Features

by James Delhauer

The first National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show opened its doors one hundred years ago in New York City. In the century that followed, NAB grew to become one of the most important annual events to those working in the worlds of film and television. It’s where all the latest gizmos and gadgets from the most serious vendors are debuted. Reps from the various companies are there to interface with potential customers; marketing their wares and soliciting feedback from end users. It’s like Disneyland for production nerds and, after last year’s small return to the Las Vegas Convention Center following the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s centennial celebration was a return to form for this grandiose event.

The technology in our industry is changing at an accelerated rate. While digital workflows were only making their way into the mainstream just fifteen years ago, this year’s NAB show was dominated by LED video wall systems, cloud-based solutions, and artificial intelligence systems. Digital technologies have never been more integrated into the arts of filmmaking than they are today. Heck, the term filmmaking is, in and of itself, a misnomer at this point, as I saw exactly one exhibit pertaining to actual celluloid film during the run of the convention.

In the last five years, we’ve seen the sudden rise of “virtual production,” largely brought about by the development of interlocking LED panels to create larger-than-life “Video Walls.” This technology goes by many names. “The Volume,” “Infinity Stage,” and “Virtual Stages” are just a few that spring to mind. The terminology is not standardized, screens that play back content.

This technology is versatile in its use. Narrative-driven productions can create immersive digital sets on stage, eliminating the need for time-consuming post-production visual effects work. Talent can visualize the environment that they’re in, making for more naturalistic and believable performances. This can be useful for things as mundane as simulating a car ride or as extravagant as setting foot on an alien planet. In broadcast environments like game shows, concerts, and award shows, LED panel systems can create infinitely unique experiences. Photorealistic or abstract, it doesn’t matter. Fireworks can be in the room when someone wins an award or the hosts can float through space. Much of the visual spectacle once exclusive to hundred-million-dollar blockbusters can now be achieved and broadcast in real time thanks to the proliferation of this technology. And if this year’s NAB show was any indication, these systems are here to stay.

Unfortunately, many productions have taken to referring to virtual production as an “on-set visual effect” in order to circumvent the need to hire IATSE members. Visual Effects Artists do not currently work under a union contract, meaning employers can bypass the need to contribute to benefit funds that provide artists with a pension or healthcare. This situation leaves these artists vulnerable to exploitation and poor working conditions, with many news stories recently discussing long working hours and inhumane conditions. Despite the value they bring to production, Visual Effects Artists and companies are not compensated appropriately, with even Academy Award-winning VFX houses being forced to shut their doors or file for bankruptcy due to an inability to make ends meet (such was the case for Life of Pi VFX house, Rhythm & Hues, which was forced to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy just two weeks before accepting the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2013). By choosing to assign this additional labor of “virtual production” to VFX houses instead of hiring IATSE workers under their contract rates and benefits, studios are perpetuating an unethical and unsustainable system—all while violating the contracts that the employers sign with the IATSE.

At its core, virtual production technology is an evolution of the work that Local 695 engineers have been doing for decades. It is derived from the Rear Screen Projector/Camera Interlock Process shot, a system originally conceived and developed by IATSE member Henry V. Miller in 1930 (a story we covered in the Fall 2022 edition of this publication). Though LED panels, networking systems, and video throughput workflow have been improved upon with almost a century’s worth of innovation, the primary function of the job has not changed. Video Walls, Volumes, Virtual Production Stages, or whatever you want to call them are a means of playing back an image for the purpose of being photographed by the Camera Department. That work is the jurisdiction of Local 695.

Virtual production is not the only disruptive technology that is gaining traction in the entertainment industry. At this year’s NAB convention, a wide range of new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning applications were unveiled, such as Adobe Firefly (an art generator), Move AI’s Invisible (a real-time marker-less motion-capture tool), and Whisper by OpenAI (an automatic speech recognition tool). While these applications are still in their infancy, there is no denying their potential for development and continued growth. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are poised to revolutionize the industry in the same way as past technological innovations like the internet and smartphones. With AI and machine learning, the industry is expected to become more efficient, streamlined, and cost-effective. However, these new technologies also raise concerns about the displacement of human workers, job security, and ethical considerations.

In fact, during this year’s trade show, NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt took to the stage to give his thoughts on this emerging market, stating that “This is an area where NAB will absolutely be active… It is just amazing how quickly the relevance of AI to our entire economy, but specifically, since we’re in this room, the broadcast industry has gone from [an] amorphous concept to real.” His presentation echoed many of the concerns that members throughout our industry have expressed since tools like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion have come into play. “We have been fighting for legislation to put some guardrails on it,” he said. “We need to ensure that our stations, our content creators are going to be fairly compensated.”

This warning already rings true for many, as we’ve seen companies like Microsoft, Disney, Google, and Amazon announce mass layoffs even as they invest billions into research and development for artificial intelligence tools. However, that is not to say that artificial intelligence does not create an opportunity at the same time. As the entertainment industry continues to embrace new technologies, the most desirable workers will be those who make themselves familiar with the latest tools and software on the market. With the rise of machine learning, the rate at which these tools come to market is expected to accelerate rapidly, making it more important than ever for professionals to stay up to date. This will require due diligence and a willingness to constantly learn and adapt as new tools and techniques emerge. Those who are able to do so will be better equipped to compete in a rapidly changing job market, while those who are unable or unwilling to keep up with the latest trends may find themselves left behind. Ultimately, staying abreast of the latest tools and technologies is critical for success in today’s entertainment industry, and those who can do so effectively will be the most in-demand workers.

With the rapid pace of development in machine learning, it is likely that these technologies will take over the entire show by next year. In fact, in the coming years, I suspect it will become increasingly difficult to find an audio or video system that does not incorporate some form of machine learning or AI. As these tools reshape our industry, those who are able to harness its power effectively will be at the forefront of this revolution.

And the last area of disruption we’ll discuss today is the advent of Camera-to-Cloud recording. This is a workflow that allows filmmakers to record digital files directly to online servers and into a post-production environment in real time or near-real time, enabling near instant feedback from production stakeholders and accelerating the post-production process. Though such workflows have been theoretically possible for the last few years, the acceleration of remote work thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in advancements in internet connectivity. Consumer, prosumer, and business pipelines are now reaching the point where uploading material directly from the camera or a recording device is practical. However, this creates some jurisdictional issues on the set. Off-camera recording, such as through a media server, record deck, or hardline ingest system are the jurisdiction of Local 695 recordists. Camera-to-Cloud is, by definition, an off-camera recording and transmission system, both of which are codified in the Local 695 Collective Bargaining Agreement. This does not mean that productions cannot take advantage of these innovations, but it must be done with a Local 695 Video Engineer on-set to oversee such operations. Even when transmission systems are built directly into the camera (such is the case with Red’s V-Raptor system) or portable camera monitors (such is the case with Atomos’s Ninja V+ video monitor), this is Local 695 work. Before a production can assign this work, a conversation must be had between the involved Local unions, the on-set department heads, and the producers to sort out who will be responsible for what work in a manner that is consistent with the contracts we’ve all negotiated with one another.

