Features

Rango

by Lee Orloff, CAS

I’ve heard it said that the two happiest days in a film person’s life are the day when we hear that we got the job and the day we hear the final “wrap” called. Rango was the exception; it was deeply satisfying to be working within a medium that had been only familiar to me from afar, yet applying a novel and unique approach to the process. While we were making it, we were all hoping to hear that a sequel was in the works.

I remember the first day the filmmakers invited me and a few other department heads over to their office to discuss the project and toss around some ideas. Gore Verbinski, the director with whom I had collaborated on six previous films, among them the first three in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, had been working on an animated feature for quite some time and was now ready to go into production. He wanted me to mix it. I immediately thought of cracking out a vintage big-diaphragm Neumann, as in the past for Nic Cage’s inner monolog on The Weather Man or other voiceovers. My instincts told me to double track the actors on a trusty U87 (or the like) along with my favorite choice of boom mike. However, as the meeting progressed, the project was gradually brought into sharper focus. Wait a second … they said this was an animated feature. What exactly did going into production mean?

We were to comprise an Emotion Capture Unit, a relatively lean unit of 85 or so of us, brought together for 22 days on Universal’s Stage 42 to record all of the cast performances as an ensemble in a comfortable and flexible setting. This would facilitate more spontaneous and natural performances than would have otherwise been possible if the production had been done using more traditional methods. It was to be shot as live action, though more akin to a motion-capture production. However, since nearly all the characters were to be rendered in non-human form, there was no need to utilize all of the motion-capture technology that we had used on past productions. One of the unique benefits of covering the action with three high-def cameras on an expansive soundstage was that it provided the animators not only with the actors’ facial expressions as reference, but all of the spatial relationship and blocking as well. The sets were largely “virtual” in nature, but there were significant elements such as a long oak bar, saloon doors, a wagon, or the mayor’s desk and wheelchair that the cast needed to play the scene. The set was neutral and evenly lit to provide consistent visual reference. The production’s expectation from the Sound Department was a tad more stringent, but also crystal clear: deliver the highest quality production track as the basis of the entire dialog recording for the film.

worked for all concerned parties.The shooting area was contained within a space delineated by neutral gray solids suspended most of the way from the perms to the floor. To achieve flat, even lighting throughout, coops were evenly spaced above. To eliminate footfalls we carpeted the entire area. We installed bafflesin the perms between the lighting instruments to dampen sound reflections that might otherwise spill over the grey solids. The construction department built us portable baffles and boxed out and vented the transformers on the rear end of the stage to lower the ambient noise floor.

Finally, the last project was to create a smaller, more intimate space where we could shoot additional “coverage” of larger scenes or shoot smaller scenes in their entirety. We wanted the smaller space to be equally flexible but a more controllable environment. I found that Universal had portable sound walls in storage that they had utilized to block the sound of outdoor events. These heavy baffles, covered by “Insul-Quilt”-type material, were suspended from the perms to create three sides of the space, with the fourth being left open for versatility. Normally, we would simply draw the rest of the solids across the opening and close off the space. For wider shots, the open side could be used to place cameras. In these instances, we would place our baffles behind the cameras as a fourth wall.

Boom microphones were used exclusively to capture the ensemble cast performance with the fullest, richest quality. You heard that right. Leave the wireless mikes back at the shop; an entire production accomplished without tagging a single actor. Due to the size of the cast and the impromptu nature of the blocking, three boom operators were needed. Jeffrey Humphreys, Brian Robinson and Mike Anderson handled the responsibilities with creativity, the utmost professionalism, and most importantly, great attitudes. Initially, I considered bringing the Sennheiser boom mikes directly into the Aaton Cantar and mixing with the Cantarem remote faders. The added flexibility of a Sonosax SX cart-based setup won out. I paired this to a Sound Devices unit doing backup duties onto CF cards that we shuttled to editorial. We used Sony F900s, synched to Lockit boxes and quieted down with barneys. The Prop Department worked with us to silence their objects as required. Video Village contained a specially constructed desk on wheels, more along the lines of a portable lectern, which contained an iMac, small Yamaha mixer, headphone distro amp, a passel of Sony MDRs and my Dynaudio near-field monitors for referencing playback as well as the video storyboard and other edited material. Our supervising sound editor, Peter Miller, made available some elements Gore wanted for playback to enhance the onset experience for the cast. On The Ring, there was an effect called “whisper keening” that we used repeatedly as a cue with the TV set. This time around we had church bells and assorted other sounds, as well as music cues, which were handled with my Steinberg Cubase–equipped laptop through a Sound Devices USBPre into a Crown amp and a pair of Technomad cabinets.

Now, it was time to assemble the concerned parties on the dub stage to listen to tracks and see whether we were all on the same page. With the gracious participation of Jon Taylor at Universal who opened up the stage to the director, producers, editor, and the studio post-production folks, we auditioned material from both the shooting areas. All agreed that we had acceptably knocked down the reflections of the empty stage, and that the quality of the recorded vocal tracks would nicely do the trick.

Imagine going to work on Day One and finding that customary walkie chatter was not about getting the cast off the stage after rehearsal and through the works, final touches and so on, but rather when they’d arrive at stage. Period. When they arrived they might don a hat, slip on an article of clothing, or prop themselves up to further get into character, but that was about it before we’d hit the lights and bell and off we’d go. Then doing far more 20-minute takes than not. Five weeks with the cross hairs aimed precisely at the same point. There were no little breaks like leisurely trips to graze at crafty or walking off stage for better cell reception during re-sets. One day I’m across in the men’s room and the PA comes running in, “They’re all waiting for you to roll.” I was mixing a show where, once the director had the take he was looking for, his only technical consideration was, “Was everything good for Sound?” One of the great things about working with Gore Verbinski, who happens to be a gifted musician among his other strengths, is that he happens to have an excellent “ear.” He is tuned in to the slightest details. Conversations about enunciation, separation, head turns and chin downs, a level that might have gotten “spicy” in his words, have been commonplace over the years. This time, that focus was probably multiplied five or tenfold which was a good thing for all of us in the department. It brought out the best in all of us, and it was a nice boost to the department’s pride, knowing that the attention to detail we all strive to provide on any show was truly understood and appreciated on Rango.

The Road to Tapeless Production

by Eric Pierce, CAS

Remember the scene in the 1987 film Broadcast News, with Joan Cusack in a mad panic, risking life and limb as she runs frantically through the broadcast studio with a videotape in hand? With seconds ticking, that was the only way to get a videotape clip to the tape room in time for the live broadcast. Thankfully, “sneaker net” has now been replaced with high-speed networks, capable of delivering huge quantities of data where it’s needed and when it’s needed. In the fast-paced world of live and live-to-tape television production, speed is the key to success. Producers have turned to high-definition media servers, such as EVS and the Grass Valley K2, to maintain the pace.

Local 695 video engineers and operators have been at the forefront of this technology, developing software and hardware interfaces to meet this need. Rick Edwards developed the ProQue system to control the import and export of clips, and to organize playbacks, including multiple playbacks in sync. Another media management system is Pi, www.playback innovations.com, developed by Local 695 member Jon Aroesty. The Pi system boasts that it can display an alert to the operator when files have been pushed, and generate multiple email updates to keep the post supervisor informed or even alert an onset producer that a clip has been delivered and is ready to roll Network servers are typically configured with multiple channels of high-definition video, each with four channels of 24 bit, 48k audio. An operator has immediate access to multiple sources that can be sent to a variety of destinations, such as multiple onset monitors, video set dressing and switcher feeds for integrating playbacks into the show. Large-scale awards productions like the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys, rely heavily on servers for set dressing and onset monitors, while also utilizing them for the instantaneous playback of multiple cued playbacks upon announcement of the winners. Previous to server playback, this was done with banks of individual tape machines all lined up and sitting at a cue. Originally, the correct tape machine would have to be rolled, and then later, when tape machines had RS-422 protocol, they would roll all tape machines, allowing enough time for them to get up to speed. The correct machine would then be selected at the switcher and pulled up at the sound board for mixing into the program. Imagine that with 10 nominees!

