Departments

LOCAL 695 HONORS THE ART OF PRODUCTION SOUND THROUGH THE SUCCESS OF ALL AWARD NOMINEES

[Names in BOLD are Local 695 members.]

Academy Award Winners

The Oscar winners for “Best Sound Mixing” were announced at the 89th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 26, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. The ceremony was broadcast on ABC Television and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Hacksaw Ridge
Peter Grace, Robert Mackenzie, Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright
Production Sound Team:
Shanti Burn, Sue Kerr, Tania Payne

BAFTA Winners

The EE British Academy Film Award winners for “Best Sound” were announced at the awards ceremony on Sunday, February 12, 2017, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, and broadcast on BBC One and BBC One HD in the UK.

Arrival
Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Sylvain Bellemare
Production Sound Team: Francis Péloquin, Ilyaa Ghafouri

Cinema Society Awards

The 53rd Annual CAS Award winners were announced at the awards ceremony on Saturday, February 18, 2017, in the Bunker Hill Ballroom of the OMNI Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza. The Cinema Audio Society was proud to present its highest accolade to a man who personifies the high standards of the Cinema Audio Society, John Pritchett CAS.

MOTION PICTURES – LIVE ACTION
La La Land
Production Mixer – Steven Morrow CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Andy Nelson CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Ai-Ling Lee
Scoring Mixer – Nicholai Baxter
ADR Mixer – David Betancourt
Production Sound Team: Craig A. Dollinger, Michael H. Kaleta

MOTION PICTURES – ANIMATED
Finding Dory
Original Dialogue Mixer – Doc Kane CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Nathan Nance
Re-recording Mixer – Michael Semanick CAS
Scoring Mixer – Thomas Vicari CAS
Foley Mixer – Scott Curtis

MOTION PICTURES – DOCUMENTARY
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
Production Mixer – Dimitri Tisseyre
Production Mixer – Dennis Hamlin
Re-recording Mixer – Peter Horner

TELEVISION SERIES – ONE HOUR
Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards”
Production Mixer – Ronan Hill CAS
Production Mixer – Richard Dyer CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Onnalee Blank CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Mathew Waters CAS
Foley Mixer – Brett Voss CAS

TELEVISION SERIES – HALF-HOUR
Modern Family “The Storm”
Production Mixer – Stephen A. Tibbo CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Dean Okrand CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Brian R. Harman CAS
Production Sound Team: Srdjan ‘Serge’ Popovic, William Munroe, Peter Hansen

TELEVISION NON-FICTION, VARIETY, MUSIC SERIES OR SPECIALS
Grease Live!
Production Mixer – J. Mark King
Music Mixer – Biff Dawes
Playback and SFX Mixer – Eric Johnston
Pro Tools Playback Music Mixer – Pablo Munguia

TELEVISION MOVIES AND MINI-SERIES
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Production Mixer – John Bauman
Re-recording Mixer – Joe Earle CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Doug Andham CAS
ADR Mixer – Judah Getz
Foley Mixer – John Guentner
Production Sound Team: Ace Williams, Andy Adams, Don Coufal, Kris Wilcox, Brian Robinson, Chris Quilty, Scott Farr

AMPS Winners

On Sunday, February 12, 2017, the 4th Annual Association of Motion Picture Sound Award for Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film was awarded to Arrival.

Arrival
Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Sylvain Bellemare
Production Sound Team: Francis Péloquin, Ilyaa Ghafouri

Status of the Current FCC Incentive Auction

The Other Shoe

The FCC released DA-17-376A1 April 20, 2017, and though a bit unclear as to timelines, it does not bode very well for professional wireless users. The document is available at the FCC’s website: http://transition.fcc.gov/… /Dai…/2017/db0420/DA-17-376A1.pdf

Immediately after the auction, we all breathed a sigh of relief when we realized that the band below 608 MHz (Lectro Blocks 23 and below) would still be available for our use, pending the reallocation of any UHF TV stations that would be relocating.

The ‘other shoe’ has dropped.