NAB 2023 was a wonderful return to form, showcasing countless new devices and tools that continue to push the limits of what is possible in Hollywood. From virtual production to AI and machine learning, the entertainment industry is rapidly evolving and embracing new technologies that promise to revolutionize the way we create and consume content. However, as we embrace these innovations, it is important to be cautious and ensure that they are being used in a responsible and ethical manner. We must also be mindful of the potential consequences, such as job displacement and the erosion of privacy, that come with these new technologies. Ultimately, while the future of the entertainment industry is exciting and full of potential, we must approach it with care and responsibility to ensure that we are building a sustainable and equitable industry that benefits everyone involved.

by Brandon Loulias

I’ve spent most of my adult life working on film sets; from the Wild West of nonunion indie movies to long-form narrative films and TV. It was a great way to collect experience. I also observed a common duality for most of us on regular shows: long hours, unpredictable wrap times, exhaustion, etc. Once the pandemic hit, it gave us an opportunity to reframe our lives and what we feel is important. I learned there are more things in life than living on a film set. This was a major shift for me, as I had never put a priority on my personal life. I took that time to reconfigure. The variety of work I’d get called for expanded vastly, from primarily narrative work to about ten different styles of sound work on large-scale productions with varying complexities. My post-sound career rekindled as well, which has always been a part of my life and I’ve always kept a mixing room wherever I’ve been for the past twenty years. These days, many of us don’t get the chance to choose the type of work we do. We either take the job, or someone else will and who knows when the next one will come. Regardless of the job requirements, I show up and solve problems, like any of us. I enjoy working in all the different disciplines under and around our little umbrella, albeit sometimes exhausting.

Most of my career has been by the seat of my pants, with gear manuals and internet access keeping me honest and employed since I was a kid. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know everything and never will. That’s the joy of this line of work for me. I’m a lifelong student of the crafts and the people around me as long as there’s something new to learn. Our employment depends on relationships, and good gear allows you to be with people instead of all the toys. The point of our equipment is to get it out of the way and be present for the process.

Once upon a time, a sound person could choose a particular discipline and stay within that classification for an entire career if they chose to do so. Things have changed a bit, and now many of our members will take what they can get in any classification. When I got into the union, my intention was to keep mixing. Alas, I was 6’7” and in my twenties, so they gave me a boom pole instead. Booming taught me to navigate and collaborate with other departments, which is vital to achieving a great soundtrack and a positive work environment. Coincidentally, I had to give up booming for health reasons, which has led me to be more dynamic in my skill sets to stay busy.

One thing I love about day playing is the ability to bounce between different workflows and avoid complacency with a particular job. The downside is having to pivot on a dime and sometimes even wearing different hats with variable complexity for each day of the week. There’s also the turnaround issue; like having a split-call mixing job that goes late one day, and an early call on a playback job with a completely different gear package the following morning. Most of the time, we just have to tough it out and be exhausted, as we may not have another job for a long time.

A double-edged sword of working in many disciplines is the need for multiple rigs that do multiple things. I believe in being prepared but will only purchase things out of necessity. Otherwise, we’ll just get into a loop of buying gear to make money to buy gear, which is a dangerous game I’ve been playing for most of my life.

I look at all jobs like a math equation; the problem is what the job requires, and the solution is something we provide through technology and skillful planning. Here are a few examples of problems I’ve encountered in the past few years, and what solutions I devised as a result. A huge benefactor in audio solutions these days is how technology has evolved. I am ever-so-grateful for many of the audio-over-IP solutions that I can rely on for all the mission-critical applications.
Then of course, the most important parts, like batteries and wheels.

Music Recording and Pro Tools Playback on Movies and TV

There’s been an increasing demand for recording live music on movies and TV, and I happen to get a lot of those calls lately. Here’s how I handle them:

I ask for a tech rider, which gives me all the info like track lists, instruments, IEM requirements, mic choices, etc. I contact props and set dec, who are most likely already in touch with the stage and equipment companies, to determine who’s supplying the backline, stage tech, etc. A lot of the time, those companies will also provide additional workforce such as FOH mixers, A2’s, System Techs, etc. I always advocate getting additional A2 labor through Local 695 if we’re short on hands. I also like to have Pro Tools playback and band recording as two separate people if possible and the situation calls for it, although sometimes it has to be one. I have modular rigs that can accommodate both workflows via AES50 and Dante interchangeably. The flexibility of those interfaces gives me lots of options in various situations, and the Midas ecosystem is excellent for accommodating demanding and ever-changing workflows. I still use the good old Sound Devices 970 for large track counts, the Midas M32R & M32C mixers, and DL16 & DL32 stage boxes. Moving forward toward the shoot, I always ask for a rehearsal/pre-record day, if we can. It’s really nice when we can focus on recording with the artist on a click track, dial in IEM’s, and get a few clean takes without the hassle of “getting this next shot before lunch.”

I worked on Yellowstone S5 for a minute, where there was a frequent need for live-music recordings throughout the season. I put the bat signal out to production about needing to connect with the backline company, and they hooked me up with Alex Bruce from Montana Pro Audio, who was an absolute champion about it. He and his team built the stage and got the instruments, and we combined our mic collections to facilitate the needs of recording for all the bands.

I had to revise my system after the first round, as we were spread out on a ranch with a thumper for four hundred cowboys, and the band was in a tent with about five cameras floating around the premises. I returned with a smaller rig to do it all quickly and lightly. The coolest part is the mixer being able to jump between Midas and Pro Tools control at the push of a button, which proved extremely handy when recording thirty-two isos to play back on a dime against a thump with immediate turnover. I had a previous commitment, so my friend Nick Ronzio stepped in and finished the season on my rig. All went smoothly. A perfect reminder that simplicity, even with great technology, is sometimes the best choice.

Live Broadcast Mixing for Justin Bieber’s Virtual Concert with Unreal Engine for WAVE

I was hired to create a sound ecosystem for live broadcast motion-capture virtual concerts using Unreal Engine and various DAW’s. This is how we did it:

The problem we faced was a live concert in real-time with Justin Bieber in a motion- and face-capture suit driving an avatar in Unreal Engine. This was broadcast to millions of viewers. The solution was a lot of rehearsals, MIDI cue points, math equations, and headaches. I built a system that can drive Unreal Engine from Pro Tools through MIDI, LTC timecode, and GPIO. This information was generated by Pro Tools with stems for monitoring, as well as crowd interaction and FX triggering via Ableton Live.

It all interfaced with Unreal and the BTS camera for live picture-in-picture, and everything was in tri-level sync feeding a TriCaster.

Some of the issues we faced in this process were calibrating the synchronization between various peripherals, even down to house sync and black burst. The face motion capture was about 23ms offset from body capture, which had to be ironed out by employing certain system delays. This also meant we needed to delay the audio by 384ms while still having the music in real-time for Bieber to perform. It ended up requiring a lot of different bussing and variable delays, including audio reactivity, which altered the lighting and graphics in the Unreal universe according to music intensity.

We developed a method for global sync calibration, where a technician wore the suit while moving to the beat and counted out loud so we could line up the body, face, and audio for all moving parts. We ran it for the duration of the concert to verify any detectable drift and cross-checked it with a 2-pop at the beginning and end of the show. All interconnects for our department were done using Dante and NDI on four computers. We had two identical Pro Tools HDX systems—one for playback and one for mixing. The other two computers were for systems management and crowd/FX triggers via Ableton. We controlled everything with two Avid S3’s, interfaced with Focusrite Red 8Pre’s, and recorded the whole thing on the good old Sound Devices 970. The result was music playback driving all visual cues and scenes within Unreal Engine while Bieber wore the suit to drive his avatar in that world. I got to work with one of my childhood best friends on this one, Will Thoren. This job was technologically ambitious and great to share together. It was also a good lesson in staying organized when it’s necessary to go big with our rigs.

Dolby Atmos Comedy Show in Dane Cook’s Backyard

Lately, I’ve been working in the niche circuit of live comedy, and we have a system for turning over Atmos-deliverable recordings. Here’s how:

My friend Thomas Cassetta does quite a lot of this work, and we usually do a lot of the production and post-sound on these together. On this one, I was the Production Mixer and Supervising Sound Editor, and he was the Re-recording Mixer. I’ve always found it to be an informative process to do both. Tom is a stellar colleague, and a pleasure to work with.

