Prepping for a Job

[Jan McL]

Oh-for-heaven's-sake, just typed a long meditation on the subject.

Lost.

I give up for the nonce.

-- Jan

[graham]

Oh-for-heaven's-sake, just typed a long meditation on the subject.

Lost.

I give up for the nonce.

-- Jan

HA! You actually nailed it!

A few times after planning and building I find an issue that would cause me to feel like that.

Most times, however, its a bit of zen and enjoyable for me to prep.

Sorry you lost all that work

[Jan McL]

Ha. Yeah. One thing and another. Best approached slowly.

For example, just yesterday the track pad on the computer began to have a mind of its own. Wouldn't you know?

Another thing I learned is that industrial velcro doesn't mix with regular soft velcro very well. Rather like chewing gum in the hair. Duly noted.

-- Jan

[jason porter]

I love prepping for a job.  For me that means, cleaning the kit (literally) checking all my cabling (incl lavs)  and fixing anything that I need to.  9/10 times I use the same setup so not much needs to be worked out in that area.

[Eric Toline]

First it's getting as much information as possible from the client about what's going to happen. Then it's going over the signal flow and routing issues if any. What specific gear may be required and bringing more stuff than I think they'll need because as we all know there are always last minute changes that you don't find out about until you're on set.

Eric

[RPSharman]

I, too, love prepping for a job.

Every job is different and seems to have different requirements.  I'm pretty much set up the way I like it, so modifications have become unnecessary as a general rule.

My last prep gave me the opportunity to really go through everything and put my gear in cases and on pallets.  It makes you think about what you really NEED.  Unfortunately, I didn't need to do it at all!!

Robert

[Guest BobD]

Make sure everything is loaded, and make sure the expendables are stocked...  That's about it....

[Philip Perkins]

I think that it is very telling that most all of you/us enjoy the prep process--if you DIDN'T like it, and didn't care about doing a good job with it, you would probably be a lousy location sound person.  So much of what makes us good at our jobs is involved with this prep--having everything you need and knowing where it is, how it works and that it DOES work (even if it worked last time you used it).  I will confess some weariness with the process after all these many years, but have had carved into my soul what the consequences are of NOT doing an in-depth prep for even a simple job.  When I got into location multitrack music recording the preps expanded a lot, and now include mandatory scouts--tedious sometimes but ALWAYS very revealing of how the job should be done.  In my regular video sound-guy work I almost never GET scouts, and this means that the prep must be more inclusive to meet issues that my clients haven't foreseen.....  In any case--the focusing process involved in the prep is a little like musicians rehearsing before a gig, and I try to treat it with the same sense of importance.

phil p

[ProSound]

Make sure everything is loaded, and make sure the expendables are stocked...  That's about it....

For about 90% of my jobs As long as I don't forget to load something in truck I am in good shape. Only times I have been caught with my pants down is when I am required to pack light per a clients request and either can't find something or was forced to leave it behind. As mostly a Video 5D or RED bag based sound mixer most jobs consist of my 744T/442 bag 2 pelicans 1 storage bin( with all my snakes and adapter/ Slates)  my Rock n Roller Poor mans sound cart boom poles and my Save a shoot/ run bag. which goes into the truck. Upon arriving on site just the sound bag, boom run bag, storage bin and cart come out. All the other stuff is spare. Twice a year I unpack everything I own from every case and pouch and evaluate if I really need to always carry it with when in a effort to keep my kit as lean as possible. Of course the second i remove something from my cases I need it. My most important prep thing to do is talking with the Company, DP DIT and Editor to get the work flow straight. As often everyone has a different idea or no idea what to do.

Earlier this year I was hired last minute on a RED job and when i arrived on set the producer told me the camera was to be shooting at 23.976. The DP told me he was doing 24P and the editor wanted it at 24. When I reported this to the producer he said just do what I am telling you. That didn't sit well with me so I made everyone sit down together on the phone and hash it all out.

[Jon Gilbert]

I'm prepping for my next job right now, I'm doing 48 days in Afghanistan, in 3 stints of 16 days thankfully! On active patrol with the troops, so am currently on a refresher course for my 'Hostile Environments' certification, then next week I'll start  prepping the kit, and myself for the desert.

[Guest BobD]

Just to clarify...  I do LIKE to prep, but as long as my stuff is in this case, I'm good to go.... it is always organized, and I can go any route in a few minutes from here...  As long as I have my expendables...    I usually go through and make sure everything is in it's place after each show, so I'm good to go on the next...  Kinda like pre-prepping...

[Eric Toline]

I'm prepping for my next job right now, I'm doing 48 days in Afghanistan, in 3 stints of 16 days thankfully! On active patrol with the troops, so am currently on a refresher course for my 'Hostile Environments' certification, then next week I'll start  prepping the kit, and myself for the desert.

Be careful out there. Kevlar is your friend.

Eric

[Jan McL]

Jeeze, Jon, good luck! Our prayers travel with you.