Data servers have the significant benefit of being able to connect to a high-speed Ethernet or fiber network for file transfers. This allows the operators to push elements from the stage to post-production, where Avid and Final Cut workstations have instant access to the files. And then post-production can push files right back to the stage from picture editorial or final mix. This is a clear advantage for live television, where very often packages are being edited right up to air time. Topical shows like Conan, Dr. Phil, The Doctors, Lopez Tonight, The Talk, etc., take advantage of networked servers to keep up with the pace these shows run. Clips and packages can be shipped from editorial and placed into a playback cue at the same time the show is being taped. In the case of Dr. Phil, the operator can record the program and save clips and, when Dr. Phil catches one of his subjects changing their story, he can say: “But earlier in the show, this is what you said!” and the clip is instantly played for all to see.

Using servers to ingest live feeds from the stage, then exporting them via network to the post-production servers, yields a huge time and cost savings. This gives editorial instant access to all the show elements which allows them to start cutting right away, making it possible to work on extraordinarily tight schedules that can sometimes allow only a matter of a few days from acquisition to delivery. Local 695 member Al Adams, one of the recordists working on Dr.Phil and The Doctors, tells us that once they complete the transition to full server acquisition, the show will save $20,000 to $30,000 each month in tape stock alone, not to mention the time saved and the creative choices made possible by using these advanced technologies.

And Joan Cusack? With high-speed servers delivering the content for her, that video clip would have made it to air and she’d still probably have time for a latte.

When Sound Was Reel – 7: Dolby comes to the movies

by Scott D. Smith, CAS

Author’s note: After a brief detour to examine some of the early history pertaining to Local 695, we now continue with our regularly scheduled program. We will continue to re-visit the continuing history of the Local in future issues.

Introduction

In the previous installment of “When Sound Was Reel,” we examined the proliferation of the “Widescreen Epic,” a format developed by the major studios to counteract the rise of broadcast television in the early 1950s. Although widescreen films would continue to be produced through the late 1960s, studio bean counters were becoming increasingly critical of these films, which typically involved significant costs for 65mm camera negative, processing, sound mixing and magnetic release prints, not to mention the large and expensive casts. As the novelty of a widescreen presentation with stereophonic sound began to wear off, studios were rethinking the costs associated with such productions.

Despite the success of a few 70mm releases during the 1960s, notably Lawrence of Arabia, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Woodstock, by 1970 the format had largely run its course. With the development of liquid gate printers, it was now possible to achieve a good blowup from original 35mm negative. When figuring the efficiencies of working with standard 35mm camera gear, no studio would consider the cost of shooting in 65mm worth the effort. Even Dr. Zhivago, released by MGM in 1965, was blown up from a 35mm camera negative.

However, the epic films established a new benchmark in quality and audiences came to expect something more than a 1.85 (aspect ratio) picture with mono sound, presented with projection equipment originally developed in the 1930s and ’40s. Moreover, by this time, quality home stereo equipment was becoming widely available and many consumers owned reel-to-reel tape decks that surpassed the fidelity of even the best 35mm optical track. If studios expected to provide a premium entertainment experience that justified the expense of the ticket, they would need to improve the overall quality of their films.

Raising the quality standard of 35mm prints to meet the expectations of road show pictures shot in 65mm (and released in 70mm with magnetic soundtracks) was a considerable challenge. While 70mm releases, even those produced from 35mm negatives, continued to be considered the “goldstandard” for big-budget releases, by the early 1970s, the advances made in print stocks, laboratory procedures and optics were beginning to shrink the gap in terms of the picture quality that could be derived from a good quality 35mm print vs. a 70mm blowup. However, the issues in regards to sound remained. Although 4-track magnetic Cinemascope prints were still in fairly wide use during the 1960s, there were considerable costs for striping and sounding onto the special “Foxhole perf” stock (with smaller sprocket holes to allow space for the mag tracks). In addition, theater owners were balking at the costs associated with replacing the 4-track magnetic heads, which wore out quickly (this was before the advent of ferrite heads).

Advances in the quality of 35mm mono optical tracks had been mostly in the area of negative and print stocks. These yielded slight improvements in frequency response and distortion but were still a long way from the quality that the average consumer could derive from a halfway decent home stereo system of the era. For the most part, significant development in optical tracks had stalled out in the 1950s, at the time most studios were directing their efforts at widescreen processes. Most of the optical recorders still in use by the early ’70s were derived from designs dating back to the 1940s, and had seen little innovation, except in the area of electronics, which had been upgraded to solid state.

Multi-Track Magnetic Recording

While the film industry was wrestling with issues of how to improve sound reproduction in a theatrical environment, other innovations were taking place in the music industry. Chief among these was the advent of multi-track analog recording, a process largely attributed to guitarist Les Paul. Since the 1930s, Les Paul had experimented with multi-layered recording techniques, whereby he could record multiple instances of his own performances, playing one part and then adding subsequent layers. His first attempts used acetate disks which, predictably, resulted in poor audio quality. Later on, Les Paul worked with Jack Mullin at Ampex, who had been commissioned by Bing Crosby to develop the Ampex 200 recorder. Recognizing the obvious advantages of working with magnetic tape as opposed to acetate disks, Les Paul took the Ampex 200 recorder, added an additional reproduce head in advance of the erase and record head, and developed the first “sound-on-sound process.” The downside of this, of course, was that each previous recording would be destroyed as a layer was added. Seeking a better solution, in 1954 Les Paul commissioned Ampex to build the first 8-track one-inch recorder, with a feature called “Sel-Sync®,” which allowed any track to be reproduced through the record head, maintaining perfect sync with any newly recorded material and not destroying the previous recording. This technique would go on to become the mainstay of multi-channel recording for both music and film well into the 1980s.

In this regard, Les Paul and the engineers at Ampex were true pioneers, developing techniques that would forever change the way that music was recorded. There was, however, one small problem. Noise.

Enter Ray Dolby

About the time that Jack Mullin and his team were improving audio recording, another Ampex engineer, Ray Dolby, a bright fellow from Portland, Oregon, was working on the early stages of video recording. Armed with a BS degree from Stanford University (1957), Dolby soon left Ampex to pursue further studies at Cambridge University in England upon being awarded a Marshall Scholarship and NSF Fellowship. After a brief stint as a United Nations advisor in India, he returned to London in 1965 and established Dolby Laboratories. His first project was the development of a noise reduction system for analog recording, which was christened as “Dolby A.” This multi-band encode/decode process allowed program material to be compressed into a smaller dynamic range during recording, with a matching expansion during playback.

The first processor that Dolby designed was a bit of a monster. The Model A301 handled a single channel of processing and took up five units (8.75 inches) of rack space! Needless to say, it didn’t catch on in a huge way for multi-channel work. However, it made inroads into the classical recording market, especially in the UK. Understanding that the real market would be in multi-channel recording, Dolby quickly followed up with the release of the model 360/361 processors, which used a single processing card (the Cat 22), and took only one unit of rack space per channel. While this cut down the amount of rack space required for eight or 16 channels of noise reduction, it was still a bit unwieldy.

In 1972, Dolby took the development a bit further, with the release of the Dolby M system, which combined 16 channels of Cat 22 processing cards in a frame only eight rack units high. By utilizing a common power supply and smaller input/output cards, this system provided a much more cost-effective solution to multi-track recording.

Dolby Consumer Products

About two years after the release of the Dolby A301 processor, Henry Kloss (of KLH fame) persuaded Dolby to develop a simplified version of the Dolby A system for consumer use. In response, Dolby developed what is now known as the “Dolby B” system, which has found its way into millions of consumer products over the years. Unlike the Dolby A system, it utilized a single band of high-frequency companding, designed to overcome the most conspicuous defects of consumer recorders, and required a minimal number of components.

Having firmly established itself in both the professional and consumer music recording market, Dolby turned to the next challenge: film sound recording.