The number of UHF TV stations relocating from above UHF Ch. 37 to below 37 in most of the major markets, is going to dramatically reduce the bandwidth available for licensed and unlicensed wireless microphone use.

Remember, UHF TV Ch. 37 is reserved for Radio Astronomy only!

IATSE Local 695 is in LA (FCC—please read that as Hollywood…), which is probably one of the ‘worst case’ scenarios. Though the actual timetable is as yet uncertain, when the transition is complete by July 2020, this is what the spectrum in LA will look like:

The following VHF and UHF channels will be occupied by TV stations:

VHF: 4, 5, 12
UHF: 22, 24, 25, 27, 30, 31, 32 and 35.
In terms of Lectro Blocks, which are 25.5 MHz wide,
Block 470 will have about 8 MHz open for us,
Block 19 will have between 6 MHz and 18 MHz open,
Block 20 will have 12 MHz open,
Block 21 will have between zero and 13.5 MHz open,
Block 22 will have between zero and 7.5 MHz open,
Block 23 will have between 6 MHz and 12 MHz open.
There will be a “Guard Band” just above Ch. 37, 614 MHz to 616 MHz (UHF Channel 38, Lectro Block 24) and this will be open for licensed and unlicensed use.

A larger band, the infamous ‘duplex gap’ (the 11 MHz guard band between up and down broadband) is also available for wireless mic use. 653 MHz through 657 MHz is available for licensed use only, and 657 MHz through 663 MHz is available for licensed and unlicensed wireless mic use (straddling UHF Channels 44 to 46, all in Lectro Block 25), but limited to 20 mW output at the transmitter. Some existing stations seem to be repurposed (Ch. 22), but if existing stations (18, 28, and 34) stay where they are, look for the worst possible case.

I consulted with RF guru Bill Ruck in San Francisco as to my accuracy in the below chart. The chart is based on available information, and all the details aren’t in at this time, so please view as an accurate approximation, but still an approximation.

Bill Ruck’s reply to the FCC’s publication: “What is confusing me is that there is no place that I can find that gives details on which stations sold their channel and are going dark. Not sure if stations not listed are the ones going dark.

Stations were offered money to move from UHF to High Band VHF (7-13) and Low Band VHF (2-6). This allows them to keep transmitting which keeps them in cable TV systems as a broadcaster but really makes home off-air reception messier. Many “Digital TV Antennas” are UHF only and won’t receive 2-6 and 7-13 well.

Also, the Part 90 Land Mobile channels are mandated to go away but some jurisdictions, especially the LA Sheriff, have told the FCC, “I’ve got a gun and a badge and you can’t have my radio channels.”

They need to go back to Congress to change the law. The reason why TV channels 14-20 are not shown in the postauction transition plan is because those are still in FCC Part 90 Land Mobile and not available for TV broadcasting. Channels allotted to Part 90 are also not available for Part 74 Low Power Auxiliary Services (LPAS). When the repacking is over, the law requires that those channels go away from Part 90 Land Mobile but there are rumors that Congress may be convinced to change the law and allow areas with “T-Band” Part 90 Land Mobile channels to remain especially for Public Safety licensees.

Exactly how this plays out is completely unknown.

Note that FCC Rule 90.303 shows TV channels 14, 16, and 20 as allotted to Part 90 in Los Angeles County. But Got Broken Equipment? Send It Our Way! Lectrosonics – Zaxcom – Sound Designs Sennheiser – Shure – Cooper Mixers Contact Us At: 1.888.259.4684 or Visit our website at: dwsoundservice.com If your equipment is not listed here Experts in the Repair of Production Sound Systems the LA Sheriff has one more TV channel, 15, licensed in Part 90 with licensee “Los Angeles County.”

TV channels 17, 18, and 19 have no Part 90 licensees and have a bunch of LPAS licensees in LA so those can be used for wireless microphones.