I love prepping, too. A lot. Especially when I can do it with a modicum of zen, as I've mostly been able to do this slow year. The last few years have been exciting gear-changing times. New mixer, recorder, radios, the possibility of a follow cart now I have regular 3-person crews, and the necessity of a 2nd Unit cart I can transport. These changes are one thing on a rack-based cart, and quite another on the horizontal previously-non-rack-mount friendly version of the Gemini Jr. Lots of fun, research, big decisions, bunches of wrong turns, surprises, and learning.

One thing that makes prep easier for me is an ever-updated draft gmail that contains checklists of 2nd unit and documentary gear, boom op and third gear; the ever-evolving list of talking points for the UPM, post-production, and camera/DIT; the ongoing list of stuff that needs repaired/modded/bought; and the short to-do list that includes preparation of sound reports, labels, and insurance.

Because set can be very fast-paced, I have one piece of tape on the cart where I note stuff, including stuff I've borrowed or lent, and those repairs/mods/things to buy, all of which gets accomplished or transferred to the email.

Glad I was in the mood this morning to reconstruct (more or less) yesterday's meditation on prep.

Ohm.

-- Jan

P.S. I've a guest student coming for a cart visit today And I AM in possession of a bunch of 6" PVC pipe good for storing zeppelins looking for good homes.

[gabi]

To me prepping for a job is all about reading the script, scouting, preparing the locations in terms of acoustics, talking to post about workflow to make sure everyone is on the same page, and of course checking the gear to see if anything needs to be fixed, modified or replaced.

Whenever I finish a film I make a list of the stuff I wish I had and would have made my life easier if I had on my kit like, for instance, a plug on tx, or a DI-box to record a guitar, or a faster charger or a bigger battery or whatever and try to buy that stuff before my next job. The kit is always getting bigger.

I find Whitney's approach to keep it light and simple absolutely adorable and extraordinary and I wish I could take that path. But unfortunately I just cannot.

Gabi Cunha

[Philip Perkins]

I agree w/ Bob and Whitney (and everybody probably) that keeping a certain standard kit together makes life a lot easier, but I've been getting some pressure to bring LESS as the cameras get smaller, and the jobs seem to get ever more ODDBALL in their need for strange widgets and connections, so I find I still need to putter around in the shop for quite awhile before I load up for even something easy (or so the producer SAID....)

phil p

[ProSound]

I've been getting some pressure to bring LESS as the cameras get smaller, and the jobs seem to get ever more ODDBALL in their need for strange widgets and connections, so I find I still need to putter around in the shop for quite awhile before I load up for even something easy (or so the producer SAID....)

phil p

ODDBALL connections and places I need to send audio to are getting stranger. My adapter pouches are the heaviest thing I carry but never leave home without. If my two pouches got lost or stolen I won't even be sure exactly what I have but I know it saves me on a regular basis. I have only been collecting adapters since 1994-95 I can only imagine over the years how many some of you have collected.

[Jan McL]

I don't think the visual people have even begun to explore the huge possibilities small cameras open up. When that creativity is fully expressed, soundies will be put in ever-more-challenging positions (literally and figuratively).

While some kind of logic implies that sound packages will also shrink, my guess is that -- in order to be able to handle all this visual creativity -- sound packages will in fact have to grow, and at the same time, be more flexible. More flexible CAN mean more stuff, albeit more smaller stuff.

Phil, you exemplify the new flexibility with extreme grace. I'm not so sure I can get that flexible these days, though I'm preparing to bend the way the wind seems to be blowing (the smaller, self-transportable 2nd Unit cart that may grow into a more svelte 1st Unit cart).

Over the winter, need to create a pre-built over-the-shoulder breakaway kit that will entail doubles on lots of stuff. Oy.

OK, that last sentence made my head explode.

When I've been asked to bring less stuff I ask the producer or UPM if they're prepared to have the crew wait for that hour or two round trip to pick up that replacement since the law that whatever you don't bring you will need is inflexible, inexorable, and cruel. So long as the answer is, "Yes," I've been known to trim the package of belts, suspenders, ropes, tape, and gum bands it's taken me 20 years to collect to a more bare minimum.

Which reminds me: on a couple early jobs I brought along an extra case that had nothing sound-related in it, so they'd think I had some gear. OMG. I was scared shitless.

Time for a nap.

-- Jan

[joecrabb]

ODDBALL connections and places I need to send audio to are getting stranger. My adapter pouches are the heaviest thing I carry but never leave home without. If my two pouches got lost or stolen I won't even be sure exactly what I have but I know it saves me on a regular basis. I have only been collecting adapters since 1994-95 I can only imagine over the years how many some of you have collected.

This happened to me about 6 months ago Whitney. I had my "Sav-A-Shoot" bag that had all the adapters I had collected over 20 years snatched fro a gig. It was heart wrenching. Nothing was taken that would ever keep me from working another gig, but I almost wish it had been my mixer or something like that. It would have been much easier to replace. The problem is that I don't really know what special adapter I might need until I need it. Much like Gabi said, I tend to collect things as I find that I need them.