The “Academy Curve”

As the enthusiasm for releasing films in 35mm 4-track and 70mm 6-track magnetic waned, producers and engineers in Hollywood began to search for other solutions to improve film sound. During his initial evaluation of the process of film sound recording, Dolby determined that many of the ill’s associated with mono optical soundtracks were related to the limited response (about 12.5 kHz on a good day), as well as the effects of the “Academy Curve,” which had been established in the late 1930s. To understand how this impacted film sound, one needs to look at the development of early cinema sound systems, many of which were still in use up through the 1970s. Most early cinema sound systems (developed by RCA, Western Electric and RCA), had paltry amplification by today’s standards. In the early 1930s, it was not unusual for a 2000-seat house to be powered by a single amplifier of 25 watts or less! To be able to obtain a reasonable sound pressure level required speaker systems of very high efficiency, which meant that horn-based systems were the order of the day. Although quite efficient, most of these early systems had severely limited HF response. This was OK, though, as it helped to compensate for the problems of noise from the optical tracks.

However, compensating for the combined effects of high frequency roll-off and noise from optical tracks meant that high frequencies needed to be boosted during the re-recording process. Typically, this involved some boost during re-recording with further equalization when the optical negative was struck. While this helped to solve the problems associated with noise and HF roll-off during reproduction in the theater, it also introduced significant HF distortion, which already was problematic in the recording of optical tracks. Excessive sibilance was usually the most glaring artifact.

While the development of new cinema speaker systems in the mid- 1930s (most notably the introduction of the Shearer two-way horn system in 1936) improved the limited response of earlier systems, the HF response was still limited. This was due primarily to the combined effects of optical reproducer slit loss, high frequency losses from speakers located behind perforated screens, and amplification that was still anemic by today’s standards.

Engineers of the Academy, working cooperatively with major studios, put into place a program to standardize sound reproduction in cinemas. Recognizing that many theaters still employed earlier sound systems with limited bandwidth, the Academy settled on a compromise playback curve that would not overly tax these systems. They settled on a playback curve at the amplifier output that severely rolled off around 7 kHz. This is about the quality of AM broadcast radio. Thus was born the “Academy Curve” which would be the standard for about 40 years.

The Academy Curve Gets a Makeover

In 1969, an engineer by the name of Ioan Allen joined Dolby Laboratories and quickly began a systematic examination of the entire cinema reproduction chain. Working with a team of four engineers, Allen examined each step in the sound recording process, including location production recording, re-recording, optical recording and subsequent theatrical release. Some of what he found was surprising. Although magnetic recording had been introduced to the production and re-recording stages of film sound recording in the early 1950s, the advantages of the superior response and S/N ratio were largely negated by optical soundtracks and theater sound systems. While Allen and Dolby ultimately determined that optical tracks could be improved upon, trying to change the standards of the industry overnight was a huge order. Allen and Dolby engineers decided first to test some theories by addressing the production and re-recording part of the chain, which began with work on the music for the film Oliver in 1969.

Following those tests, Dolby A noise reduction was employed for some of the music recording on Ryan’s Daughter, which was to be released in 70mm magnetic. However, Allen and the engineering team at Dolby were frustrated by the fact that very few of these improvements actually translated into improved sound reproduction in the theater. Seeking to solve the issues related to the limited quality of the optical tracks of the day, Dolby Labs arranged to make a test using one reel from the film Jane Eyrewith Dolby A applied to the optical soundtrack. The results were rather disappointing; the noise reduction did nothing to compensate for the limited HF response and audible distortion.

During the mix of Stanley Kubrick’s film, A Clockwork Orange, Allen and Dolby convinced Kubrick and composer Walter Carlos to use the Dolby A system for premixes. However, the final release of the film was still in Academy mono. It was during these tests at Elstree Studios that Allen and Dolby determined that limitations of the Academy curve were to blame for many of the problems associated with mono optical tracks. Allen found that the measured room response at Elstree main dub stage (using Vitavox speakers, a two-way system comparable to the Altec A4) was down more than 20 dB at 8 kHz! This was in line with earlier findings by others. To compensate for this, post mixers would have to severely roll off the low end of most tracks and typically boosted the dialog tracks at least 6 dB in the area from about 3 kHz to 8 kHz. Predictably, this severely exacerbated the problems of distortion in the optical track, which typically had a low-pass filter in the system around 10–12 kHz to control distortion and sibilance. When one looked at the chain in its entirety, it was obvious that a huge amount of equalization was taking place at each of the various stages.

Around this time (late 1971), one-third octave equalizers and higher power amplifiers, were becoming available and being used in music recording. Notable among these was the Altec model 9860A one-third octave equalizer and 8050A realtime analyzer. Along with improvements in crossover design, these developments in room equalization and measurement technologies brought a new level of sophistication to auditorium sound systems and studio monitors alike.

With the advent of one-third octave equalization and good measuring tools, Allen, along with Dolby engineers, conducted further tests at Elstree Studios in late 1971 through 1972. The first thing they did was to position three KEF monitors in a near field arrangement (L/C/R) about six feet in front of the dubbing console. Based on a series of measurements and listing tests, it was determined that these were essentially “flat,” requiring no equalization.

They then inserted one-third octave equalizers into the monitor chain of the standard Vitavox behind-the-screen theater monitors and adjusted the equalization for the best subjective match to the KEF monitors located in the near-field position. While they were not surprised to find that the low-frequency response and crossover region needed to be corrected, they were rather miffed by the fact that the best subjective match between the near-field monitors and the behind-the-screen system indicated that the listeners preferred a slight roll-off in the high frequencies of the larger screen system. This was attributed to the psycho-acoustic effect of having both the picture and sound emanating from a faraway source (about 40 feet, in the case of the Elstree stage), as well as the effects of room reverberation, coupled with HF distortion artifacts. At the end of the day, however, they determined that a flat response for the screen system was not a desirable goal. This was a good thing, as it was virtually impossible to achieve in the real world.

Theater Sound in the Real World

About two years prior to the work that Allen and Dolby engineers conducted at Elstree, some significant research on sound reproduction in the cinema was published in three papers in the December 1969 issue of the SMPTE Journal. First among these was a paper somewhat dryly entitled “Standardized Sound Reproduction in Cinemas and Control Rooms” by Lennart Ljungberg. This was most notable for its introduction of the concept of “A-chain” and “B-chain” designations to cinema sound systems, with the “A-chain” representing all parts of the reproducer system up to the source switch point (i.e.: magnetic sound reproducer, optical reproducer, non-sync sources, etc.) and the “B-chain” comprising everything from the main fader to the auditorium system.

In the same issue were two other papers, one from Denmark, titled “A Report on Listening Characteristics in 25 Danish Cinemas” by Erik Rasmussen, and another from the UK, “The Evaluation and Standardization of the Loudspeaker-Acoustics Link in Motion Picture Theatres” by A.W. Lumkin and C.C. Buckle. Using both pink noise and white noise measurements, both of these papers presented some of the first modern evaluations of cinema acoustics and loudspeaker systems, and defined the challenges in the attempt to mix a soundtrack that could be universally presented in varying theaters. It also provided the basis for what would later become known as the “X Curve,” which would define a standardized equalization curve for cinemas worldwide (or, at least, that was the intent).

Standards? Who Makes These Things Up?

The origination of the “X-Curve” dates back to May of 1969, when engineers associated with the SMPTE Standards Committee held a meeting at the Moscow convention in an attempt to codify international standards related to film sound reproduction. The first draft standard produced by this committee called for a response that was down 14 dB at 8 kHz, using either pink noise or white noise inserted at the fader point in the chain (thus removing the “A-chain” characteristics from the final results). While this was a good start in standardizing theater reproduction characteristics, it was still a long way from the “wide range” playback standard that Dolby engineers envisioned. Work continued for another three years, during which time some significant wrangling occurred within the various standards committees. It would take until 1977 for an International Standard to be approved, which subsequently became the basis for SMPTE Standard 202M, defining the characteristics for dubbing rooms, review rooms and indoor theaters.

