RandyHall

An 11-frame offset is weird. I'd like to know if it continuously drifted, or if it was a constant 11 frames. If it's the latter, then I'd suspect a bad jam at some point, and this does happen. If it's consistent, then any good assistant editor can fix this in seconds.

I have pointed out before to editors: "if the slate is correct and matches the sound timecode, then the timecode problem is not with the sound department." I'm not belligerent about it, but I've made them understand that many cameras are no longer reliable with timecode, and we can't always trust the camera department to use external boxes correctly, especially since it's out of our hands.

I've been working on an F3 project right now where we only have an SB-T box for one camera, and the B camera jams off the first camera. It drifts all day long, but stays in sync for each take. The editor shrugged and told me, "no big deal -- I'm just fixing it as we go along." I only found out about it the second week, or else I would've made them spend the money for a second box.

It's sad when you can't even trust Sony to get timecode right...

I'm starting to think that, in order to shave costs to the bone in order to increase margins, they figure that TCXO or licensing Ambient's clock or whatever is too much.

Updated firmware, reset to factory and all working now. Thanks for all your help guys!

Sad that you had to update firmware in a rental. Sheesh.

That's the stuff of madness.

I know. I had a rather skeptical look on my face when he said it. The sound instructor for the same film school is more in line with this group's philosophy.

Funny, my wife asked WTF is time code (mostly because I'm looking to get a lockit, and all she sees are the dollar signs). And I told her about syncing picture to sound, but also that script supers and other production people will use it for production notes, so its usefulness goes way beyond merely the sound and camera departments.

Being organized, as always, is key. Lip-sync'ing to picture sounds like a little slice of heaven.

Fellow JWsound member Pedantic Sound (Jesse) and myself booming John DeLancie and fans at BronyCon last weekend. Jesse has the blimp and my mic is the fuzzy one. It was a fun job!

Looks like Jesse's got the angle on you. Need a longer boom pole!

Denecke or some tech/hacker type should start mod'ing iPads by putting an Ambient/Denecke high accuracy crystal in them. Not a solutions for the other problems but that would make it as jam syncable as a Denecke Slate. (I'm currently in the market for a used Denecke slate if one can be found...though that doesn't seem likely :-/)

For instance, if someone were to sign up for the "Works with iPad" program that Apple has (which costs $$) and develop a timecode dongle that plugs onto the dock connector. But then, they'd sell it for $1300, which is what the Denecke slates sell for. Fail.

Tearing open an iPad is not a trivial task. Finding the oscillator and replacing it with TCXO and then being able to bolt the thing back together sounds like a quick way to turn an iPad into a cute glass-topped tray or cutting board.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcIwXVKQjsQ

At the risk of the obvious set jokes, I always thought that elderly walkers would be an ideal platform for a "rest my bag" type of mobile cart.

You mean you're not already the butt of jokes on set? AFAIK, production sound has about the same on-set prestige as a drummer in a rock band.

Yeah, I gotta say it's worth asking "what went wrong?" and call it out. If we as a community aren't pointing out really bad as well as really good film and TV sound, then we miss an opportunity to promote our trade and craft.

I'm sure all that money will keep him warm at night. That, and whatever Scientology has done to his poor brain.

I agree with you about all the howling... And I think we will have a MUCH better idea of where the mainstream minds are about the lunatic fringe after Mitt "Etch-a-sketch" Romney announces his VP selection.

I've heard noises in recent days that Madame Batshit herself, Bachmann thinks she is worthy of being a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. I think Mitt's handlers are savvy enough to keep her name on the list, if only to keep the wingnut faction that follows her happy. If he actually goes and pulls a McCain and selects her... That will be giving credence to those fools and the Republican party truly will be lost to insanity.

I'm obviously not a fan of the right wing fools, but I would hope that the rest of the party would decide to rejoin at least the PROCESS and be a little more willing to compromise in ways other than the "You give up everything, and we give up nothing" way they have ruined the process recently. That can't happen until they tell the looneys where the exit is. Unfortunately, the looneys showed up and elected people, which is all the Republicans care about - taking control again.

If our own recent voting turnout is any indication... The Democrats are in a bad way. If Mitt caters to the wingnuts and selects Ms. Batshit... We might be doomed.

Yes, their "my way or the highway" politics have been particularly tiresome. Not that the Democrats aren't equally culpable in the current mess, but at least they're trying to come up with ideas that actually appeal to the center. I'm sure the more conservative folks on here feel that the "libtards" are on a mission to tax and spend every nickel they can steal from the middle class. Sigh, the rhetoric really does get old.

If the camera has a TC in port, then the lockit/TC Buddy/whatever goes with it and I would assume constantly jam sync it. Meanwhile it's sending TC over wifi (and I'm not suggesting you use anything less than a real access point, powered off of whatever power system you have, with WPA2 security and no internet connection. The iPad here is supposed to work as a slate).

So far, the major problem I have with the iPad/MovieSlate/TC Buddy continuous jam over wifi is that it is a substantial drain on the iPad battery. I've addressed the battery question by using an external USB battery and velcro-ing to the back of the bundle I have (I've seen elsewhere on here that people are uppity about such hacking, but I put it together in such a way that it doesn't look hackerish (at least to me).