On live comedy, we like to use the Midas M32/970 workflow and boom recorder as backup. I’ve had a lot of success with those machines for higher track counts where you can’t have anything fail and millions of people are watching. Live comedy is a similar idea. My rig for this is fairly basic and the workload generally goes into hanging mics. On the Dane Cook special, we had to pull many stops as he wanted to do the special in an unusual place—his backyard. His house was in the Hollywood Hills, so loading in and logistics were an absolute nightmare for all involved. Luckily, he owned the house across the street as well, so we ran our base of operations from there over fiber on a crossover.

My main challenge was getting a full-sized LCR line array PA system to Dane’s top balcony while I was three stories down in his garage recording and mixing. Another thing was wind protection for twenty-six crowd mics. We rigged a combination of wired and wireless mics, hanging in spaced pairs along the perimeter, and an Ambisonic mic from above. We had the post contract on this, so any mess we made was ours to clean up. The game is to get full-bodied crowd sounds with all mics in sync and to run the PA quietly to give you enough separation in post for control. We had a Shure Axient System for his handhelds and Midas DL32 on the side of the stage, feeding into a Midas M32 at the FOH mix position via AES50. We daisy-chained the FOH to me downstairs in the garage on my Midas M32R into three backup recorders via Dante. This was a cool configuration as I could set the master trim and preamp controls from my mixer, and my FOH guy could do trims and such upstairs.
One thing I love about comedy stuff is prep days; you’d never see that on a film set. It’s also been a real pleasure meeting the other factions of A2’s and comms people who are 695 members—usually, we’d never cross paths. They are
highly intelligent, great to work with, and quite skilled. This gig showed me the importance of offline technical prep so that life can be easier on the day.

Pro Tools Playback Motion Control Workflow: The Flight Attendant S2

I first got the call for The Flight Attendant to solve a tech issue. They wanted to “parent-trap,” which is where you have one actor play many characters in the same shot. Here’s how:

We stacked Kaley Cuoco’s performances in QTAKE, and by the time we wrapped the scene, had a complete sequence. They were all layered in on a VFX comp, with only her dialog heard from each performance. This was important for VFX as some of the scenes had to have perfect eyelines, throw stacks of paper, high fives, etc. The dialog timing had to be on point as it would motivate the moves, and there needed to be enough of a gap for each line, otherwise, it would throw her off.

This required a repeatable scene. My system would drive six or more peripherals that employed motion control for the camera, QTAKE auto-record and layering, DMX lighting cues, and sound FX on the Pro Tools timeline. I decided to run it with record-run timecode via an Avid Sync HD, and I’d record the isos over Dante into Pro Tools HDX and on a 970. I chose LTC over GPIO to drive this, given the nature of linear time frames of each scene—hitting cues at certain intervals for FX, actions, light, and not to mention the flow of dialog. GPIO had only basic transport functions, and LTC allowed me to adjust things in my repeatable timeline. Each segment would start at 00:59:56:00 so as to give everything enough time to catch sync.

We wired everyone, including the photo doubles, who ran lines to hold space for when Cuoco was to do those character’s performances. I ran a Dante feed from the production mixer’s rig so I could get anything I wanted over that line, including the mix and all isos. I would roll when they called action, kicking the LTC off, which would trigger QTAKE to roll four cameras, the bloop light for Moco would hit at 01:00:00:00, our AD would call out “three … two … one … action,” then they’d do the scene. We wrote motion control, focus racks, DMX lighting cues, and any other chronological scene information against my LTC stripe on all moving parts, recording all data. If we wanted another one, we’d have to write it all again based on the linear requirements of the scenes. After we got a keeper-take, we would then call that the base on which we would build. I would mark that in my session, then figure out which character would go next. I would clean up the dialog on the fly with iZotope and cut out photo double lines of the character she chose to play next, so she could perform it. Sometimes we’d rehearse while she was getting wired, and she would read her next character’s lines against the other lines to practice timing. I’d also retain the verbal “three … two … one” cue, although it was archaic, as it served the purpose of cueing everyone on the exact same start mark each time for the scene.

We had to drive QTAKE’s initial “keeper-take” to play back in sync with the new one and print both into a new VFX comp track. We were effectively “stacking” performances, similar to a sequencer or multitracking in a DAW. I also would run my updated dialog edit into the mixer’s board, so it would always represent the most recent dialog comp for VTR overlays. Sometimes, I’d cue three beeps to help give her a start mark if her character didn’t start the scene or if she needed a cue for action. This was a constant process throughout the season, requiring all departments’ collaboration. It was great practice in how to translate weirdly complex situations to others in a palatable fashion.

To Leslie: Good Old-Fashioned Filmmaking

To Leslie was a special experience for me and a total relief from all the other deeply technological jobs I had gotten myself into. Shot single-camera on film, this job was fun because it wasn’t about big tough problem-solving or new fancy wireless gear; it was about the relationships and organic processes of capturing great performances. It was classical filmmaking. Our Director, Michael Morris, was an absolute joy to collaborate with. From the beginning, we discussed the music as it was important in this film. He left me in charge of the jukebox, and I was always ready whenever he wanted something for needle-drop or otherwise. It was very enjoyable to delve into the “outlaw country” discography and learn about a style of music I hadn’t been entirely familiar with. Some songs helped convey feelings and underlying subtexts in particular circumstances. While other times, it was about creating the right vibe.

Then there was Andrea Riseborough, who immediately caught me off guard and blew me away with her performance from day one. It was amazing to witness this powerhouse of a character, which shook most of us to the core. She had incredible dynamics, and keeping up with that was quite a task at times. Luckily, I had a killer crew of Johnny Kubelka as Boom Operator, and Dan Kelly as Utility. It was a real treat to have them both, Swiss Army knife-generation sound guys who have worked in many disciplines as well. We shot all over L.A. and out in the desert, all on location. It truly reminded me of the good old independent film days that felt like summer camp. Just filmmakers having fun.

No matter the application, it’s safe to say that our job requirements are evolving, and so are we. The amount of gear we have to keep is staggeringly more than ever, and we have to support each other to keep our rates up to accommodate for that. The gear is there to supplement our solutions, not to define us or our workflow. It doesn’t matter if you use Shure or Lectro, Zaxcom, Sound Devices, Cantar, Sonosax or Zoom—what matters is that we know how to use our equipment and adapt to the ever-changing landscape. A mixer’s gear loadout is reminiscent of their mind and what makes sense to them. We mustn’t forget the purpose of the gear is to get it out of the way and don’t forget to step away and live life.

Behind the Video Avatar: The Way of Water

by Dan Moore

Being a Video Engineer can be a lonely position on set. On occasion, like a Script Supervisor, you can convince production that additional help is needed because of added cameras, multiple location moves, or cameras that will leapfrog from set to set. Having more support is often the exception and not the rule. However, on Avatar: The Way of Water, with four and sometimes five stages in operation at Manhattan Beach Studios (MBS), quite often three to five operators were employed with some days reaching as many as eleven. With complicated setups and prepping upcoming scenes, planning and coordinating personnel was essential in making this project a success. This started in 2005, when the technical planning and pipeline development began for the first Avatar film.

The pipeline is the process by which all departments contribute their specific function to a main storage center, which then disseminates and organizes large volumes of information. The information being ‘bits of data.’ These digital files are cleaned up and sent to the visual effects house and other departments to use. In 2005, many were responsible for the development of the pipeline, including members from Local 695. Glenn Derry was a principal developer, supported by Gary Martinez and Mike Davis. Both had the creative talent, the engineering expertise, and field experience to build a pipeline that worked. Later in 2012, Ryan Champney, the Virtual Production Supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment, continued to improve and streamline this pipeline. He was able to make rapid changes to the overall system and personalize it for different departments. For example, writing custom software for the automated publishing and metadata tagging of the audio, video, facial, and performance-capture datasets. This overwhelming task resided with these principal technicians, whose degrees in computer science, electrical, and mechanical engineering supported the groundbreaking work. I enjoyed observing and learning from skilled engineers overcoming complex challenges for this project.