In 1982, the standard was modified to include a different EQ characteristic based on room size and reverberation time, taking into account some of the research that Allen and the Dolby engineering team had originally conducted 11 years ago at Elstree Studios. This standards stuff takes time…

At Last, Some Improvements

Largely as a result of the early work related to the improvement of theater sound reproduction standards, Dolby was able to showcase some material that showed off the capabilities of an improved cinema sound system. The first of these was a demo film titled A Quiet Revolution, which Dolby produced in 1972 as a presentation piece aimed primarily at film industry execs. This was one of the first films released which had a Dolby A encoded mono optical track, and was intended to be played back on systems which had a modified optical sound reproducer with a narrower slit that would extend the HF response. The first Dolby encoded feature film, the movie Callan, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1974. Although the film received only a limited release, it did serve as a good demo for EMI and Dolby in their efforts to improve the quality of standard mono optical soundtracks. However, these efforts would soon be overshadowed by the next development of optical sound recording systems.

Next installment:
Dolby Stereo Optical Sound

Courtney Goodin Part One: The Analog Years

by David Waelder

Part One: The Analog Years

Courtney Goodin is an inveterate tinkerer, the sort of fellow you hesitate to show a new toy for fear he might tear it apart on the spot to learn how it works. He’s been fooling around with sound equipment since he got his first tape recorder as a child 50 years ago. By altering the speed of the tape, he learned to create effects and was soon recording the general announcements that his school would play over the classroom loudspeakers. He even added sound effects.

The ’60s decade was a propitious time to be a techie as radio and television were rapidly expanding their coverage and universities began to offer courses in the new media. Courtney got his Third Class FCC license when only 15 and was soon working nights and weekends at a local San Antonio radio station. On some weekend and late-night shifts, he was often the only one in the station and was responsible for keeping the official FCC logs and for powering up or down the 50,000-watt transmitter.

Working at the radio station, he met a fellow DJ who was additionally working as a cameraman for KLRN-TV. That association led to occasional work filming events for KLRN.

A World’s Fair in San Antonio in 1968 led to further opportunities. Capitalizing on local events, the TV station did a live show every weekday with feature stories and interviews. Courtney remembers: “I got to experiment a lot and do a lot of creative work there because they just didn’t want to pay anybody above minimum wage. But they gave you freedom to use a brandnew multimillion-dollar studio—a color TV studio at our disposal. So it was quite a learning experience, and I learned a lot there.”

By the time he enrolled in college, he had already been working in the radio/TV field four years. While still an undergraduate, he found himself teaching some courses in sound and radio broadcasting at the University of Texas (UT). His enrollment in the Radio-TVFilm Department came just as the department was expanding and building a new television facility. The department tapped him to draw up the bid specifications for the project and that “was a great learning experience too.”

He purchased his first Nagra about 1971 and began working in low-budget features. In addition, he made industrial films with other graduates of the UT film program. They made training films for the Department of Public Safety including several that instructed Texas Rangers in the use of deadly force and proper firearms procedures. As the sound guy, Courtney wasn’t needed for every shot and was frequently tapped to be the assailant or badguy- with-the-knife in these films. For years after, any police officer stopping him for a traffic matter would have the vague sense they had met under unsavory conditions and Courtney would have to explain the origin of the bad impression.

At that time, there was no union representation for Texas film crew people. Local 205 represented stagehands but there was no mechanics local. Courtney was doing behind-the-scenes filming on Gordon Parks’ Leadbelly in the Austin area when his lack of union credentials became an issue. Leadbelly was a union show and even the behind-the-scenes technicians were expected to have credentials. Gene Cantamessa, the sound mixer on Leadbelly, signed Courtney’s application for Local 205 membership and helped facilitate his acceptance into the Local. Courtney and his UT partners worked to form a cinetechnicians group within Local 205.

Courtney continued to work as a production mixer on industrial films and also did some stagehand work and occasionally worked as a lamp operator and electrician. “Whatever work there was in the movie business, you have to pretty much do to stay alive.” When feature films would come to town, he sometimes worked in the Sound Department as a third.

In 1975, he was hired on Hawmps! as boom operator for Dallasbased mixer Bruce Shearin. “It was a crazy movie based on a true story about camels in the cavalry… It was a great film to work on. All the actors were great comic character actors like Slim Pickens, Denver Pyle, Jack Elam, James Hampton… So I got to know all these guys. It was a great fun—little bit of a torture to work on—being in Tucson, but great fun to work on. And cold. I never thought the desert could be so cold. We did scenes out in the desert where someone was supposed to be laying by this pond of water and we’d have to get flamethrowers out to thaw the water out so we could shoot the pond.”

With a legitimate feature credit on his resume, he decided it was time to come out to Hollywood and exploit some of the contacts he’d made. But he found he couldn’t get into the sound local here even though he had been a member of Local 205 in Texas for years. Making the best of a difficult situation, he found that his Local 205 contacts could get him permit work with Local 33. He’d phone in every day and be sent out on a variety of different assignments, rewiring lights over at Bardwell & McAlister or wiring the big board at Family Feud. For a natural tinkerer, it was an opportunity to learn more about how everything worked.

He continued to work in sound, doing low-budget, nonunion pictures whenever there was an opportunity. An associate from Austin was working as an editor on a film called Roar, a “crazy film … about a guy living in a big house in Africa with a bunch of lions and tigers and other jungle cats.” They needed a sound recordist and Courtney interviewed for the position. But he wanted to use his own gear, rather than equipment supplied by the production, and he asked for more money than they could afford. Oh, well.

About a week later, he received a call from the Roar production company agreeing to all his terms and asking him to come out to the location right away. It seems that the fellow they hired had a mishap with their Nagra and they needed a replacement. They had already gone through a number of mixers on the project. Nearly every scene featured multiple lions or tigers wandering through the set and sound people had a tendency to remember prior bookings after they did a scene with six or eight lions. Courtney agreed to come in and take over the project, at least temporarily, and also train the very green mixer to work as his boom operator. He ended up staying for many months and trained not just Laurence Abrams but also, later, Tim Cooney who was originally one of the animal handlers.

Roar presented a number of challenges that demanded more than the usual amount of ingenuity to meet. Not the least of these was the antipathy the cats had for the boom. Noel Marshall, the producer/ director/cat trainer (as well as lead actor), would often demand that the boom pull out because it was distracting the lions. Couldn’t have that. Courtney rigged plant mikes throughout the set to capture audio when it wasn’t possible to use a boom. Since multiple cameras were routinely used to capture events as they happened, it wasn’t possible for him to set up in the same room as the action. He rigged a video camera in an inconspicuous place that had a good view of the whole playing area and watched a remote monitor to judge when to fade up the various plant mikes.

The presence of the big cats was integral to the story and the crew would often wait for all the elements to align just right and then roll cameras spontaneously. On some days, they shot 50,000 feet of film this way. With several cameras shooting and cutting independently, and no reliable slates, syncing all the film was a nightmare. Coordinating with Panavision, Courtney modified the remote roll switches for the cameras so he would have an indicator light when a camera turned on and would know to roll the Nagra. When that camera switched off, it would momentarily trip the Nagra’s internal oscillator to provide a sync mark. He would attach the modified cable to whichever camera had the widest view and the editors would visually match the other cameras to the master.

Courtney continued to work on the film for more than two years, staying on as post-production supervisor after filming wrapped. Since the ranch in Soledad Canyon was so distant, he and others took to living in trailers during the week so they wouldn’t need to commute. A flash flood during the rainy season nearly washed the whole enterprise away and Courtney escaped only because of a late-night alert from the assistant editor. He and some others spent a very cold night in a tree on a thin spit of land with water rushing on either side. All the trailers with the editing gear, work print and tracks were washed down the canyon. The negative was safe in the MGM lab vaults and Courtney had had the foresight to move the 1/4-inch tape to a safe place. The next several weeks were spent digging KEM editing machines out of mud, hosing them down and taking them apart for a complete cleaning and rebuild. For Courtney, this calamity was another opportunity to hone technical skills.