The transition time is highly speculative. Congress mandated that but in many places the stations can’t change fast enough. The geographical phases are meant to organize the transition so every station moves, at the same time. Interlocking coverage makes it impossible to do this randomly. Everybody I talked to at the NAB show realizes that the transition schedule is not based on reality. Because of interlocking station moves, all it will take is one station to have a hiccup and the whole process falls apart. There is no way to predict this but I heard that the NAB will be petitioning the FCC to make a more realistic transition schedule. Problem is, though, that the FCC is not the one that mandated thirty-nine months, it was Congress. Again, it will take Congress to change that law to allow a more reasonable transition. Compound that with ATSC 3.0, a totally incompatible modulation scheme with present ATSC, and how to manage that transition, it gets complicated.

Also, best as I know, no manufacturer has been able to make 900 MHz wireless microphone transmitters that meet the new, tighter, RF mask. Lectrosonics has petitioned the FCC to reconsider this regulation and supporting filings have been made by the other wireless microphone transmitter manufacturers.

Overall, it is best to watch a train wreck from a distance.

In the meantime, “Bring lots of mic cable™.”

Bill Ruck San Francisco

There you have it. Look for updates in the next issue of Production Sound & Video.

Jay Patterson CAS
Vice President IATSE Local 695
Co-chair Technical Trends Committee

Training: Recording Sound for VR
by Laurence B. Abrams

VR picture and VR sound are no longer just for gaming. More and more, we’re seeing that 3600 logo showing up for music, commercials, promos, news, specials features and now, we’re even starting to see long-form content producers find ways to use it. The future of VR is just about here. To help carry this technology forward, Local 695 created a “Sound for VR” class, conducted by Ben Adams, Local 695 member and expert in “ambisonic” recording.

Ambisonic recording takes surround sound to the next level by creating a full and accurate sphere of sound that completely envelopes the listener. It’s like three-dimensional M/S stereo with added channels for height and depth. In class, Ben demonstrated on-set workflow using a Soundfield ST-450 tetrahedral mic with a Sound Devices 788 to create the initial discrete four-channel recordings in “A Format.” After a discussion of timecode and monitoring issues, these A Format files were then converted to “First Order Ambisonics (FOA) B Format,” which combines the tracks but preserves them in a format that is completely controllable. The next step was to demonstrate how to spatialize the B Format data and combine it with mono and stereo point sources and the “headlocked” tracks and then manipulating each element to its precise location in the sound field.

Instructor Ben Adams

On hand for the class were a variety of ambisonic microphones (and binaural, too), a VR camera, recorders and post-processing software for extensive hands-on experimentation, giving everyone the chance to create sample recordings and listen to the results in fully interactive VR format.

The response to this training was enthusiastic, with two classes filling up immediately and with two more added to the schedule and filling up just as quickly. We do apologize to everyone still on the waiting list but this says a lot about the interest in this intriguing area of technology. We plan to announce more classes soon.

Exer Urgent Care Clinics

Beginning December 1, 2016, participants using the Motion Picture Industry Health Plan (“MPIHP”)/ Anthem Blue Cross network can visit an Exer Urgent Care (“Exer”) clinic and only pay a $15 copay. Participants using these urgent care clinics will not be required to pay a coinsurance. Exer’s clinics, which are located throughout the county of Los Angeles, are staffed by emergency room physicians, open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and see patients six months and older.

Telemedicine

Beginning December 1, 2016, participants enrolled in the Motion Picture Industry Health Plan (“MPIHP”)/Anthem Blue Cross network have the ability to use a new telemedicine benefit. Participants will be required to pay a $20 copay for this covered benefit and will not be required to pay a coinsurance.

Telemedicine allows a patient to visit with a physician by phone or to engage in online video communication through computer, smartphone or tablet. It is intended to provide low-cost medical care for after hours or when a participant is away from home. It should not be used if acute emergency help is needed.

Telemedicine is most commonly used by individuals to treat ear, nose and throat conditions, colds, sore throats, allergies, sinusitis, urinary tract infections and rashes. Participants who experience more severe symptoms will be referred immediately to the appropriate level of care. In true emergencies, the telemedicine physician will call 911 and stay on the line with the participant until the paramedics arrive.

