studiomprd

"Studio stockpiling shaped a 21% surge in Los Angeles-area production days in the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago. Film L.A. said newly released stats show a clear link between preparations for a possible strike in Hollywood and a ramp-up in film and TV activity. " http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i846f5eeb0e4ecde5af44bafb11555180 after 2 sessions, not very productive ones, negotiations are in a hiatus...

here's some info on what may happen to this portion of the spectrum: http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=165336 FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the FCC would release within a week the results of tests of several remote-sensing unlicensed devices that would potentially be allowed to operate in the so-called "white spaces" between DTV channels. The FCC has already said it plans to allow fixed devices in the band subject to testing and other safeguards to make sure the devices do not cause interference to TV reception. It has not yet decided to allow the remote-sensing unlicensed devices. (more)

would love to see the boiler plate "equipment Rental Contract" posted! bet Wolfie has a good one, too!

I read Drew's response, but that just doesn't sound like what is actually happening, at least to me. Much as Tom hit a nerve, I think that producers would object to the costs, Director's would curse the performance, and professional actors would throw a crap-fit! (unless a scale day-player who needed the extra $$). I think experienced production mixers are striving to keep the sounds that belong on the M&E tracks out of our production recordings, and dialog editors back us up by working their magic to clean stuff out of the Dialog tracks. Sure, foreign language dubs will need to be "ADRed", just as foreign language films get ADRed into English, but production tracks are preferred for the original language. Of course there are exceptions (Robert Rodrigues's "El Mariachi", with a non-sync camera and no real production sound, or Sergio Leoni's spaghetti Westerns where the actors were all speaking different languages to each other...) but these are the rare exceptions, not the common practice.

from today's Hollywood Reporter: "A studio briefing Wednesday on looming talks with film and TV writers showed the parties miles apart, with management suggesting a study on how to eliminate writers' revenue participations even as union scribes seek expanded Internet residuals."

also reported here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134247/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws and this: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134318/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws

thanks, folks... this is a troubling topic, and the reason I brought it up here is to prepare myself for a discussion that I think we agree I ought to have with this instructor. I know the school is proud of having a DigiDesign professional teaching the course, but I also wonder what experience he has to be making such statements about production sound. When my students questioned me about it, I had to tiptoe around questioning the competence of a fellow instructor. A staff person in the department also brought this to my attention, but naturally does not want to get caught up between two of his co-workers and friends. BTW, regarding the "Waterworld" comment, the production had carefully considered the many real problems in production and made a decision to ADR the movie after cutting it; their choice would seem appropriate, it received its only "industry recognition" in the form of a nomination for sound! your further comments will be appreciated. Thanks again!

I'm teaching Production Sound at a couple college film programs, and have encountered a discrepancy between myself and a post production (ProTools) Instructor, a new Part Time Instructor who is moonlighting from his full time gig at DigiDesign!! He is telling our students that there is an industry trend to do massive ADR, and not even bother with production dialog. As it is coming back to me (since I'm not taking his class, just hearing from my students) he seems to be overstating a preference for, use of ADR over production tracks that I don't believe to be the case. Certainly we all appreciate that effects heavy shows (visual effects as well as sound effects!) may compromise the ability to capture (used to be "record") usable production tracks, and it is nothing new that we want to eliminate from our production recordings as much as possible of any non-dialog sounds so that they can all be separately included on M&E tracks and properly placed and mixed (sound editors, Foley, etc). here is one emailed comment: "Tom Xxx, the Protools sound instructor said there was a trend toward ADRing ALL of it these days, which I don’t think it quite true, but anyway he said it was because they were releasing the film in so many foreign languages they would just do the English too, and replace all the ambient and Walla-Walla too along with it! Like, if someone was talking while they set down a coffee cup, that cup sound would be in the dialog and have to be sound designed along with the ADR, so they would just do the English along with the rest of it because they had to rebuild the coffee cup sound anyway! " my students have mentioned this a number of times this term (Tom's first term teaching) in our discussions of the importance of Production Sound, and making the efforts required to enable capturing usable tracks if reasonably possible; unfortunately I find he is undercutting the value of trying to record dialog that can be used, or at least having considered the options before planning to "ADR it". This is especially a problem for student films, as they do not have the "Waterworld" (100% ADR'd) budgets to allow extensive dialog replacement. So, am I somehow missing this new trend, or is production dialog still preferred?? your thoughts, (my ammunition) please...