Virtually every invention Courtney has made was to address a need that was not being met by equipment manufacturers. Few field mixers were available for the Nagra and none of them had a way to feed audio to a boom operator. Courtney set about making a remote roll switch that would provide a slate mike, audio feed to the boom operator and automatic tail tones at the end of every take. In a box about the size of a CB radio mike he put: “…a condenser mike, mike pre-amp, audio headphone amplifier for the boom man, remote roll switch, logic that would control the Nagra, start-stop and generate two tail tones that go at the end of every take. Besides a slate mike, it had a private line talkback to the boom man. The slate switch would open the slate mike to the recorder and roll the tape for the ID. I could use the PL button to talk to the boom man during the take without it going on the tape. Since he had a separate amplified feed, we could adjust his headphone level, separate from mine.”

Although originally made just to meet his own needs, so many mixers asked him to make one for them that Courtney marketed the Goodsound Talk Back Box through Audio Services Corporation (now Location Sound) and sold hundreds.

He also developed an add-on pre-amp for the Nagra. The pre-amps used in Nagra recorders at that time were modular components that could be purchased separately and swapped in the recorder depending on whether one needed a standard 200-ohm unit or one with T-power. Courtney built them into a housing that could connect to the mixer input of the recorder and provide an additional input. He cleverly designed it so that the external pre-amps could be daisy chained, effectively making a mixer that could be assembled with as many channels as needed. He sold a few but never actively marketed it.

The first personal computers came out in the mid-’70s and Courtney was an early adopter. He had taken a course in computer software in college and had done a little programming in Fortran but had little formal training. By the time he was experimenting with writing for his Radio Shack Model One, the process of saving files had moved from punch cards to cassette tape but it might still require 20 minutes to load a program. Even so, he was enthralled by the possibilities and purchased an Atari 400 for its color graphics as soon as they became available.

He began writing programs for the Atari as well and developed a program for creating and editing computer graphic images called “Graphic Master” that he successfully marketed through DataSoft, a game and utility software company in Northridge. He also figured out a clever way to print in color with a dot-matrix printer using multiple passes and color carbon paper. He marketed that program through DataSoft as well until carbon paper became less available and the printer companies began offering multi-color ribbons. But all of this tinkering yielded familiarity with the graphics possibilities of the Atari processor and led to another product. But that is a subject for the next installment.

The next installment will cover the development of computerized teleprompting and audio software.

Testing the Transmitting Antennas: Mini-Mites and Miracle Whips

Remote Audio sent us their version of a Comtek antenna, the Miracle Whip MW216, for evaluation as part of our sequence of antenna test articles. Since Comtek recently brought out the Mini-Mite, a smaller variation on their Phase Right series of antennas, it seemed a good time to turn our attention from receiving to transmitting antennas.

The Miracle Whip name sounds like it should be part of a tuna sandwich but it’s a Lectrosonics SNA600 UHF dipole modified to operate at lower frequencies. Coated wires cut to the proper length attach to the folding wings of the SNA to tune the antenna to the 216-217 MHz band used by the base station transmitters. It’s cleverly designed so the extensions mount using existing threaded holes on the SNA600. The resulting antenna retains the ability to fold for transport and is much smaller and lighter than the Comtek Phase Right antenna commonly paired with the base station transmitters. It is a bit more “prickly” but that’s probably not a serious liability in actual use.

It performed very well in tests although not any better than the alternatives. We set up our usual test walk and measured how far we could get from the Comtek BST-25 base station before the signal degraded. We ran all the tests in the lower channels, the “Narrow Band.” The “High Band” above Ch. 40 might offer improved range but relative performance should be the same. There was a pattern of performance typical to all the antennas we tested: the signal would be very clean for about 250–300 feet and then a thin swirl of background hash would creep in. This background hash can float in and out and is well below voice levels; it might pass unnoticed in a scene with active talking. Vulnerability to hits and dropouts became pronounced around 550 feet although we had some test runs that were OK out to 700 feet. As always, we maintained good line of sight between the antennas and suspended testing if any bogeys wandered into the testing area. Performance on an actual set with crew people moving about is likely to be less.

We were surprised that we achieved some of the best performance with the telescoping antenna that comes packaged with the transmitter. In several test runs, it was consistently artifact-free to about 400 feet and maintained good signal to at least 550 feet. The other antennas sometimes exceeded that range but, in the first series of tests, all exhibited the floating hash 50 or 100 feet earlier. The base station was three feet above ground on the shelf of a Mag-liner cart for these tests.

The Comtek Phase Right and the Miracle Whip antennas had very similar performance. They were connected to the transmitter by six feet of RG-8X cable and held aloft by a C-stand. Height was adjusted so the center point of the antenna would be six feet above ground. We had clean transmission from both for at least 250 feet. The thin background hash became noticeable somewhere between 250 and 350 feet and we began to experience hits and dropouts around 500 feet but occasional test runs were OK to 600 feet and beyond. The results of multiple test runs sometimes favored the Comtek and sometimes the Miracle Whip.

We had an old VHF Phase Right on hand and tried it out. Although tuned to 169 MHz, it worked very nearly as well as the others. We made only a couple of runs with this “off label” use but achieved clean operation free of background hash to 270 feet. Performance was slightly degraded starting around 355 feet but we didn’t experience significant dropouts until 540 feet. Tuning to exactly 215 MHz does not appear to be critical in this application although the others did have about 10% or 15% better range. It wouldn’t be the best choice if you were buying fresh but it could be used successfully if you already have one in your kit.

We acquired a Mini-Mite for a second round of tests. This new design from Comtek is a half-wavelength dipole with a tube base, like the Phase Right but much shorter. Rather than a “rubber-duck” antenna extension, it comes fitted with a 23-inch rigid wire whip.

Performance of the Mini-Mite was consistently good. We achieved at least 300 feet before hearing any artifacts and twice recorded 400 feet of clean range. The signal became vulnerable to hits around 500 feet but would continue to be usable out to 600 or 650 feet. On one occasion, we walked more than 700 feet before we deemed the results unacceptable.

We also had good results that day from the Remote Audio Miracle Whip, observing clean signal out to 400 feet. Performance was a bit “iffy” but usable from 475 feet and didn’t become unacceptable until 630 feet.

Each test walk yielded slightly different results that would favor first one design and then the other. The overall pattern was very similar. Audio was clean to at least 300 feet, vulnerable but still usable starting around 450 feet and significantly compromised from about 600 or 650 feet.

Although the Phase Right, the Mini-Mite and the Miracle Whip do not seem to offer any performance benefit over the standard antenna, they do serve a useful function. Optimum performance from the telescoping antenna requires locating the transmitter on a top shelf of the cart so there is room to extend it. The remote antennas achieve good performance with the transmitter more conveniently located.

Since the performance is so similar, it makes some sense to choose based on size and weight considerations and price. At $186, the Phase Right is the most expensive of the bunch and its 19-inch tube base makes it a bit unwieldy. The Mini-Mite is less expensive, performs at least as well and is considerably smaller. Weighing only 4.5 oz, the Miracle Whip is the smallest and lightest antenna we tested and also the least expensive.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Glen Trew and Jane Baxter at Trew Audio and Josh Harper of Remote Audio for supplying the Miracle Whip, to Robert Anzalone in the Location Sound Corporation Rental Department for the loan of Comtek equipment and to Will Tarr in LSC Weights and Measures for his assistance. And, as always, we owe a debt of gratitude to Scott Harris, who supplied the measuring wheel and all of the grip support gear and actually walked many of the tests.

My Trip to Africa: Willie Burton’s incredible journey

I was sitting in my den watching a news report when the telephone rang. Ellen Harrington was calling to invite me to travel to Nairobi and Rwanda as a delegate in an educational exchange program with African film students. She is Director of Exhibitions, Special Events and International Outreach for the Motion Picture Academy. Phil Robinson, Chairman of the program, had recommended me, she said. Phil is a writer/director I had worked with on two films, “All of Me” and “Sneakers.”