Online to participants enrolled in MPIHP/Anthem Blue Cross. The service area includes all states in the United States, with the exception of Alaska, Arkansas and Texas. This service may not be used by a participant when they are outside of the United States.

Participants enrolled in Medicare should note that online telemedicine is not a covered benefit.

Access LiveHealth Online at www.livehealthonline.com

​MPTF: Looking for ways to give back to your community?

The MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund) supports our entertainment community in living and aging well, with dignity and purpose, and in helping each other in times of need.

MPTF is supported by the philanthropy and volunteer services of fellow entertainment industry members. Our industry is unique and we have a history of taking care of our own like no other industry in the world. People are at the heart of what we do each and every day and it’s because of the extraordinary generosity of countless donors, families and volunteers that we can deliver services to thousands of people each month.

MPTF currently has more than thirteen different volunteer programs. You can choose anything from assisting in art classes, being a fitness buddy, to utilizing your skills in the home-safe program, which focuses on repairs and improvements for independent senior living facilities. Please visit www.mptf.com for donations or sign up to volunteer.

Welcome New Members

Kevin Rosen-Quan Y-1
Joseph Maffei Y-1
Justin Edgerly Y-9
Steve Crane A2
Michael Robertson Y-8
Michael Morrell Y-1
Patrick Reilly A2
William “Billy” Spottiswood Y-16A
Keith Carlson Y-4
Christian Chapman A2
Chad Mantlo Y-7A
Charles (Chuck) Boyle, Jr. Y-7A
Shannon Cain Y-7A
Ethan Molmut Y-8
Alex Yukick A2
Alberto Delgado A2
Kelly Lewis Y-16A
Edgar Isaiah Reyes A2
Jim Agnor Y-7

Young Workers Committee

The YWC (Young Workers Committee) would like to thank everyone who came out to the river cleanup on Earth Day! Together, Friends of the Los Angeles River, members of Local 695 and nearly eight thousand more Angelinos removed an estimated ninety-six tons of trash from our river in less than two days.

Sound & Video Social
by Chris Howland

On Sunday, April 23, 2017, the LA Sound Mixers held their third annual seminar entitled, “Bridging the Gap Between Production & Post: A Seminar.” The goal of the seminar was to give industry professionals an opportunity to experience the workflow at a state-of-the-art postproduction sound facility. Ongoing vocational training is key to maintaining excellence in our business and a critical element of the IA’s mission.

Thank you Gene Martin and the crew at Audio Department for the generous provisions. I want to thank them for helping to support this event for the second year in a row.

I would also like to thank Joel Shryack and Thomas Cassetta for putting on the seminar, the great demonstration and for facilitating a very informative conversation & Rob Dehn and the crew at Wildfire Sonic Magic.

IN MEMORIAM

DANIEL MOSSBARGER, Y-4
December 27, 1946 – March 11, 2017

Become engaged in the community, it’s easy to say, and really not that hard to do. From my perspective at Local 695, I see many ways we can become more involved in our community.

I’ve been approached at membership meetings by many who tell me it’s the first meeting they’ve been to in a very long time and they can’t believe how much our Local is doing. It’s true, and we always are trying to do more. Local 695 and the IATSE are dedicated to protecting the interests and workplace rights of our membership. We stand together for the rights of all, and we stand stronger when more of us step forward.

One way for you to be involved is to join us at our next membership meeting. Now is a good time to come and check it out. Those of you who have come to meet- ings regularly, I challenge you to bring one additional member with you next time, perhaps someone who has not have been to a meeting in a while. Let’s double our meeting attendance. Membership meetings are generally scheduled on the third Saturdays of January, April, July and October. Start planning now and watch for email announcements!

Reporting all of your work assignments to the Local is another way to get involved. This helps the Local to protect you and the contracts you work under, it’s important and it’s required by our Constitution & Bylaws. You can do this easily online at https://www.local695.com/mbr/jobreport.php.