To walk onto the set of Avatar would be deceiving and underwhelming because of its warehouse-like appearance. This is not a traditional film set like those constructed by carpenters, painters, and set designers, to then be populated later with stylized lighting and filmed with traditional cameras.

On one side of the stage are two raised platforms, which look like old-style TV phone banks. In this case, the phones and staff are replaced with computer workstations and technicians. Each station is responsible for different aspects of the show. These raised platforms, called the Brain Bar, are workstations for head rigs, QTAKE, RealTime, take assets, script, stunts, and the Editorial Department.

On Stage 27, in front of the Brain Bar, was the Volume that measured 120’ x 75’. The Volume is where the action sequences were recorded. The Volume was surrounded by one hundred eighty infrared cameras, suspended from the ceiling, casting IR light over the entire defined space. These cameras, which are calibrated for accuracy every morning, track the actors’ movements within the Volume. It also tracks a ‘virtual camera’ and the props for those action sequences. The actors wore black suits with reflective spherical markers on them that the IR cameras followed. When looking at a RealTime monitor of the Volume, the performers and the characters they were playing could be seen walking around in a 3-D field. The virtual camera, which put a frame and lens around the image, provided the visual background, creating the location and characters for the scene. On each stage, four 65” OLED monitors were placed around the Volume, and thirty smaller monitors at each workstation, showing the Avatar facial and body movements, as well as the scenery of this imaginative world. Instantaneously, the scene became a close approximation of what it would look like in the theater. Not photo-realistic, but close.

Additionally, within this crowded Volume, up to sixteen live Sony cameras were positioned to capture close-ups of the actors’ facial expressions and movements. This allowed the director to see the detailed performances of the actors and know what takes ‘to circle.’ These directors’ video notes of the articulation of the actors’ expressions helped to make references for final photo-realistic digital images done later. These movements, along with sound and video, were all digitally recorded in a massive, air-conditioned server room that accommodated several petabytes of storage.

Where does the Video Assist Operator fit into a project like Avatar? My primary function was to record the virtual image along with a 16-camera matrix that would be displayed on the monitors. The recording stations became stationary after hundreds of miles of Canare Belden BNC, and fiber-optic cable were laid to create the pathways. Hardware equipment from Evertz, Blackmagic Design, Decimator Design, Panasonic, and Sony were used in the build-out. Much of the equipment was sourced from B&H Photo and Adorama Camera. Production did source equipment locally, as well through Band Pro Film & Digital in Burbank. Air-conditioning, backup power supplies, and racks of digital storage units were in place before the first day of filming. In addition to the build-out, solar panels were placed on top of all stages, to cut down on the electric bill and all water used in the film tanks were delivered to the golf course right next to the MBS stages.

On the first Avatar film in 2005, the production used video assist Playback Technology devices to record the virtual camera and three-quarter-inch tape decks to record the live-action cameras. In 2015, Avatar: The Way of Water production used the QTAKE system to record the virtual camera and a matrix of the sixteen live cameras. In addition, the individual live cameras were recorded on AJA recorders and uploaded onto the digital server after each take. The matrix image for the video assist came from a Blackmagic MultiView 16 device. As a criteria, all devices had to have the capability to be remotely software controlled so that the media was properly named and published on roll and cut.

The Video Assist Operator was also responsible for troubleshooting and the overall reliability of the pipeline. Making sure that the sixteen live-action cameras, head rigs, and other departments had proper timecode, as well as tri-level sync and other reference outputs. All the workstations, about twenty in total, each had a monitor for live and playback images. The Video Assist Operator was also responsible for transmitting the images to the QTAKE workstations and to the Camera Department monitors for focus.

In June 2016, I was employed once again on Avatar to head and coordinate the Video Department. The build-out of the pipeline was almost complete. I assisted both Ryan and Gary to help finish and get ready to film Avatar 2 and 3. At this point, I needed to assemble a group of Video Engineers who would be able to work on this project at various times. I scheduled personnel who were able to commit to the show and maintain their own client base. I knew a few operators but needed to find more. Within a few weeks, I was able to assemble twenty-five video operators that I could schedule at any given time. As the show progressed, the Director and Virtual Camera Operators would sometimes have a preference and would want to be paired with Video Assist Operators who were suited for them. The operators came from all different backgrounds, which included features, commercials, and live TV. Their technical ability varied as well. From basic QTAKE functions to a variety of problem-solving issues, every day had different challenges. Some operators expressed that the pressure of working with the director would be too tense. In this case, the Director was James Cameron. For Mr. Cameron, you need to be always ‘on,’ anticipate what he might need, and be able to technically answer his questions. Like Mr. Spielberg, he demands an A team of professionals. Surprisingly, Video Operators that came from live TV were able to handle the most stress in terms of personalities and technical issues. In the end, our Local was able to provide the most experienced and proficient technicians.

All the Video Assist Operators were able to bring their talents to this otherworldly film. I would like to congratulate the following operators, and their contributions to the success of Avatar: The Way of Water.

Shahrouz (Shawn) Nooshinfar: From Tehran, Iran, Shawn had been employed by several Persian and Armenian broadcast channels serving as an Uplink Engineer and Technical Director. He is also fluent in Farsi, German, and English, making him in demand at other international broadcast stations. He was brought on Anchorman 2 as a Technical Advisor and Engineer in 2011 and joined the union in 2012. He has worked as the lead media server and LED Engineer on Dr. Phil and other live TV events. On Avatar, he handled the biggest technical challenges with ease and confidence. He is one of the principal owners of Lightning LED, which specializes in video walls, media servers, and video assist. His company is a QTAKE distributor and technical support center.

Jeb Johenning: From Lexington, VA, was employed by Strata Flotation in 1988 and was responsible for the in-house video productions of their product, which was being distributed nationally. He also served as an Industrial Designer and had twelve US patents on different products he designed. Jeb has been a Local 695 member since 1994 and established his company Ocean Video in 1993. His company is one of the few companies that is a worldwide premier agent/dealer for the QTAKE system, which builds carts and provides technical support. His role on Avatar was more behind the scenes, providing support and perfecting the build-out of QTAKE streaming. This allowed all five stages to be interconnected and view takes filmed on different stages. This was a secure and quick way for the director to comment on the work of others.

Dan Moore: From Chicago, IL, graduated from college in 1983, and trained as a Video Assist Operator with Cogswell Video Services in 1984, one of the first video assist companies. Steve Cogswell trained many Video Assist Operators and made an impact on how video assist is used on set today that includes a sense of organization and the consistent use of quality equipment. Besides managing the operations on the set of Avatar, Dan worked with Ryan Champney in setting up and dismantling the video infrastructure for all the performance-capture volumes. All cables used for video, timecode, tri-level sync, word clock, data, and even the cable’s length had to be color-coded and incorporated onto the stages. With thousands of connections going in so many directions, this made the ability to problem solve much easier. Dan is currently the owner of Video Hawks LLC.

Eduardo Eguia: From San Luis Potosi, Mexico, moved to Mexico City in 1995 to work at the Broadcast Televisa Studios as an Editor and Post-production Engineer. He moved to the US in 1998 and in 2010 joined the union. Working as a Video Operator on Avatar, Eduardo was also responsible for building the QTAKE systems and other recording and editorial carts for the 3-story tank on Stage 18 at Manhattan Beach Studios, as well as all the carts for New Zealand. This turned into a blessing for production, since once the carts were completed, COVID shut down the Los Angeles operations which later resumed in New Zealand with the carts that Eduardo built. With the help of Roly Arenas, Storm Flejter, Ernesto Joven, and Peter Joyce, a total of twenty carts were assembled and used in production.

Roly Arenas: From Havana, Cuba, graduated from the University of Computer Science Havana as a Software Engineer. He worked in Havana as Graphic Artist and Video Engineer at Canal Havana Broadcast Studios and moved to the United States in 2010. He was hired as an Editor for the Caribbean Broadcasting Company in 2016 and joined the union in 2018. He worked on Avatar building carts and working as a Video Assist Operator.