Ellen explained to me that the Outreach Program brings delegations to countries with developing film industries. Creative conversations between emerging and established filmmakers help connect communities throughout the globe. Academy members are selected to participate from such diverse crafts as screenwriting, directing, cinematography, producing, sound, production design, acting, editing and documentary filmmaking. As delegates we would spend about two weeks interacting with students in programs in both Kenya and Rwanda.

I was excited to be part of this group, and felt honored to be asked, but wasn’t quite ready to say yes. The program was to start in the beginning of July and I hadn’t worked in the first half of the year. I was on the hunt for a film job. There is a saying in Hollywood that the phone will ring the moment you commit to something other than work. But I also believe that if you do something good for others, it always comes back to you – eventually. . I felt this was a fantastic opportunity for me to share some of my experience and knowledge with others. After mulling it over a few days I called Ellen and committed to the trip. Sure enough, a week later the phone rang with a job offer with conflicting dates. Job offers are scarce these days so it was a hard decision but I turned it down. When I called the production manager to tell her why I couldn’t do the project she said, “What a great opportunity! Go and have fun.”

Then the “fun” began. I had to get all my shots for international travel, prescription tablets for malaria and meet with the other delegates to review the itinerary. In addition to Ellen Harrington, the Director of the Outreach Program and Phil Robinson, the Chairman of the Program, the Academy group included Actress Alfre Woodard, Producer Stephanie Allain, Cinematographer John Bailey, Production Designer Wynn Thomas and Editor Carol Littleton. I was excited to be traveling with such a select group and it was great to see a few familiar faces.

I was all set for the trip when I had to decline yet another job offer, this time for a two-day commercial. But then I received a call for a show scheduled to start filming in Cleveland only a week and a half after my return. I knew it would be a scramble but felt I could do it and happily accepted. It was a relief to know I had a project to return to.

We left LA for Nairobi on Friday, July 8. After eighteen hours in the air, plus some layover time, we arrived on Saturday night and were met by Ginger Wilson of Ginger Ink, a film production company, and Project Manager of One Fine Day Films. One Fine Day Films, our local partner in the training program, offers workshops and seminars to more than sixty-five students from nine African countries. The participants gain practical experience in a variety of disciplines. At the conclusion of the program they collaborate on a feature length project.

We were taken to the Fairview hotel, a family-owned business located on acres of beautifully landscaped gardens. Built in the 1930’s, its stonewalls and arched window give it the look of a country inn.

We spent Sunday morning relaxing and recuperating from the long journey. Ginger Wilson arranged a private viewing at Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage for the afternoon. It’s a wonderful refuge where they save the lives of elephants and rhinos and eventually release them back into the wild. The Orphanage has a program where one can adopt an elephant. I knew if I adopted one, I would become emotionally attached – wanting to visit occasionally and so forth – so I chose not to do it. But, several in our group did adopt an elephant.

Dinner that evening with our African mentors gave us a chance to review program specifics. Matthias Lambert, designer of the sound program, told me there would be six students in our group. Much of the immediate attention of the students, he told me, was directed to post production because a previous project, “Nairobi Half Life,” had completed principal photography and was being edited. Nevertheless, my assignment was to teach production sound techniques and relate them to making the post-production process run smoothly.

On Monday we traveled to the Herron Hotel in Nairobi, where the workshops would be held, and met with the students and other members of the team. They were happy to see us and equally eager to get started. We split up into smaller groups by discipline: script writing, acting, directing, producing, production design, cinematography, sound and editing. Most of the Sound participants were already working in sound or music or both.

Matthias Lambert taught post-production sound in the morning and turned the class over to me for production sound in the afternoon. Since this was my first time teaching a class, and I only had 3 days to do it, I wanted to make every minute count. I started at the very beginning and talked about getting the call for a job and reading the script before the interview. I explained that my course of action is really about understanding the story and the equipment necessary for the job. I then covered the next steps, which include location scouting, prepping and loading your sound equipment. There were many questions from the participants and I considered the workshop a great success.

The daily sessions ended around 5 PM and we would hurry over to nightly screenings of American movies popular in Africa followed by a Q&A session. The first night’s selection, “The Shawshank Redemption,” was a bit of luck for me since I had been part of the crew and was quite familiar with the film. That was a good thing because African students study US films as part of their learning process and many of the students had already seen the film several times. Their own storytelling tends to be more linear but this may be because their subjects often come from personal experience.

We spent our second day in Homeboy Z studio recording ADR and doing mixing exercises for “Nairobi Half Life.” Matthias Lambert welcomed my participation in this post-production work and I assisted in mixing and recording ADR and Foley tracks.

The following day we focused on production sound. I would like to thank Local 695 and all the participants responsible for the articles in the 695 Quarterly. I handed out seven magazines and this was a big plus in my teaching, especially the article from Jim Tanenbaum regarding the placement of wireless mikes. I found that mounting wireless mikes on actors without excessive clothing noise was one of the greatest challenges for my students. It’s a difficult skill to teach but after many demonstrations and using some of the techniques in Jim’s article they eventually began to get the hang of it. I was exhausted at the end of the seven-hour class but my spirits were high and I looked forward to that evening’s screening of “Silverado,” one of my favorites.

On our fourth day our Academy group joined with a group from Film Aid International. They use film and video to reach the world’s most vulnerable communities with messages that educate, inspire and address critical shared needs with the goal of effecting social change. We met with the filmmakers and viewed some of their short films. A question and answer session was held afterward.

Together the two groups visited the Kakuma Refugee Camp in the Northeastern part of Kenya. Approximately 1500 people fleeing drought and turmoil in neighboring Somalia arrive in these camps every day. The humanitarian needs of the people overwhelm regional resources and there is a perpetual shortage of food, water and medical supplies. Seeing these conditions firsthand made it clear that our trip was not just about us sharing our knowledge and experiences, it was also a demonstration of conditions and a challenge to us, as individuals and as representatives of our respective countries, to find ways to help with the problem of starvation in Africa. . I’ve seen it on the news, but there is nothing as powerful as observing the situation first hand. As we boarded our flight headed back to Nairobi, there were conversations among the group about what we’d seen and what we could do to help. Our Director, Ellen, informed us that their most urgent need is for donations and help in spreading the word. She gave us website information for donations.

On Friday, July 15th, I went out with Cinematographer John Bailey to assist students doing pick-up shots for “Nairobi Half Life.” Some of the participants were from the present class and others were students from the previous class who had worked on the film. I demonstrated various methods of recording sound on location for the sound team.

We returned from the pick-ups right in the middle of testing and review of student projects. The students were required to produce short films, each working in their designated craft in cooperation with the others. After all the projects had been evaluated, we had a wrap party and distributed certificates of completion. There were heart-felt moments as we said our goodbyes. We had all benefited from the experience, they from the instruction and we from a new appreciation of African culture and circumstances.

Saturday was safari day! After checking out of the hotel we set out on a photo safari in Nairobi National Park. We successfully “bagged” all the expected beasts except lions; they were nowhere to be found. Ellen Harrington, the Director of the Outreach Program, managed last minute arrangements for the group to have dinner in the park and stay overnight at Nairobi Tent Camp. Beautiful women greeted us at the camp with wine, champagne and passion juice. After a few drinks, we were escorted to a dimly lit bar and restaurant with an open wood fire. Outside of that area, it was pitch black. The meal was excellent. Afterwards, hot water was hand carried in to permit us to take showers. Then we were each escorted by flashlight to our tents.

I had been a little apprehensive about spending the night in a tent but was pleasantly surprised when I saw it. Inside there was a small bed, a face bowl, a shower and a toilet; it was amazing! But I also thought about all the animals that must be out there and wondered how much protection the soft canvas cover might provide. It did help to know that three or four men were stationed around the camp to keep a watchful lookout for us. After a while, I fell into a sound sleep. During the night, I was awakened by noises. I could hear people from nearby tents saying there was a lion outside. And then I heard it. That sound was bone chilling. I lay very still and hoped the lion would move on. I got less than my usual sleep that night.