[Derek H]

Jan - Love the bit about bringing "dummy" cases to look the part!

I only own enough gear to do the "bag" jobs and sometimes it seems that the less you can bring and still be effective the more the producers are impressed.  Also, I've found that on a lot of the documentary type work I do if I have a large bag or pelican with backup stuff in it it won't do me any good unless I drag it everywhere we go all day.. which is often not an option; so a smaller bag with the bare minimum is a much better route. 

For example on my current job I can carry everything I need by myself in one trip. 

- 1 mixer rig. (302 rig in a petrol 302 bag: 2x radios with transmitters and lavs/clips/tape, comtek Tx, and Zax Tx)

- 1 small utility bag

- 1 boom pole.

This way it can all easily go into the trunk of any vehicle even if the trunk is already mostly full.

Inside the small utility bag I have a single lectro leather pouch that carries all my backup stuff that I normally never need to open.

- Spare transmitters

- A breakaway cable  (serves as backup for the camera hops)

- A few short XLRs of different types: coily, cloth, etc..

- Spare Antennas

The idea being that I have just enough to get me through the day if any cable or component in the mixer rig fails (well.. except the mixer itself I guess, but I've come to trust the 302 I have)

[engaudio]

I'm the same as you Derek,

My "everyday kit" comprises of a pegz-1 with nearly everything intact.

mixer, radios x2 , lavs, link cable for a board feed, marantz recorder etc...

I have a pelican 550(?) with my rycote in it so it doesn't get squashed plus some extras (radios/belts/adapter cables) and over the last 15 years I've been able to do around 90% of my eng/magazine shows with just that kit. (plus there's 2x large pelicans at home with equipment that comes out/gets swapped over on a job by job basis) On some commercials I'll bring along my extra cases, usually for show like Jan did. Only 'cause I usually otherwise get asked where all my equipment is...

I've learnt over the years to keep my kit simple (but be able to handle surprises) and more importantly small enough to sit on my knee when travelling from location to location in the back of a small car.

Works for me so far!

Regards,

Grant.

Jan - Love the bit about bringing "dummy" cases to look the part!

I only own enough gear to do the "bag" jobs and sometimes it seems that the less you can bring and still be effective the more the producers are impressed.  Also, I've found that on a lot of the documentary type work I do if I have a large bag or pelican with backup stuff in it it won't do me any good unless I drag it everywhere we go all day.. which is often not an option; so a smaller bag with the bare minimum is a much better route. 

For example on my current job I can carry everything I need by myself in one trip. 

- 1 mixer rig. (302 rig in a petrol 302 bag: 2x radios with transmitters and lavs/clips/tape, comtek Tx, and Zax Tx)

- 1 small utility bag

- 1 boom pole.

[Freeheel]

Laughing at the extra cases to make the kit look bigger...  I was working on some show and needed a couple of extra channels for something.  I had a Mackie 1604 16 channel mixer in the closet so I brought that along.  The producer saw it, and with an impressed intake of breath, asked how much extra it was going to cost for that big mixer...     

I was kinda torn between charging him the extra he was expecting, or explaining that the mixer was worth about the same as his comtek...

Brent C

And on the subject of prep, I love that my Ipower 9 volts mean that I don't have to  A) figure out how many 9 volts I need for an out of town shoot, run out  and buy a large heavy pile of 9 volts, and C) figure out what I'm going to leave behind so that my bags will still be under the baggage weight limit...

[Hollandaudio]

To me prepping for a job is all about reading the script, scouting, preparing the locations in terms of acoustics, talking to post about workflow to make sure everyone is on the same page, and of course checking the gear to see if anything needs to be fixed, modified or replaced.

Whenever I finish a film I make a list of the stuff I wish I had and would have made my life easier if I had on my kit like, for instance, a plug on tx, or a DI-box to record a guitar, or a faster charger or a bigger battery or whatever and try to buy that stuff before my next job. The kit is always getting bigger.

  I'm similar to Gabi.  I keep a running list of 'Things I need for next time.'  So I review that list as I spec out the new script for the new show.  I've also asked and have learned immensely from Boom ops and utilities.  They work with all of us and see different kits and different shows.  'If they say bongo ties work better than hair ties;' I pay attention.

Then script, post workflow, camera tests, locations etc

[mikewest]

I've usually found that with drama shoots there is adequate time and info to be prepared,

Nowdays my commercial shoots are not straightforward as I get a script and storyboards and some emails.

I often arrive on call to find the story has change - no dialogue or more actors or "they may speak" ?

Most stressful preps are for overseas documentaries.

Equipment choice and testing/ backups/ spares / tools/ batteries / R/T's / rushes delivery kit

then

Carnet application docs / bond payment / equipment insurance / health insurance / vaccinations /Visas/ currency

Finally sitting on the plane with a glass of champagne is a moment of ultimate relaxation after all that!

mike

www.mikewestgatesound.co.nz