Mike Pickel: From Dallas, Texas, graduated from University of Texas, Austin, with a degree in film. The same year, he moved to Los Angeles to work at Paramount Pictures as a Production Assistant and then transferred to Michael Bay’s company, Propaganda Films. There he worked as a PA and then later as a Video Assist Operator on commercial projects. He became a union member in 1995. Sadly, Mike passed away from cancer in 2018 during the filming. He was one of the first Video Assist Operators to work on Avatar: The Way of Water when production commenced. His presence, humor, and talents were greatly missed.

So many other Video Engineers from our Local were involved and instrumental in making Avatar: The Way of Water a success. They include Andrew Rozendal, Alex Sethian, R. Scott Lawrence, Joe Kroll, Justin Geoffroy, Ben Betts, Peter Joyce, David Santos, Storm Flejter, Ernesto Joven, and several others. Our Local came through with skilled Video Assist Operators who worked together and challenged that singular often lonely position we all have been accustomed to performing, merging our creativity for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

by Blas Kisic

I remember the phone call very well—a producer I’ve known for years, Matthew McIntyre, was on the other end. He got straight to the point, “Blas, have you ever done a hidden-camera show?”

Indeed, I’d worked on a few. They were typically in a contained space, and lasted a few hours at the most. I came to realize a few weeks later, when it was too late to back out of the job, that my notion of a “hidden-camera show” and the project Matt was asking me about were two very different things.

The show in question was Jury Duty, starring James Marsden, and it premiered on Amazon Freevee in April. It follows a volunteer whom we called “Hero,” who signed up to participate in a documentary-style project about the legal system in Los Angeles. What he didn’t know was that everyone he would interact with was an actor, and that the trial was a recreation.
The scale and scope of the project (which I’d describe as “The Truman Show in real life”) was unprecedented. We had to convince the volunteer he was involved in a jury trial in an actual courthouse during a period of three weeks. We had to control whom he spoke to, what he saw or read, where he went and, naturally, he’d have no access to any electronic devices to keep him from finding out what was happening in the real world. As far as I know, this had not been attempted before.

To be honest (I hope the EP’s don’t read this), I had my doubts. The challenges, especially for the Sound Department, were many. We had two weeks of prep at the courthouse, rehearsing with our cast, who were in character during the whole day, but were also amazing improvisers. Finally, we brought in our Hero for the three-week shoot. What could possibly go wrong?

Two mixers, one utility

My first request to production was to hire a second mixer. I assumed that we’d have to deploy multiple rigs in different sets, requiring two mixers at all times.

I’m incredibly fortunate Dan Kelly was available. He’s a very experienced mixer with many “live-to-tape” projects under his belt. Those typically contend with multiple cameras and elaborate technology, and also, more to the point, few opportunities for a second take. Besides, he’s such a calming presence on set, a welcome contrast to my hyperactive, somewhat neurotic self.

I had to find a new Utility Sound person as my “usual suspects” were already working on other shows. I decided to try out Jennifer Zhang based on a colleague’s recommendation. Jen lived up to her accolades; she’s extremely organized and efficient, and always with a smile on her face. We were lucky to have her, considering all the moving parts we had to deal with every single day.

Several other Local 695 members helped us along the way. John Maynard was with us for a couple of days during prep, as well as Denis Perez, Raam Brousard, and Ethan Molomut who joined the team on some of the “big” days. Tad Chamberlain jumped onboard for one day as well, to replace Dan. I feel extremely lucky to work with such experienced and dedicated professionals.

Location, location, location

Our script called for a courthouse, a hotel for sequestered jurors, a restaurant, and a city park. Only the courthouse and the hotel were locked-down sets. The others were open to the public while we filmed, which, as you can imagine, made those days that much more interesting.

The courthouse was located in Huntington Park, which is five miles south of Los Angeles. It was decommissioned for budgetary reasons years ago, and it’s been in disuse since. Most recently, it was used as a, wait for it, a Halloween funhouse. The Construction Department did an amazing job of bringing the building back to its former glory.

The building sits between city hall and the police station, both still active, which caused us unending grief with RF issues (more on that later).

All the sets had hidden cameras installed. We considered hiding plant microphones in a couple of the sets, but we soon abandoned the idea, as it’s one thing to hide a mic from the cameras for a few hours, and quite another for someone who might be sitting only a few inches away, day after day.

Most of the story beats take place in the jury deliberation room. The cast and our Hero would start the day here before entering the courtroom, and then later be back to discuss the case or spend their lunch breaks.

The other main set was the courtroom. We had several MKH50 microphones on fixed mounts, hardwired to the main cart. As a backup, both the judge and the attorneys had their own lavaliers feeding recording packs, which we downloaded at the end of every day.

We also had interview spaces on the north side of the building. They were pre-lit, with booms set up for proper sit-down interviews. The windows in the interview rooms faced the police department just one hundred yards north of the courthouse blasting twenty watts of RF at random times. We had constant issues here, which kept me from recording clean audio at the main cart.

This prompted us to run hundreds of feet of antenna cable, from one end of the courthouse to the other; even to the roof, to cover the action in a couple of exterior scenes. We installed an RF Venue 4 Zone antenna combiner in the cart, which I had to “operate” when the action moved from one set to another. In order to avoid overloading the antennas, I had to switch different zones on and off, depending on where the actors were headed.

The 4 Zone combiner wasn’t designed for active switching in that manner. It took several button pushes to switch each antenna bank. Naturally, a handful of times in the heat of battle, I managed to keep the wrong zone on, causing dropouts and other issues…

We soon came up with a plan B, a Super Zuca cart (created by fellow 695 member Eric Ballew), which contained two bags; one with a Sound Devices 688 and another with a 633, for a total of eighteen wireless channels. Dan, as part of the “documentary” crew, wheeled it into different locations. During interviews, I would turn off the Comtek feed in the main cart and Dan would switch on a transmitter installed on the Super Zuca, so the creative team at video village could listen to a clean mix devoid of RF hits.

Filming in a restaurant teeming with customers

When I saw “INT. MARGARITAVILLE – NIGHT” in one of the scripts, I immediately called our PM to confirm whether that name was just a placeholder or the well-known restaurant located at Universal CityWalk. I was obviously concerned about all the logistics involved.

The answer was “Yeah, the restaurant will be open to the public.” In the script, this would be a personal outing, away from the court and the “documentary” crew. I was extremely nervous about our ability to capture all the dialogue without lavs, to say nothing of where our rig would be located, and how we’d route feeds for the earwig channels, Comteks, antenna placement, etc.

We did have a pretty thorough location scout a few weeks before, where we had a chance to formulate a plan of attack. To my relief, it was decided the “documentary” crew would tag along with the group of jurors, at least for the first hour or so, which helped bring down my blood pressure a bit.

This was definitely the most difficult location for us. It came after an already long day, starting at the hotel and then at a garment factory downtown. Lots of moving parts, additional day players, duplicate sound teams leapfrogging the cast bus in order to prepare for the next scene, wiring talent with seconds to spare. At the end of the night, we were all exhausted, but also exhilarated because we were able to pull off the seemingly impossible.

Home away from home

In order for The Truman Show conceit to work, we needed a plausible reason to cut off all communication with the outside world. Our Hero would have to relinquish his connected devices, and would not be allowed to go home. Thus, James Marsden’s celebrity became a distraction to the proceedings, which gave our judge a reason to sequester the jury.

Production found a hotel that was closed for renovations, perfect for our needs. The first two or three floors had been remodeled, we could have a mini-production office in one of the rooms, and there would be no other guests that would get in our way.

