US 
Canada Category: Production Stuff
Let’s go to the hop, (oh baby)
I get asked more and more every day about camera hops –what’s available and what’s coming. It seems as though we have run around the circle in audio from double system Nagra to recording direct to camera and now back to double system on hard disk recorders (and with a lot more channels). It still […]
READ MORETrew Audio Toronto Workflow Sessions
This past June our Tyler Wade and his staff at the Trew Audio Toronto store hosted an evening of information and discussion regarding some elements of the Sound for Picture Workflow. Our panel of experts for the evening included Charlie Parra of Denecke, Kyle Kurbegovich of PS Toronto, Julian Daboll of Technicolor, Paul Isaacs […]
READ MOREAn impromptu interview with Glen Piegari
TREW: When did you shoot the Alaska Experiment? GP: “Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment” began shooting mid-September and wrapped mid October, 2008. It was the perfect time of year as we saw lush alpine tundra and forest turn into a stark, harsh landscape covered by heavy snow. This visual was a very strong […]
READ MOREYes, we should EQ on set
Should EQ be avoided on the set? Only when it is not needed. I’ll preface the following explanation by stating the obvious: Everything about a production Sound Mixer’s job should be done judiciously, whether it involves the use of faders, limiters, choice of microphones, how hard to press when writing on a 4-part sound report, […]
READ MOREDoing a Deal
Rick Patton on the set of “Bird on a Wire” in Victoria, British Columbia. Many young people working in the movies start off with a certain disdain for business. For them it’s about the work, about the film. Money is necessary but it’s not why you do it. Young filmmakers routinely beg, borrow, and steal […]
READ MORESet Etiquette and the Chain of Command – Part 2
You have a responsibility to deliver good sound. It doesn’t matter whether you are the Production Mixer or the EPK guy. There will be times when you need something from the people around you, like quiet. It may be that the people around you will not give you what you need, even after you […]
READ MOREThe Four Horsemen of Troubleshooting
When the crew is looking at you, the only person who isn’t ready to roll, you may hope for the Apocalypse. Alas, it is time to start troubleshooting. Checking cables for shorts, gear for correct settings, battery life, and the source of that stupid hum can drive you mad. One of the most difficult tasks […]
READ MOREA Tale of Two Productions, Part 2
Public transportation… I love it. Partly due to my roots in a small town, part gas prices, and part Nashville barely has any. So on a recent trip to Chicago to see the sights from the Sears tower, and visit some of my wife’s family in the suburbs, we used the L, city buses, and […]
READ MOREA Tale of Two Productions, Part 1
For the next couple of weeks I’m going to discuss two recent “field trips” I took to a film production and world famous production facility. Though intensely different on the surface, each project and company you work for has important similarities. Audio gear will change, but signal flow never does. My first trip was deep […]
READ MORE
