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Cujo

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Everything posted by Cujo

  1. The best answer I have heard to date from a well known mixer when production comes up with a case of idiocy is "Oh. (pause) That's unfortunate for you." . .
  2. Marc is dead right. Rule number one when negotiating a contract. Set your client's expectations clearly and early. You don't have to be rude or mean spirited, but you do have to be crystal clear and firm in your stance. Any area not covered with the client will be interpreted by the client in his own favor. It is human nature. Everything is friendly and negotiable -- up front --. I will deliver to you X product for X rate, with X equipment. Variations on that will cost X dollars for time, X dollars for kit and/or extra bits. My billable time starts at (insert pre call specs here) and my billable time ends at (insert wrap out specs here)
  3. "Yeah, I'll work for free this time, but next time I better get paid" And we (as a group of "professionals") wonder why we get crapped on as an industry. I find it a sad commentary when I read thread after thread about silly Craigslist ads, insulting quotes from production department heads, lamenting and moaning by the membership body as a general whole about getting treated like crap and/or underpaid....Then in a thread like this, I see guys willing to cave-in to the same unreasonable treatment. One does not get the right to gripe about a lousy pay plan within the industry, then concede to a lousy compensation plan nicely delivered in a silk wrapper called "normal".... Mark, I'm not specifically aiming at you...I'm just venting/sounding off on a thread ..Please do not take this as a personal attack.
  4. I have an inexpensive tool pouch and belt from Home Depot. The belt is just a simple 2" web belt, the pouch is a general purpose maintenance man's pouch. In this I keep: a penlight, scissors, a roll of transpore (hangs from the handy tape keeper on the bag), pen / pencil / sharpie, small notepad, sides, tweeker (2), a small plastic box with rm-11's and moleskin, 2-4 spare batteries razor knife, a roll of black paper tape hangs from a large loop on the belt ready for fast deployment Also on the belt lives my IFB and, when necessary, the radio between me and production Anything else that can't be dealt with from this bag is something that needs attention back at the cart, so all those supplies live there. If foot foaming is an issue, I have a plastic box the size of a shoebox that has all foot foams, furniture pads, and crutch tips inside. I can grab it and fly in with time to spare (presuming I have done my advance scouting job well) to kill those relevant sounds and avoid having to carry all that gak when not really necessary.
  5. Thanks to you my friend... Resume' sent and awaiting a reply for Atlanta dates.
  6. I have been told that even the best shoes are made to last, at best, 500 miles of walking. I'll presume this to be true given that I'm no shoe expert and my source at REI is supposed to be paid to know these things. For most hard working folks in the film world, this could easily be only 6 months...perhaps less depending on your craft. I have been unkind to my body over my working life, and my feet and knees suffer a lot. To alleviate this, I use high end boots/shoes and rotate them often. That is, I have a few pair and wear each on different days in order to keep them fresher longer. Personally, I favor Keen brand hikers and Carharrt work boots because I have wide feet and these fit me. YMMV.. To these I add the Dr. Scholl's custom orthotics. They do work and they are --for me--worth the $50. Buying good sturdy work socks is worth the few extra bucks too. From my days doing trade shows and long days on the competitive archery tournament scene I also learned to change my socks at the mid point of a long day. To that end, when I can, I do just that. It is especially helpful for those long days on a concrete stage floor. Some guys have great luck with custom fit orthotics from a foot specialist but I have not yet found the need..It is fantastic advise though. I'm sure that when the over the counter stuff quits working though, I'll be in to see the foot doctor and go that route. .
  7. The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who haven't got it.
  8. Toy, That's good news...
  9. "What's wrong with this picture??" ......It appears that you were on "set" to capture this experience. Sadly, you cannot retrieve this lost time.