There was a common area with books, a TV set, and gaming consoles, where the jurors could spend time together, and it would be the setting for a couple of key plot points. We did experiment with a DPA 4097 connected to a recording pack, which we hid high up behind a curtain fold—but, as we suspected, it never provided more than a fuzzy ambient perspective. You can’t fault us for trying!

Another major location involved a birthday party at a city park, which the “documentary” crew would not attend. All the actors would be wearing lavs—except for the Hero. We planned on having him wear a micro recorder and tested a few different models. We asked Prop Master Jason Phillips to come up with a hat or some accessory that could house the recording device.

One of the characters, Barbara, played by Susan Berger, crocheted during court hearings. Jason suggested we make crochet lapel pin buttons in which we could hide the miniature recorder. The story would be that Barbara had made a few crocheted buttons the night before as party favors, which she would pin on various people, one of whom, of course, would be the Hero. Ultimately, our EPs decided the risk of the recorder being noticed was too high, and we shelved it.

The park was a couple of miles from the hotel. It had plenty of trees and a nearby parking lot, where a video village van could be staged relatively inconspicuously. Two “porta-potties” were set up very close to the set, one was occupied by yours truly, operating the Super Zuca, and the other by Steve Canas, our Video Tech Supervisor. We’ll always look back at this shoot as the time when our careers literally, ended up in the toilet…

Digital wireless—a steep learning curve

We needed more RF channels to cover the show’s needs. I briefly debated whether to get a third venue VRM, but I also realized that having digital channels in such a hostile RF environment would help our reliability. I chose Lectrosonics products, a DSQD receiver and DBSM transmitters.

Dan had already worked with DSQD’s and DBSM’s, and he had learned a couple of valuable tips, contrary to what we’re used to with hybrid wireless devices. The DSQD tends to react poorly when digital signals are received by a powered antenna at full strength; there’s intermittent garbling in the dialogue. We spent some time adjusting the antenna bias power to keep them at around 75%-80%. We tested extensively and played with the antenna bias gain to optimize the signal quality.

Perhaps more important, reducing noise is far more effective than boosting the TX signal. We scanned several times, reducing the bias power to the antennas, until the histogram looked pristine. Once the noise detected was minimal or nonexistent, coordinating frequencies became much easier.

Considering that the wires would be in close proximity most of the time, we decided to keep all analog TX’s at 50mW, and the four digital TX’s at 25mW. We also switched the step size on all channels to 25KHz, which helps fine-tune the coordination—100KHz steps are too far apart when coordinating that many channels.

For scanning and coordinating, we used Wireless Designer. It’s quite powerful and has many useful features. Besides the talent wires, we had a handful of earwig and comms channels which we had to coordinate as well. My receivers are mounted on the back of my cart, so I keep Wireless Designer open on my laptop at all times. This allows me to check the signal strength and battery health on each channel regularly.

An old dog learns new tricks

Many of my colleagues have been using Dante for years. In case you’re not familiar, Dante is an AOE (Audio Over Internet) protocol that allows you to transmit full bandwidth audio over long distances, as well as routing signals to multiple devices. It requires Dante-enabled devices, a laptop that can run Audinate’s Dante Controller, and an Ethernet switch.

Before this project, I simply did not have a reason to use Dante. But when we looked at this project’s needs, it was obvious we’d have no choice recording upward of twenty tracks at a time, without counting comms and other inputs. We chose the Sound Devices Scorpio recorder. It has sixteen physical inputs, but with Dante, you can access all thirty-two inputs.

We started looking for a rack-mounted, DC-powered 16×16 Dante interface to feed the analog inputs from my two Lectrosonics Venue VRM’s into the recorder. Unfortunately, there weren’t many options. Worse yet, availability in late 2021 was very limited, thanks to the pervasive COVID-related parts shortage.

We settled on the Audio Science Iyo Dante 16.16MD. I ordered it in early November, and kept my fingers crossed. The expected delivery date stretched into December, then January. I was getting nervous as we still had to install the unit, program the network, and test routing. Fortunately, Aaron “Cujo” Cooley in Atlanta had an Iyo Dante 8.8MD, which he kindly rented to me for the duration of the show. It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it got us through.

The Scorpio, the DSQD, the Iyo interface, and my MacBook Pro laptop were all connected via Dante, while the two Lectrosonics Venue VRM’s were connected to the Iyo.

Besides running the network via Dante Controller, the laptop would also run Boom Recorder by Pokitec, which would serve as our backup recorder. We recorded a mono mix, the first thirteen ISO tracks, plus a sub-mix of all the plants in the courtroom.

Once we completed the initial test/prep period, all our inputs and routing were pretty much set, and there would be no need to fiddle with anything. It proved to be a reliable, solid Dante system, and it gave us zero problems through the run of the show.

Wireless overload

We had our hands full with our wireless channels: sixteen tracks for talent, three earwig channels, and a couple of comms. Coordinating them all took longer and longer, as we tried to optimize our system. We had reached the practical limits for that location.

As the story developed, we saw the need to cover more actors. Dan proposed bringing in additional DBSM’s, to be used as recording-only devices, for day players with one or two lines. To distinguish them from the other DBSM’s, we marked them with bright red plastic covers on the SMA connectors. We jammed them with timecode in the morning. To ID the file, we would record a verbal ID at the beginning of the clip. Jen would whisper the date, time, and character name into the lav while placing the transmitter in an ankle strap.

Can you hear me now?

Earwigs would be a key element of the production. The Phonak Roger system became the de facto standard after the original 216MHz Invisity system was discontinued. It broadcasts in the 2.4MHz range, which can be unreliable, because film sets nowadays are full of RF devices using the same frequencies.

I knew there were repeaters and other solutions out there, but none felt like a winner. Once again, having Dan in our team proved to be a blessing. He showed me his own earwig setup, adding a 2.5 watt signal booster for the Roger base station, feeding the signal through a CP Beam antenna; all in a small, lightweight sound bag. The range is much better, and more reliable than the stock unit.

Since we needed two discreet earwig channels, I shamelessly copied Dan’s bag. They looked so much alike, we christened the two bags “Thing 1” and “Thing 2.”

The Roger earwig system was used by the judge, the defense attorney, and one of the jurors. The judge, played with gusto by Alan Barinholtz, was far enough away from our Hero that we were not concerned the earwig would be visible. The other two cast members were female; their hair covered their ears, so they were safe even at close quarters.

The creative team requested earwigs for other cast members, as the plot progressed. Regular earwigs would be noticed up close, however. Jen mentioned some micro earwigs she had worked with in the past, so small that you couldn’t see them. I asked her to order a couple of different models for us to test.

These units are small because they’re fed from an induction loop, so they aren’t as simple or quick to deploy as the traditional Roger units. The actor cannot wear a thin top, that would reveal the loop around the neck.

These actors had to wear two devices, a single-battery Lectrosonics transmitter for their mic, and a Sennheiser G3 receiver on their ankle, feeding the induction loop. The micro earwigs were a success by virtue of being so small. In fact, they were embedded so deep in the ear, we had to order a couple of rubber-tipped tweezers to pull them out!

Jake Szymanski, our Director/EP, guided the talent from a producer’s console, which allowed him to address individual earwig wearers by choosing one of three push-to-talk buttons. The earwig channels were routed to my cart before being fed to the transmitters, so I could monitor them. I knew there’d be quite a few “audibles” and unexpected changes, so I wanted to make sure our team would always be one step ahead.

Synching sound and picture

We shot with twelve cameras of various models and specs. Seven of them had SMPTE timecode ports, while the rest were either DSLR’s or GoPro-type cameras. We deployed seven Denecke JB-1 sync boxes. These have been the most reliable and convenient timecode devices I’ve ever used. They’re small and light, they have a clear readout, and their battery life is exceptional.

For the cameras that can’t take timecode, we had two Microframe Timecode Sync Masters. The camera team called them “pillbox slates,” and the name stuck. They’re small timecode displays powered by a 9V battery, without a clapper, which can be stored in a pouch or pocket, and flashed in front of cameras at the start of a take.