Honestly, WiFi is not the enemy. Publicly accessible WiFi, now THAT I wouldn't use in a million years.

If you've used the sound report on MovieSlate (I don't remember if you have), you'll find that it's a (mostly) capable add-on. I especially like that if you have multiple iDevices and a wifi access point, you can continuously jam them to each other and the TC Buddy. Good for multiple cameras scattered about. No idea if that situation might ever arise though.

One use case that I've run into that annoys me somewhat is when using it as the primary production slate and doing filename sync (a poor man's meta data, but hey, when it works, it's freaking awesome). When camera wants to run a take MOS, the app doesn't disable sound reporting for that take, it just assumes that even though you're marking MOS on the slate, you're still rolling sound. Makes keeping a single sound/shot report pretty much a by-hand operation, which hurts my head.

MovieSlate, are you listening?

As with this health plan... It is a start.

I remember the rhetoric at the signing of the bill, that it was a "first step" toward what should be the best possible solution.

Personally, I'd be for single payer, but after the howling and shouting the Tea Party did at town halls that lead to such backlash, they all treat single payer as the electric third rail.

They don't seem to care about the editor's time, so why even bother?

Exactly. If I care about the editor (as in, the person is a friend), I might fight for having the crew use a slate. But if they're going to play amateur hour with sync sound, you just do your best and shrug your shoulders at them.

I worked a spec TV job where I was hardwired into the camera for single source, and then later they had me rolling sound separately because they had moved to a DSLR (this was on a sailboat out on SF Bay). I looked at them and asked how they wanted to slate it and the talent (who is also the producer) said, "no time, we gotta move." I just shrugged my shoulders and gave them the audio at the end of the day. Just glad I'm not editing it.

" it depends "

cha-ching

I gather you get a commission each time the phrase is used

Hey Randy,

It's 16 here in SF which covers a lot of grounds within the radius of SF. Though, it's more geared toward stage and corporate, many times we get called for the 'bigger' stuff that comes into town (Moneyball, The Master).

Yeah, I bothered to google "IATSE San Francisco". Wasn't too difficult.

As I'm not union (and might never be, considering I'm more likely to be considered management) I am not terribly well connected to contract negotiations, or standard contracts, and so on. I'm sure that as I get more indoctrinated into this, I will learn a great deal about it.

Nevertheless, I support you guys and believe in being fair to labor, even if the paperwork is a pain in the backside.

In the US SB3s aren't considered a "Lockit". Usually the term "Lockit" implies the ability to output a sync signal along with TC, as with the Ambient boxes or Denecke SBT. And yes, they can be a source of rate bumps if the production understands their value.

phil p

So you're saying there needs to be genlock in order to count as a lockit? I thought the whole point of a timecode box (at least in this thread) was syncing sound to picture, not multiple cameras to each other.

Based on tests I've done with MovieSlate, the screen updates in such a manner that there is ghosting on the TC display if the timing on the app isn't lockstep with the shutter on the camera. If you use other features of the app, such as a credit roll, the problem becomes even more visible, as screen updates tend to move as fast as the poor device can flicker and you seen blending between one screen and the one before and/or next.

It may be that jamming TC on a real camera and then continuously jamming the iPad app might help with some of that, but I don't have the gear to test that. Yet.

In the present climate of cost cutting and crew reductions it seems to me that this is a very simple way of making the Sound Department more robust by 'Value Adding' as long as you don't make the mistake of supplying it for free or including it in your base rate.

It does raise the question of "how much extra can you usually get for renting the gear as add-ons?" I'm trying to assess if a slate and or lockit is in my near future.

I think they are being taught that timecode is obsolete and unnecessary. At least I've heard that from one instructor I've talked with.

OTOH, from where I'm standing, TC is just about the easiest thing to provide and with a jammed TC slate of one variety or another (not opening the Denecke versus iPad app argument here) used at least as an insert slate. I always thought editors liked that any given footage would have a marker in it that told you what the hell the scene and take were, so you could stay organized in post.

Whatever.

I'm not sure if this stuff is due to carelessness, lack of knowledge, limited time, limited budget, or just plain stupidity. (Or most of the above.)

Bingo.

The rather cryptic LEMO source catalog...

http://www.lemo.nl/assets/files/Catalogus/00%20Series%20preliminary.pdf

Sourcing is another matter. Mouser (mouser.com) might have something, I hate Digikey though.

Another video with left channel.

/facepalm

Say no more...

http://instagr.am/p/KFB1YeFp9n/

Just don't go making any sudden turns there, Mr. Cameraman...

I started off with a ktek, but just got a used VDB 18' with internal coil. It was way to noisy, so I pulled that out and ran a 25' straight through it and it's the best I've used so far. Got hooked on them while 2nd booming on "House of Cards" with Mike Primmer and Mark Weingarten. Great poles, as long as they're the right model.

I was thinking the coil in my K-Tek is way too noisy, and might just have to remove it in favor of a straight cable. More soldering ahead.