"IPhone owners will be able to replace the batteries in their phones, but it won't be cheap. Apple is offering to replace the batteries of iPhones that are out of warranty for $85.95, including shipping. The company said the repairs should take three business days. Apple will make "loaner" iPhones available for $29. The iPhone warranty lasts one year. It does not come with a removable battery. The company has said the battery should last 300 to 400 full charges before it needs to be replaced. Critics have noted that at a rate of one charge a day, an iPhone owner would exhaust the usable life of the battery in about a year." (from Mercury news)

first a disclaimer: One of my former students is now OK film commisioner. Arnold is just back from Europe: Austria (patching things up with his old hometown), France (meet and greet the new Prez) aned England (saying good luck to Tony Blair!). but as for incentives, etc. This from our Actors' guild: " June 29, 2007 Dear California Screen Actors Guild Member, There are currently three film incentive bills in the California legislature. While these bills are all in different stages of amendment, committee review and analysis, it is critical that your state senator, assembly member, Governor Schwarzenegger and Senate Leader Don Perata know how important entertainment industry jobs are to you and your family, and all California residents. We need your help. Please use the links below to send your personal email letters urging lawmakers to support meaningful legislation to keep and attract film, television, new media and commercial production in our state. Please feel free to add your personal perspective to the letters, and remember to keep your comments professional and to the point. Together our voices can make a difference. So please email your letter sometime over the next week. If you have any questions, please call SAG’s National Policy & Planning Department at (323) 549-6572. To write your Assemblymember and Senator: http://www.legislature.ca.gov/port-zipsearch.html To write Governor Schwarzenegger: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/ To write Senator Leader Perata: Senator.Perata@sen.ca.gov We’ve included sample letters that you may use as templates for your letters to each elected official. ___________________________________ YOUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER: RE: California Film Incentives Dear Assembly member_______________: I am a proud member of Screen Actors Guild, and I live, work and vote in _________________, California. I urge you to support the passage of meaningful film, TV, new media and commercial production incentives during this legislative session. According to 2005 statistics in the Economic Impact of the Motion Picture & Television Report issued by the Motion Picture Association of America, the entertainment industry generated over $42.2 billion in economic activity in California, and over 266,000 jobs. That job number is declining as productions continue to leave our state for locations outside the state – and outside the country. Most states now have enticing film incentives, while my state does not. I rely on wages earned in California to support my family and to qualify for my union health and pension benefits. There are 60,000 SAG members in California and we need your help. Please support efforts to create and pass meaningful production incentives in our state. Sincerely, _________________________________________________ YOUR SENATOR: RE: California Film Incentives Dear Senator_______________: I am a proud member of Screen Actors Guild, and I live, work and vote in _________________, California. I urge you to support the passage of meaningful film, TV, new media and commercial production incentives during this legislative session. According to 2005 statistics in the Economic Impact of the Motion Picture & Television Report issued by the Motion Picture Association of America, the entertainment industry generated over $42.2 billion in economic activity in California, and over 266,000 jobs. That job number is declining as productions continue to leave our state for locations outside the state – and outside the country. Most states now have enticing film incentives, while my state does not. I rely on wages earned in California to support my family and to qualify for my union health and pension benefits. There are 60,000 SAG members in California and we need your help. Please support efforts to create and pass meaningful production incentives in our state. Sincerely, ______________________________________________ GOVERNOR: The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814 RE: California Film Incentives Dear Governor Schwarzenegger Like you, I am a proud member of Screen Actors Guild, and I live, work and vote in _________________, California. I urge you to support the passage of meaningful film, TV, new media and commercial production incentives during this legislative session. As an actor and our Governor, it’s imperative that you help fight for our entertainment industry jobs. According to 2005 statistics in the Economic Impact of the Motion Picture & Television Report issued by the Motion Picture Association of America, the entertainment industry generated over $42.2 billion in economic activity in California, and over 266,000 jobs. That job number is declining as productions continue to leave our state for locations outside the state – and outside the country. Most states now have enticing film incentives, while our state does not. I rely on wages earned in California to support my family and to qualify for my union health and pension benefits. There are 60,000 SAG members in California and we need your help. Please support efforts to create and pass meaningful production incentives in our state. Sincerely, ___________________________________________________ SENATOR PERATA: The Honorable Don Perata State Capitol, Room 205 Sacramento, CA 95814 RE: California Film Incentives Dear Senator Perata, I am a proud member of Screen Actors Guild, and I live, work and vote in _________________, California. I urge you to support the passage of meaningful film, TV, new media and commercial production incentives during this legislative session. As a leader in California, it’s imperative that you help fight for our entertainment industry jobs. According to 2005 statistics in the Economic Impact of the Motion Picture & Television Report issued by the Motion Picture Association of America, the entertainment industry generated over $42.2 billion in economic activity in California, and over 266,000 jobs. That job number is declining as productions continue to leave our state for locations outside the state – and outside the country. Most states now have enticing film incentives, while our state does not. I rely on wages earned in California to support my family and to qualify for my union health and pension benefits. There are 60,000 SAG members in California and we need your help. Please support efforts to create and pass meaningful production incentives in our state. Sincerely," You might want to modify the sample letters!!

looks the same as the old portable Lectro Venue!!