I’ve tested the Sync Masters and they’re pretty accurate but, because I haven’t quite tamed my OCD, we kept them jammed with Tentacle Syncs taped to the back, rather than trusting their internal clocks. We installed a 27” video monitor on top of my cart, with a nine-camera split screen. I checked their timecode readouts several times per hour. I’m happy to report that, in three months, I only saw a few scenes in which a camera was out of sync—and it was fixed within minutes.

The proof is in the pudding

I’m still amazed that Ronald, our Hero, never suspected any foul play, even though there were a couple of moments of utter panic when we thought he’d figured it all out. But, as improbable as it would seem, he never did. I think that’s a testament to how professional and dedicated every member of the cast and crew were.

A year later, thinking back, I’m very proud of what we were able to achieve. Even when I was frustrated with our results, Dan constantly reassured me that I had unreasonable expectations. He had a mantra, “We’ll try it again tomorrow.” It’s an apt phrase, considering what we were up against, and it helped me relax a bit, and enjoy the ride.

by Julian Howarth

In a galaxy, far, far away and back in January 2021, I first got the call about a new Lucasfilm series to be made at Manhattan Beach Studios. I can remember how excited I was and the rush of being asked to work on a Star Wars project. This was the reason I wanted to work in film in the first place. I couldn’t believe that this might happen. Would the Force be with me?

This series would also showcase Industrial Light & Magic’s (ILM) virtual production platform, StageCraft, to help bring the worlds of Star Wars to life.

I immediately knew I had to glean what information and tips I could from fellow Production Sound Mixer, Shawn Holden, in terms of methodology and how to cope with the excessive reverb we would face on this type of stage. This is a circular LED volume surrounding the set, a very reflective surface around and above us at all times. Shawn had been working on The Mandalorian for the last two years, and I wanted to emulate her work as best as possible. Shawn was incredibly open, and as I’ve learned over the few years I’ve been in the US, our sound community is utterly supportive, helpful, encouraging, and just downright lovely.

First thing was to make sure we had the same sound baffles that we could deploy in ILM’s volume, and after that, it came down to a negotiation with Chung-hoon Chung, our brilliantly talented Director of Photography, and myself, as to where and when we can bring in the baffles onto set, so as not to affect the lighting or performances. “Get them in front of the actors and as close as you can,” said Shawn, she was not wrong. A lot of carpet was utilized, and we also ensured that set builds incorporated sound-dampening materials which would make sure this was a much less reverberant experience.

Soft prep meant getting together a crew that were keen and capable, and the size of this project meant we had to have a 4-person crew, sometimes expanding should the occasion call for it.

Firstly, and with every project I have been on in the last ten years, it was a call to 1st Assistant Sound, Best Boy Sound, Boom Operator, 2nd Unit Mixer, and problem solver Ben Greaves. Ben has been my partner in all things film sound for the majority of my time here in the US. He is solid on every level. I can make the equipment talk and sing, but Ben can turn a film crew into a collaborative family all intent on helping the Sound Department out, and vice versa. He is the greatest at that.

Next was our Utility Sound Technician, coming with us from Avatar: The Way of Water was Yohannes Skoda. He was to join us as Utility and all-around super sweeper, as a personality he fits right in, I know of no harder worker and closer friend.

This would be then supplemented with a sound trainee. The decision to use the Local 695’s Y16a training program was a simple one to make and an even easier decision for production to give the green light to. The trainees would alleviate the workload and keep us all in check and our feet on the ground. From the jump-off with such a long period of work, we decided that we could have two trainees join us for two halves of the show.

Yisel Pupo Calles and Chris Burr would fill these shoes admirably. Yisel joined for the first half, Chris would finish the show off. They started with basic tasks that expanded as they became more experienced and able. They were responsible for cable runs, a huge amount of carpet and baffle wrangling and looking after two VOG systems that leap-frogged across the stages we were filming on, amongst a large list of other responsibilities. It is my feeling that any trainees working with me should get a good lesson in preparedness, always be on the lookout for potential problems, and know what you put in is what you get out. Yisel and Chris both graduated after the show and are both established and hugely talented Utilities. If anyone hasn’t worked with one of Local 695’s vetted trainees, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Finally, we put together a supporting sound crew for dailies and second units that would supplement when we needed. Erik Altstadt, Scott Solan, Cole Chamberlain, and Terrell Woodard would fill those shoes admirably. I was very lucky to have them.

There are a lot of hero costumes on a Star Wars set and some difficult rigs for radio mics, so during prep, Ben and I spent valuable time with the Costume Department deciding how we should rig them. At no point were we as a department deciding how to rig a mic while setting up for the scene on set—it was all decided weeks before that point.

During filming, Yohannes was three scenes ahead of what we were shooting. We were prepared for every eventuality and scenario. I really don’t like surprises and this forethought and planning from the whole team meant that surprises never happened. Hero costumes all had their own dedicated mic and a spare just in case. These mics were sewn into costumes, fitted in helmets and breastplates, and squeezed into body-hugging suits. The on-set dressers were amazing and hugely experienced and without whom again we couldn’t have done such an amazing job.

The people. It’s always the people.

Let’s face it. Sound is dead in the water without everyone else’s help; just being quiet around set, making camera rigs, dollies and props silent, working with costumes to fit radio mics, and generally giving us the time and space to do our work properly and professionally.

Grip Department, Lighting, Camera, Costume, Props, Art Department, AD’s, PA’s, Background Artists, Puppeteers, and Visual Effects, in fact, the entire crew as a whole. We owe them all so much for their patience and understanding of the importance of great sound to a film or TV show. I cannot thank the incredible crew enough for all their understanding and that they were so willing to help us out in any way. I put this down to a great crew but also to the fact that Ben, Yohannes, Yisel, and Chris make a huge impression around the set. Their affability and presence turn this kind of collaboration into an art form. It’s a marvel to see and watch.

I am not a ninja Sound Mixer. I thoroughly disapprove of that term. It minimizes what we do and what we can give to a production. We are a hugely creative addition to storytelling. I never just try to get through the day unnoticed, unseen, and unheard. I always make sure I am in sight and earshot of the Director and the DP. I am there to answer questions and offer solutions. I am there to cheer the crew along too, but with that said, I also understand that there are days when we as a Sound Department should take a less prominent seat. Knowing the difference, I believe, is what makes our involvement and input valued and often requested.

Skywalker Sound’s Randy Thom once wrote a little piece on his Facebook page, and I can’t stop thinking about it. He said, “In a new book on creativity, Rick Rubin says, ‘No matter what tools you use to create, the true instrument is you.’” This is precisely why mixers should be asking fewer questions about gear, and more questions about creativity as it relates to their own thought processes. When nearly all your questions are about tech, it means that you think you have the other bases covered when in fact, you don’t.”

This became apparent when discussing filming with our Director and fearless leader, Deborah Chow. During prep, Deborah talked about wanting to use quite a lot of music and sound FX playback on set for motivational purposes and setting a scene.

Deborah would ask for moody, marching, hero, scary, the light and dark side. Every description was an emotion or pace she desired. She was specific and so well-prepared, it was a joy to be asked for this type of collaboration. Every question I asked back was answered thoughtfully and in precise detail.

I remember the first time we used music, it was the show’s entrance of Darth Vader. He was walking down a street flanked by stormtroopers, while handing out cruel punishments to the planet’s inhabitants, and on the lookout for Obi-Wan. It was a massive setup, multiple cameras, hundreds of background actors, and a large crew. I found a moody and dark “Imperial March” section and it worked beautifully. The stormtroopers stood straighter and with menace, Darth Vader had a rhythm and dark purpose to his walk, even the crew felt an emotional connection while it played out, and I know it made a huge difference to the final shot.