  10. So I'm heading to Temecula in the first week of May 2012 for an annual conference that I regularly attend. I thought it worthwhile to toss my name in the proverbial hat for anyone looking for a utility, green boom op, or sound reinforcement hand. Shoot me a note if you are interested..... Cujo.cooley@gmail.com
  11. FWIW, This workflow was taught to me by my first instructor, Whit Norris, the second instructor Chris Durfy, and my current mixer, Bud Raymond. Strong atta boys to boom op/utility Chris Harris and Matt Derber too. Without these guys, I'd be a total fool still trying to learn to roll cable. Of course, each has tweaks and such, but the overall plan remains consistent. Robert, I agree and I totally don't like going on the clock without pay. A pre call for the utility guy seems like it should be a no brainer. It's tough though somtimes to get one...and the job still has to happen. Usually a few clicks on the out time sheets can offset the lack of a pre call.
  12. As a working utility my day starts like this.... Show up on time. This equals no less than 30 min. Before call and preferably 45. Catering for some scrambled eggs and oj. Find the truck and unload both carts making sure I have consumables, carpets and umbrellas Push to set, power up the mixers cart and set antenna. Power up my cart and get hot bricks in the comteks and transmitters. Put last nights batteries on the charger. Hot bricks in the boom ifb, transmitter, and power supply, build up the 416 and the 50 and have it all on the boom poles and stand for when boom op arrives. Jam the slates, and camera ( if applicable ) Communicate with video to run cable and get feed to mixer cart Get sides for the three of us, plus an extra for the mixer to cut up and use for following dialogue on the fly. Prepare lavs, wraps, and packs for first team. Kill a/c and any other noisemakers. Get notes from boom op who has just watched first team blocking rehearsal so I can lay carpet if needed. By now chairs are up and I am laying comteks out. Village is now up so I can hook up video. I have already communicated with a pa and advised who will need wired and where my cart is. Talent comes to us for wiring unless it is a very special situation. Wiring talent is a joint task. We all handle it, but most of the time it is the mixer or boom op doing it because I'm on other tasks. In all of this, I'm on my ifb monitoring for orders from the boom or mixer. Other duties include daily time sheets, ordering supplies, and comms between the production office and our dept. Coffee and cold drink runs, covering the boom op or mixer for 10-1, and second boom when necessary. Also, getting ready to reset everything on turnaround or scene changes or put out whatever fire pops up. At the end of the day, its the same in reverse. It's a busy day, but I like it.
  13. Echoing many others here, I remain skeptical and do not reach for undercovers often. Overcovers, on the other hand, are great for wind killing. A cos-11 in a vampire clip, with a pop filter and and overcover wrapped by a thin strip of moleskin works well for high wind..... And if you are gentle with it, its reusable without rebuilding.
  14. Rules of building a business that I have personally learned and taught to my marketing students over the years of building successful operations... Good and cheap never come in the same box. NEVER work for free on the promise of better paying gigs in the future. They don't exist and once you have worked for free, raising your rates is impossible. NEVER lower your professional standards in favor of a paycheck. You will deliver a product that is crappy and over budget, usually at your financial and emotional expense.....The client will still say it is your fault, and you will hate everything about the whole experience. ALWAYS join professional associations. Not every one that comes along, but the ones where the true kings of the industry hang out. This includes the local Union. If nothing else, the networking opportunities are more than worth the price of admission and supporting your industry through membership is the right thing to do. Become an expert in your field... One item at a time. As time accrues, you will master the info, which will allow you to gain the experience to actually master the art. Study every shred of documents you can find, listen to the masters, research their claims and prove to your own mind what they say is true and accurate. Question EVERYTHING...Not because you distrust, but because you want to know what it all really means. Study the old school guys and gear.. Because everything that they do today has a reason from yesterday. Work for everyone you possibly can. Not to be known as a job hopper, but to learn tips, tricks, and secrets from each of them. Even the idiots can teach you what NOT to do. There are three levels of service.... Good --Fast -- Cheap ....You may choose two. Be patient, but persistent. If they said no today, it does not mean no tomorrow. Attitude and professionalism always counts. ALWAYS.
  15. Sound utility or apprentice boom op. Experienced FOH-- A-1 or A-2 Hard worker, fast learner, drama free.... Willing to travel. Based in Atlanta Ga. IATSE Local 479 member. Anytime after April 20, 2012. 770-318-1032
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