The Behringer Shark 100 includes a line-lump that supplies 2 DC voltages: 11 volts and 17.5 volts at about 300 mAh. I prefer the RDL RU-ADL2 which has 2 different delayed outs from a single input and requires 24VDC: www.radiodesignlabs.com

here's the latest, looks like both sides are digging in, with SAG and DGA watching closely, as they are now inside the final year on their contracts. of course the IATSE settled first, for peanuts! http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/business/news/e3ib6d2c95cdf6b2ef3cb9e9be6a9d1b667

let the dealers know what you want them to carry for us!

and as long as we have added a CF slot on the front, we can put a PCMCIA slot there as well, so we could use P2 cards. is there still room for a PCI Xpress card slot???

USB-2 !!

wow! I can't believe Mr. Farr hasn't posted this yet! http://broadcastengineering.com/audio/legislative-wireless-mic-protection/

a slate mic, please...

and an XLR-4 for the DC power in!

... and I'd like them to switch the front panel around, as I'm left handed!

we are moving this topic into turbulent waters now. Let's see: I've been sending audio to camera-recorders since the 1970's, when it was the bulky 3/4" U-Matic tape machines that were replacing news-FILM 16mm camcorders, and on occasion, I actually got to send sound to CP-16 news cam-corders. and none of this stuff was consumer electronics. Well now, Video camcorders have changed, and these replacements for the old "super-8 home movies" cameras are bleeding into the "semi-Pro" (aka "Pro-sumer") arena and as the apparent quality of these devices is superior to what used to be called "professional" we encounter them with ever increasing frequency on gigs. First of all, the quality of a $999 "Hi Def" camcorder is not really anywhere near the level of any real professional equipment, even SD, and if it really were, then no one would be working with the Viper's and the other real camera-recorder combinations. I also believe that the audio capabilities of the toys tends to be relatively comparable to the picture quality they have, and matches the price point of the unit. Sure, 89.6% of the price of the camcorder goes to the sizzle things, like a color LCD viewfinder that turns upside down, a 18,000 x zoom and auto-everything anti-shake imaging system, but generally as you go up in $$, you go up in picture -and audio- quality. As for feeding sound to a camcorder, it isn't up to me to provide anything less than the best possible feed to the single system recorder, whatever it is, under the conditions and situations I am put into. If the production doesn't have the budget for better equipment, then they probably do not have the budget (and probably not the time or inclination, either) to be coerced into double system. When I feed a camcorder, I do like to monitor a return from it, even if it is not the highest quality though it also generally matches the units price-point. I also believe that as a generality, the other production values of the gig will also usually be in line with the camcorder capability as well as the experience & expertise of the "production" in general. I realize that there are a lot of exceptions, for example "they" buy or rent far more camcorder than "they" understand or can properly deal with, however when such things happen, it is usually pretty obvious. "They" think it is about the expensive arrows, and not the skilled, experienced archer! Sure there are some more expensive, more capable, better image camcorders out there that don't have great audio monitoring, but you could tell if you are feeding line level into a mic level input, or if the connection is broken, or if the camera mounted mic is engaged by listening to the return. I really believe that single system is here to stay!!

from The Hollywood Reporter: " The WGA sketched its negotiating posture for impending talks about a new film and TV contract, including dicey demands to sweeten Internet and DVD terms, and there was an immediate, sharp reaction from the management negotiator. "

after reading in The Hollywood Reporter " In preparation for a possible writers strike, a lot of returning shows largely will forgo hiatuses, and some new shows also will go into production earlier than usual. " came this "The WGA issued its traditional “pattern of demands” Friday as a prelude to launching talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on July 16, and as expected new media figures front and center. "

the Denecke GR-1 is a great little box for a master TC clock. the time base (crystal) in a laptop (or typical desktop) is not accurate or stable enough for our typical needs.

I keep telling my students they need to run a test to be certain. With so many variations and combintation, and new flavors arriving almost ever week, I can only be pretty sure if I have done exactly the same thing before, with exactly the same equipment, and know all the settings -including the camera-recorder, as a "small" change there can have big effects! (in other words almost NEVER!) a major concern is not knowing absolutely for positive sure what the camera-recorder frame rate really is, everyone is enraptured with "24P" (must be like 35mm film, right! it must be!!), and with all the editing programs and their flavors: Final Cut semi-Pro being popular, but mostly a pain! Naturally the Producer and Director don't really know, and their both "knowing" conflicting facts is pretty common, as are those "on the day" changes, which I call "...Oh, by the way ...'s)" GRR! did you get that sign-off in writing?? GRRR!