comfortable and while the Versaflex was a little better, neither really did it for me. I ended up with the basic Portabrace for several reasons: 1) it just felt better on my body. 2) it has a separate belt that that you wear that straps to the lower part of the bag - this felt much better than the other brands and set it apart, 3) the straps that connect to the upper part of the bag slide freely through the metal hook, meaning that the bag is kind of gimbaled, for lack of a better word. It also means that if you feel the need for a change you can freely and quickly shift the position of the harness on your body without changing the position of the bag. 4) A bit easier to get in and out of, 5) far fewer adjustments (just four in total) and straps hanging off me, 6) it will take up much less space in my kit. My one reservation about it is the fact that the straps are indeed much narrower and less padded than the others. We'll see how that plays out. A.

I am faced with the same harness question this week. I've been told by the sound house I normally buy from that the Versaflex is more padded than the Petrol harness (and more expensive) - support was not addressed. Any other opinions? I'll go in and try them both on and report back. A.

She says she wants to see a picture of your tools FIRST.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/cwg/851951899.html Top notch crew needed! Me and my girlfriend just bought a co-op and to get this job done right we're going to need carpenters, floor guys, electric, wall guys, painters, all with their own tools. We're really looking for people who have a passion for their craft and want the satisfaction of making a really nice place for me and my girlfriend. No pay but the contractor is an award winner and you'll get the chance to work with a top-notch crew and to get your name out there. Also, we have plans to get another co-op once we secure funding so you might get to work on that one as well. Food + credit.

Job Filled! Thank you!

Is there anyone in North Carolina? Trying to help someone find a mixer for a short job there. A.

Anyone know where -20 is on the EX-1 meters? I worked on a 2-day project with it this week and could not figure that out. A.

My Sennheiser G2's were my first wireless and are still reliable under the right circumstances. However, unless I'm missing something, they are capable only of scanning their pre-set banks of frequencies and not all of the frequencies in the unit's block. Without either full-spectrum scanning nor the nice graphical interface of the kind Lectros have, finding a clean place is a hit-or-miss affair. Anyone have any tricks to finding good slots on the G2's? A.

I just didn't know what frame rate to use. A.

Many thanks. Normally I get frame rates from production or post but there is no post online yet. As this is a low budget feature that may get proper, if modest, post-sound attention, I have suggested that they use the audio recorded to my 702T (instead of the audio sent to camera as back-up). We are also using a timecode slate. A.

Working on a project shortly with the EX-1. If anyone has had recent experience with this can you suggest what frame rate for the timecode should be used? A.

She's right in the same way that a recipe for cake that states, in it's entirety, "combine eggs and butter," would be right. And, can you guess what they would say if I used the timecode she suggested and it was wrong and my excuse was that the writer told me to use it? Glad you guys have found writers to be helpful to you. Wish that were the case here.

I've taken the advice, more or less. A little while after her first e-mail, she sent another stating that she'd learned that there was no singing so that sync was not critical. I responded thanking her for her input and letting her know that I looked forward to the shoot and dealing with all production sound issues. She responded saying it was good that WE didn't have to deal with playback. I e-mailed back that stuff was still being planned and that I would not be burdening her, the writer, with sound issues. There are many reasons why I think what she did causes more problems than it solves and I think it's best if we do not have the MUA sending an e-mail about how many lights (and their wattages) we'll need for a scene, or a grip calling a meeting to talk about costume choices, a production mixer choosing shots for the DP or a writer pulling the director aside to provide half-true and oversimplified advice on sync situations.

I am starting a low budget feature next month and I received the following e-mail yesterday from someone associated with the project whom I've never met: I know you guys have more than enough on your plates in the next 2 weeks, but I thought I should raise this. Some sort of sync playback situation is advisable in certain setups of scene 103 -- the celebration sequence. Whether the [copyrighted music] is licensable or not, an accurate playback (or click track) for the dancing/movement will enable the editor to cut together the [copyrighted music], a cover version, or an original tune composed to that tempo. To achieve this, an Edit Master with -- I believe -- SMPTE 29.97 NonDropFrame rate should be generated. A regular CD is not frame accurate and might create a sloppy situation in post. I'm sure you have already addressed this in your breakdowns, so forgive me for stepping out of my department. I just dealt with this matter while prepping a music video, and I had a "gulp" moment about scene 103. I've already spoken briefly with the director about this. I was relieved because I figured it meant we finally had an editor in place who could answer some questions for me. Unfortunately, it was not. Who was this person who sent this e-mail to me, the producers, the director and the DP, AND had a talk with the director with specific instructions on playback and framerates? The writer. Does this mean I get to send group e-mails with concerns about her dialogue?

I'm working on an exercise video and need suggestions on headset mics. I have heard that the Countryman E6 may not be secure enough for exercising ladies. A.

Yeah, that's what I'm familiar with. What I got was a little different, but not dramatically so.

I am renting my HVX and accessories out to another shooter and I've requested a Certificate of Insurance. He has sent me a PDF of something called an "Insurance Binder." It looks somewhat like a CofI but I've never seen one before. Is it the same? What should I look for in order to be covered? A.

Let's start again. I am interested in the TS-C. Has anyone had any problems with it's small size? Thank you! A.

Unfortunately, that's just what has happened. Do I post a new thread? A.

I'm thinking of buying a timecode slate for my kit. That TS-C is awfully cute but at around 5" x 8" is it too small? Does size matter when it comes to slates? A.

Many thanks, Jason. I think I have a way of making it stable in my bag that will require the simple fabrication of a bent aluminum plate. Probably the answer for me is to get an HD monitor since I need it for my HVX and I would like to avoid down-conversion. What specs do I look for that will tell me my monitor will accept an HD signal. Also, how does signal get to my monitor? Would I take a cable out of whatever monitor they're using in video village? I doubt we'll have a DIT on this shoot. Here is the monitor I was thinking of: http://www.ikancorp.com/pages/monitors/v8000hd/index.htm A.

Thanks again. I'll pass this along. Since it's audio, could I not, in theory, simply send TC directly from my 702T to audio channel 2 of the camera (via either cable or wireless) and bypass the Lockit box entirely? A.

Great to know, many thanks.