Our community engagement extends far beyond the day-to-day activities of the Local. 695’s Young Workers Committee (YWC) is engaging our members to volunteer at events like the Playa Del Rey Beach Cleanup and the LA River Cleanup just a few weeks ago. The YWC has big plans for the future and they can use your help, so get engaged by contacting them at ywc@local695 .com.

Our engagement reaches even further when we support the efforts of the IATSE in Washington, D.C., where the security of our families faces substantial threats from legislative attack. We can’t afford to sit back and watch. We must be proactive to protect the rights of working women and men. We must do all we can to stop efforts to dismantle laws, created to protect American families. More than ever, it is truly important for us to get involved in the campaigns of candidates running for office who support Labor. I can’t think of another time this was more critical.

Please join me and many other Local 695 members who have signed up to support the IATSE PAC Fund. A small monthly contribution of $5 or $10 doesn’t cost you much but multiplies into larger numbers, and assures that our voices can and will be heard. Please go to the IATSE website: http://www.iatse.net/get-involved/pac faq for more info on the IATSE PAC and how to join. When you do, please send me an email at scottb @local695.com so I can add you to the list of Local 695 members who decided to “Stand Up and Fight Back.”

In solidarity,
Scott Bernard
scottb@local695.com
Business Representative

COURTNEY GOODIN
Courtney Goodin is a Sound, Video and Software Engineer and has worked continuously in the film and television industry since the mid-’60s. Courtney has developed several commercial hardware and software products used in the industry, including Goodsound Monitor-talkback system, Compu=Prompt Teleprompting system, sound utilities—BWF-Widget Pro & TC-Transcriber, and the soon-to-be-released TechnoWeenies Video Playback toolkit. He is a life member of SMPTE and has been a member of Local 695 for more than thirty-eight years and is serving his fourth term on the Board of Directors.

DARON JAMES
Daron James is a veteran journalist having written about the film and television industry for more than a decade.

EVA RISMANFOROUSH
Eva began working in sound while attending college in Northern California. Shortly after graduation, she joined Local 695 and is working as a Utility Sound Technician in Los Angeles. She has been the Co-chair of the Young Workers Committee since 2014.

MICHAEL KRIKORIAN CAS
Michael (aka “Kriky”) began his career in studio music recording in West Hartford, Connecticut, in the early ’90s. He moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to work as a Production Sound Mixer in film and television. Many low-to-high budget films and several television shows later, he resides in Burbank with his wife and their two children.

RICHARD LIGHTSTONE CAS AMPS
Richard began his career in Montreal, and continues to mix in Los Angeles. He is currently on the Executive Board of Local 695, a Co-editor of Production Sound & Video and former President of the Cinema Audio Society.

STEVE NELSON CAS
The first movie Steve mixed that anybody ever heard of was Repo Man in 1983. What’s kept him interested and excited since then is the support of his wife and daughter, great crews and riding his bicycle as far and fast as possible, especially during lunch—where getting “thrown under a bus” is not a metaphor! Steve is proudly serving a third term on the Local 695 Board of Directors.

Welcome to the spring edition of Production Sound & Video. The work of our Video Engineers is an important part of this Local, whether it is video playback, compositing or setting the LUT for a DP. Daron James tells us about Key Video Assist Willow Jenkins.

Courtney Goodin looks into the miniaturization of PC’s in “It’s a Small, Small World” and how they can be utilized by Video Engineers.

The hit NBC show This Is Us is explained from the perspective of Production Sound Mixer Michael Krikorian CAS and the late Re-recording Mixer Richard Portman is given a tribute by Steve Nelson CAS.

A new feature, the “Young Workers Political Action Report,” from Eva Rismanforoush & Timothy O’Malley of the Young Workers Committee, begins and we continue the “FCC Update” and “Sound Apps.”

We hope you enjoy the spring issue and drop us an email if you would like to contribute an article; mag@Local695.com.

Happy reading.

Fraternally yours,
Richard Lightstone and Mark Ulano