The next morning, following a wonderful breakfast, we set out for the airport to travel to Rwanda. Driving through the safari area, we continued to look for lions without any luck. But we remembered those sounds from the middle of the night. It was just a short flight to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, but it brought us to a most affecting experience.

Eric Kabera, writer, producer and founder of the Rwanda Cinema Center (RCC) met our flight and got us settled in the Guest Lux Hotel. Immediately after he took us to the Gosozi Memorial that commemorates the Rwanda genocide. Seeing the photos of so many people lost and imagining their suffering was devastating. We later learned that many of our students lost family members in those events. Today they are determined to follow their dreams with a rededicated sense of purpose.

The Rwanda Cinema Center hosted a cocktail reception for the Academy delegates that evening. We met with many of the people active in regional film and cultural activities including members of the Rwanda Development Board, the KWETU Film Institute and representatives of the Ministry of Sports and Culture. It was a good opportunity to become familiar with the local film community. The RCC sponsors several youth programs and an International Film Festival. The KWETU Film Institute provides cinema education and training and supports programs in the performing arts.

After a short press briefing on Monday, we met with out students at KWETU Film Institute. Like the students from Kenya, they were excited to meet and eager to get started. We divided into two groups with Group 1 focused on writing, directing, producing, screenwriting and acting while Group 2 concentrated on cinematography, editing, sound design and production design. We took turns teaching and taking questions. There were many questions and we soon realized that many students were interested in more than one craft.

Tuesday morning we found the students already waiting for us and eager to get started when we arrived at the Institute. We screened their short films and had a lengthy open discussion on ways they might improve their projects. It was amazing to see how talented some of the African students were; the quality of their work was quite good. We did observe limitations due to budget constraints and some of errors that come from limited experience. For example, music was often used to cover areas where there should have been sound effects. My advice to all was to record as many sound effects as possible while filming on location, even if you have to start early or stay late after wrap.

That same afternoon we traveled with Eric Kabera to Musanze, a city in the northern province of Rwanda. We checked into the Gorillas Volcanos Hotel and immediately headed out to Musanze Stadium for a “Hillywood” screening of “Africa United.” There are no movie theaters in most Rwandan cities so films are shown in any available venue. The Hillywood screenings are a component of the Rwanda Film Festival organized by the RCC and are specifically designed to entertain, educate and give a voice to Rwandan youth. Arriving at the stadium we were amazed to see the thousands of people who had come out. There was music and dancing afterwards and the event turned into a party.

The next morning we set out on yet another adventure arranged by Ellen Harrington. We were to hike into a high mountain park that serves as a gorilla reserve. The gorillas are found at a considerable elevation and park guides sized us up and assigned us to groups based on our physical condition. Before setting out we all purchased gorilla sticks both as a hiking aid and as souvenirs. We were given the opportunity to hire someone to carry our backpacks but I elected to carry my own. Each group had an escort with a firearm for protection from other hostile animals.

We hiked through potato fields and then began our ascent through woods. Everyone kept up pretty well and, after two hours of hiking, our guide announced that we had only a couple of miles to go. And we thought we were almost there! But the trip each way was about four an a half miles. Eventually we reached the summit and stopped to take pictures of the valley below. The guide announced that trackers had found a group of gorillas and instructed us on how to behave to avoid spooking the animals. We were told to avoid loud noises and, if grabbed by a gorilla, to just relax and not pull back. We cautiously approached and, for nearly an hour, were able to observe a group of about eighteen gorillas eating, sleeping and interacting. Returning, we were surprised to find the trek down the mountain even more difficult than climbing up.

On Wednesday we traveled to Gisenyi, a city in the western province of Rwanda, for another Hillywood screening. We were put up at the Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, a beautiful old hotel on the magnificent calm lake. The screening was near the lake, only a short walk from the hotel. Again, thousands of people attended.

On Thursday we returned to Kigali for more film festival events and an additional seminar with students at the KWETU Film Institute. We met with the students in the afternoon for a question and answer session. That evening’s screening was in KWETU’s theater, the first movie theater in Rwanda. So new was the building that I was able to look up and see stars as the roof was not yet in place. Building this facility was the special project of Eric Kabera who had raised the funds and secured the necessary support.

This was the last night of our journey and we said our good-byes with much love and feeling for the African people we had met. I believe we left them with enhanced skills and knowledge of the filmmaking process. I know that we learned a lot about East African culture. We witnessed the joy for life they express on a daily basis, despite adverse conditions and I hope that impact stays with me for a long time to come.

On Sunday we had a brief opportunity for some shopping or a final tour before traveling to the airport. Our immediate concern was how to pack all of our gorilla sticks. We decided to wrap them all together and send them as a single bundle. That was appropriate, as our shared experiences had bundled us together as an extended family. Arriving in LA we separated our sticks and went our individual ways. I shared a car with Ellen but forgot and left my gorilla stick behind. But I was able to retrieve it the next day.

CHARITIES

Many charities address the needs of people throughout Africa. We can confidently recommend the following:

Save the Children is feeding underweight children, providing life-saving medical treatment, and getting clean water to remote communities in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. $100 can feed one child for 100 days. See the Facebook Cause page: http://www.causes.com/causes/749 or text “SURVIVE” to 20222 to donate $10 from the United States.

Action Against Hunger helps victims in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and southern Somalia, providing treatment and medical care for acutely malnourished children, general nutritional support for children under 5 years of age, and emergency access to food, clean water and improved sanitation for vulnerable populations. Text “NOHUNGER” to 20222 to donate $10 or see https ://www.actionagainsthunger.org/donate/humanitarian-catastrophe-the-horn-africa

UNICEF provides therapeutic treatment for women and children with severe malnutrition, access to clean drinking water and vaccinations to prevent deadly diseases like measles and polio. Text “FOOD” to 864233 to donate $10 or see the https ://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2

The United Nations World Food Programme plans to airlift high-energy biscuits and highly nutritious supplementary foods for children and pregnant or nursing mothers into southern Somalia. Donate at https://www. wfp.org/donate/hornofafrica or text “AID” to 27722.

CARE reaches a million people affected by the food crisis in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, providing food, water and sanitation facilities. https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_ id=9620&9620.donation=form1

Operation USA works to assess unmet needs on the ground, with its initial response focusing on water resource needs in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps. Donations at http ://www.opusa.org/ or by phone at 1-800-678-7255 or texting “AID” to 50555 to donate $10.

Lobbying AB 1069

Local 695 recently dispatched a delegation to Sacramento to join with delegations from other entertainment industry locals and lobby on behalf of Assembly Bill 1069. Sponsored by Felipe Fuentes (D, 39th District), AB 1069 offers tax credits for productions shot in California. The program provides credits for below-the-line payroll expenditures and only after principal photography has wrapped and the payroll expenses can be verified. Moreover, according to a press release from Assemblyman Fuentes, “The program specifically targets productions that are the most likely to leave the state due to incentives being offered in other states and countries.”

A similar program, enacted in 2009, was scheduled to expire. While not so generous as the incentives offered by some states, the program has nevertheless made a difference. Estimates are that it has resulted in $2.2 billion in production spending in California so far with $728 million going to below-the-line cast and crew. The program has been oversubscribed every year it has been offered so there is a real interest by producers. Since so many entertainment professionals live in California, an enticement doesn’t necessarily need to fully match offers from other states to be attractive.

On September 7, as the bill was being brought to the floor, International Vice President Thom Davis asked locals to send representatives to Sacramento and actively advocate for its passage. Many responded to the call and Locals 16, 44, 50, 80, 122, 700, 705, 728, 729 and 800, as well as SAG, AFTRA, the Teamsters and the Directors Guild, all sent people. Assistant Business Representative Scott Bernard and David Waelder represented Local 695. Tax credits are a difficult sell in lean times and amendments were being considered that might gut the bill’s effectiveness. Foremost among these was a “trigger” measure that would automatically void the credits if tax receipts fell below a predetermined level. No producer would ever commit to a project in return for an uncertain tax credit so this provision would make the program effectively useless. The various delegates met with Ben Golombek, Assemblyman Fuentes’ Chief of Staff, for a strategy session to marshal arguments against this amendment. Then, with a coordinated purpose, the delegates divided into small groups and engaged legislators to encourage their support.

From all reports, the effort was persuasive. Two of the Senators on our list, Ron Calderon (D, 30th District) and Tom Harmon (R, 35th District), took the time to meet with us personally, listen to arguments and ask questions.

After canvassing lawmakers, the delegates took up positions at the entry to the meeting chamber and displayed photos of displaced workers. We’ve heard that many Senators found that to be a strong statement and were also impressed generally by the show of commitment from entertainment locals.

AB 1069 was passed by the legislature without any triggers or other dilutions and signed into law by Governor Brown on October 9. Thom Davis credits the success to “all of us working together, and the continued support from Maria Elena Durazo of the LA County Federation of Labor, and Art Pulaski of the California Labor Federation.” But, the struggle is not over. Although originally written as a five-year tax credit extension, the amended bill extends these credits only one year. We need, as VP Davis reminds us, to continue our efforts to make the “program extend out multiple years so it can truly meet its potential of protecting our members’ jobs.”

The Distinguished Career of Alan Bernard

by David Waelder

For a remarkable stretch of eight years, from 1987 to 1994, Alan Bernard was nominated for an Emmy every year. He was first nominated in 1977 and received a total of fourteen nominations over the course of his career. On five occasions, he won.

There is no Alan Bernard recorder or mixing panel or microphone boom. His contribution has been the example of practicing his craft at the highest level of skill and grace for fifty years. In the course of that career he encountered, as we all do, some cinematographers who would light him out of a shot or other colleagues who impeded rather than assisted the process. He was always an effective advocate for his department but it’s a testament to both his diplomacy, and the good will he brought to these negotiations, that he maintained personal friendships with all concerned.

Born in Windsor, Ontario, Alan Bernard came from a family originally employed as tailors to the Tsarist Court of Russia. In the turmoil following the Russian Revolution, his grandfather arranged for some members of the family to immigrate to Canada. It was a wise decision; all the family members who remained in Russia perished in one pogrom or another. Although these events preceded his birth and he was never in personal peril, growing up in an environment where one’s safety and welfare can be so arbitrarily disrupted shaped his outlook on life. He was always a person quick to stand up for his crew or anyone else vulnerable to intimidation by more powerful forces.

Alan Bernard’s family moved to the United States while he was still a small child and he attended school here. He became a naturalized citizen and served in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1953 to 1955.

Returning from military service, Alan worked for a while as a Contract Administrator in the Planning Department at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica. Although it was a responsible position, it didn’t really suit him. When his childhood friend, Dick Overton, arranged an interview for a post-production position in the Sound Department at Fox, Alan jumped at the chance. It was only a six-week job but he ended up staying for six years, starting out loading raw stock in the recorders and gradually working his way up to Recordist and ADR Mixer. Later on he took positions working at MGM and at Warner Brothers.

As a post-production and ADR mixer, Alan worked on many productions, including such notables as “Cleopatra,” “Dr. Zhivago” and “The Godfather.” He remembers David Lean as an especially exacting taskmaster, sometimes working until 3 AM and then bringing the crew back in on forced calls the next morning. Alan was also part of the sound team that received an Oscar for their work on John Frankenheimer’s 1966 film “Grand Prix.” At the time, the Oscar for Sound was awarded to the studios, not the individual mixers. Alan’s son, Scott, remembers being very young and walking down one of the hallways at MGM in Culver City when his dad pointed to a glassed-in display case and said, “See that? That’s my Oscar!”

Eventually Alan tired of the routine of work closeted away in dark studios and decided to pursue a career as a Production Sound Mixer. He reasoned that his post-production experience gave him good perspective on what worked for a film and what didn’t. But, with no real production experience it was a long lean year before anyone hired him. His first film as a Production Sound Mixer was “Three the Hard Way” in 1974. Directed by Gordon Parks Jr., son of the director of Shaft, it was a blaxploitation film with good production value. Hal Needham was the stunt coordinator and Lucien Ballard, justifiably famous for “The Wild Bunch” and “True Grit,” was the cinematographer. In short, it was an excellent first project for Alan Bernard, a project where good work could be noticed.

After that film, he was rarely idle. Alan did the final season of the television show “Gunsmoke” with Willie Burton as his boom operator. Willie remembers:

It was a great experience working with Alan Bernard. I was Alan’s Boom Man for approximately two and a half years. I learned so much from him, and not only as a sound person; he taught me a lot about life and family. We were a great team, working very hard and having fun at the same time. After spending so much time working together it was very difficult for me to make the change when I decided to become a production Sound Mixer. I can’t help but think if I hadn’t moved up to mixing, we would probably have worked as a team until he retired. Alan is a great guy and he and his wife treated me like family.

He followed “Gunsmoke” with the “Ghost Busters” TV series and dozens of TV movies.

“A Christmas Story,” the now classic tale of a boy’s yeaning for a Red Ryder BB gun, was his favorite. It’s full of memorable lines. Who can forget Darren McGavin, as Mr. Parker, saying, “He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny.” Or, referring to the prize lamp he has won, “Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian.” Although filmed largely on location in a cold Ohio winter, we hear every line from Alan Bernard’s tracks; not a single line was looped. (Not that a looped line is a sign of failure; sometimes it’s necessary. But to bring in a whole picture without a looped line is an accomplishment.)

Alan organized a running poker game on almost every project and counted Ernest Borgnine, Ed Asner and the cast of Porky’s among his poker buddies. He was popular with movie stars and crews alike because of the pleasure he took in the company of others. No doubt his success advocating for his crew and department is partly due to this. It’s easier to negotiate when you are a friend first.

Although busy with work for the Studios, Alan managed to find the time to volunteer for service to Local 695. Spanning nearly 30 years, he served the Local in a variety of elected and appointed positions, beginning on the Local 695 Advisory Board (an adjunct to the standing Board) during Thomas Carmen’s administration in the 60’s and then as a Shop Steward, on the Local 695 Executive Board, as a member of the Board of Trustees, and as Secretary-Treasure. Business Representative Jim Osburn says of him, “Anytime you needed a guy on a picket line or to stuff envelopes, Alan would always do it.” He was generous in his support and would help in any way needed.

One of Alan Bernard’s Emmy nominations was for 1983’s “The Winds of War.” In 1987 he was offered “War and Remembrance” but declined it to work on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” He found the long periods away from home demanded by location shooting to be a difficult accommodation for his family and he chose his projects accordingly. It proved to be a fortuitous choice; between 1987 and 2001 he recorded 170 episodes of “The Next Generation” and 98 episodes of its sequel: “Voyager.”

Sometimes it is difficult to make career decisions that give priority to family needs but when we do, the rewards are lasting. Alan has been continuously married to Linda for fifty-six years… no small accomplishment in this very demanding business. Alan’s son, Scott, says his dad never missed any of the important family activities. He was there for all the graduations and birthdays and all the moments that keep a family close. And Scott recalls early morning rides with his mother in the family car to pick up his father from his post-production jobs because Alan often worked night shifts in order to make himself available to his children during the afternoons. He coached Pop Warner football during the years Scott was playing and then stayed on to coach several seasons beyond Scott’s involvement.

It seems that Alan set a good example. Both of his sons, Scott and David, began their careers in the industry at early ages and both are long-time members and contributors to Local 695. Scott continues to follow in his dad’s footsteps, volunteering as a football coach, serving on the Local 695 Board and as past President of the Local and now working in the 695 office as Assistant Representative.

In a business that often demands unreasonable sacrifices of time and energy, Alan has managed to strike a balance between his chosen profession, his family and his community obligations. His best contribution may be the example he shows us by perfecting this balance.