This was to be used so many more times and became a fun and hugely enjoyable part of our days. Even to the final duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, where we played a version of John Williams’ “Duel of the Fates,” while they sparred. I know Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen were hugely appreciative of the additional motivation and emotive push that it gave to the scene.

Playback sometimes ruins whatever dialog and sound effects we want to get from a shot, and our primary job is to protect the performances of our actors. But we are also there to help a director elicit something different and exciting, too. I always get at least one clean take and a wild track with grunts, Foley, and breaths, for the action track. For the rest, we let the music play out.

Now for the kit and set up…

Digital recorders and wireless systems don’t make creative decisions. We do. My driving message is this: “Does it sound good?” That’s it. Not what I use, but how I use it and what my ears think. With a constant dialog from the beginning with post-production, the editorial team, and Deborah Chow, I kept affirming throughout filming that we were doing well and getting them everything the show and the Director needed.

I have the ability to record up to twenty-four tracks with my digital system, using two to three booms, combined with plant mics and the ability to have up to twenty individual radio mics at one time. Discrete IEM’s when needed, underwater speakers for use in water tank scenes, and many more little gadgets that help me get through any given day or problems that usually come up.
We have twio VOG systems. PTT mics were made available to the 1st AD and Deborah. We also provided comms for all our helmet wearing actors and BG artists, prosthetic wearing aliens, and their puppeteers. They could get a combination or individual feeds of AD’s, director, music, sound FX, or program sound.

I used Avid Pro Tools and Ableton Live for editing, sound design, FX, and music playback.

I know this is not the kit list you wanted but none of this would have worked if it wasn’t for the amazing people I had the honor to work alongside and learn from every day.

Yisel is originally from Cuba and moved to Los Angeles five years ago to pursue the dream of working on major motion pictures and TV shows that would allow her to work with sound mixers, actors, and directors that she admired. After her graduation from the International School of Film and Television, where she specialized in production and post-production sound, she headed to Barcelona to work in significant post-production houses for nearly four years. There she gained experience as a Sound Designer, Foley Recording Engineer, and Dialog Editor; a knowledge that serves her today to be a much better Sound Technician on set.

Chris Burr, born and raised in northeast Mississippi, in a small town called Columbus, just outside of Tupelo, moved to Los Angeles in 2020, right before the pandemic in the hopes of starting a career in the industry. He grew up as an only child, with his imagination and creativity running deep. He believes that if you dream it—and put in the work—you can achieve anything. Chris’s first sound job was the feature film Dog, and he hopes to continue this journey and keep encouraging others along the way.

Yohannes came into motion picture sound from a background in music production. Additionally, he worked as a Production Assistant and stand-in for many years, giving him an insider’s view of the collaborative nature of filmmaking. Over the last year, he has worked primarily as a Boom Operator, and three years prior honing his craft as a Sound Utility. He is currently working as a Boom Operator on a TV show and appreciates the unique set of challenges that come with the position. He really enjoys the energy of being right on set, working with camera, grips, and electric to solve problems and get the job done. Going forward, he would love to continue working as a Boom Operator for movies and TV shows.

Ben Greaves is my closest friend, ally, and confidant. Ben came to the US the same time I did, however, we didn’t know each other at that time. Ben started his audio journey as a child, accompanying his father to the Manor Studios. He would play among the cables and mixing desks while his dad was recording his latest album. Ben started his film career working with UK mixers, including Simon Hayes and Jamie Gambell, soaking up everything he could. He is dedicated to great sound and one of the best. Creative, collaborative, and concise.

Me? Well, I’m having a hoot and absolutely love what I do. I listen with my heart and my ears and sincerely hope I can continue to do so for many years to come.

by Amanda Beggs CAS

Without fail, one of the first questions I always get asked when someone finds out I worked on Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is, “How did you handle that subject matter?” Even for people who work in this industry, in sound, the top question hasn’t been about anything technical, “what mics did you use?” or “how did you film all the driving work?” People have been more curious about how I and the rest of the crew survived six months working on a relatively accurate show about one of the most prolific serial killers in the United States. With good reason, as at times, the subject matter did get very dark, the scenes very intense, and the prop food very … realistic. It was also a grueling shoot in terms of locations, night shoots, and multiple units shooting simultaneously.

Without fail, one of the first questions I always get asked when someone finds out I worked on Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is, “How did you handle that subject matter?” Even for people who work in this industry, in sound, the top question hasn’t been about anything technical, “what mics did you use?” or “how did you film all the driving work?” People have been more curious about how I and the rest of the crew survived six months working on a relatively accurate show about one of the most prolific serial killers in the United States. With good reason, as at times, the subject matter did get very dark, the scenes very intense, and the prop food very … realistic. It was also a grueling shoot in terms of locations, night shoots, and multiple units shooting simultaneously.

Before I go any further, I have to acknowledge and thank my crew of Boom Operator Zach Wrobel and Utility Sound Technician Saif Parkar, as well as the mixers and crew who came in to handle our second units. I was also very fortunate that Netflix responded positively to my request for a Y-16a trainee as a member of our Sound Department. Due to the length of the show, I was able to have three trainees; Britney Darrett, Leslie Metts, and Brandyn Johnson cycle through for about two months each, as well as host some incredible day-player trainees. Almost every single one of those trainees have gone on to become a full-time union Utility or Boom Operator, so I want to stress the importance of pushing for a trainee as a normalized member of the Sound Department! This is how we train the next generation of sound professionals.

With such intense scripts, I knew we were in for some emotional performances from our cast. Like any sound mixer, I place the utmost importance on capturing an actor’s dialog as authentically as possible, to avoid the need for ADR or looping. The biggest challenge for myself was staying alert and ready for an actor to jump from a whisper to a scream with no forewarning, and have that volume change from take to take. For Boom Op Zach, he had to work with the same level of attention, but with the added challenge of staying out of eyelines, while avoiding the countless reflections and shadows on our sets lit mostly with practicals. The all-metal gold bookshelf in Glenda’s apartment was a favorite for reflections. Saif, the Utility Sound Technician, was given the challenging task of wiring a main actor dressed in only a white T-shirt, fitted to his body; and to prepare for lots of physical exertion. During our first week, we realized the heartbeat of that actor was being picked up by the wire, and it was substantial enough that I was a little concerned. Luckily, a quick conversation with post let me know the heartbeat was removable.

As on any show, we have to work within the confines of the shot to capture quality sound. This show definitely gave us some challenges in regards to nontraditional coverage and shot design. This meant we had to rely on good sounding wires, creative booming, and many, many plant mics. On several occasions, there wasn’t even enough room to fit a boom pole to get the mic in the best spot, so Zach and Saif would resort to hand-holding the mics in the shock mounts, a move that was dubbed “the Brokaw.” Zach also had what I assume was a very exciting day of being strapped into a harness so that he could boom from the roof of one of our house locations. One of the benefits of having a trainee on the team means that the trainees could gain useful booming practice, under the supervision of the Boom Op, when grabbing off-camera lines. Post is always happy to get as many off-camera lines as possible, and it can sometimes cover the scene in the same way wild lines would, while saving production time. It’s also the perfect way to have a trainee work on skills that can only be acquired through physical practice, but in a less high-stakes environment like capturing on-camera sound.

One of the Sound Department’s worst challenges is always the dreaded “wide and tight” shot when multiple cameras are in play. Luckily, the option to either paint out the boom or simply do a plate shot for an upper third replacement has become not only more common, but also generally more well-received by cinematographers, directors, and producers. I had a conversation with our producers early on about whether we’d have the ability and budget to plan on painting out booms when it came to wide shots where getting a clean boom track was critical. They were very open and receptive. I always try and make that option the last resort, as I am aware of the potential costs each time we ask to break the frame, but there were a good number of moments on Dahmer where we absolutely needed permission to be in the shot, and luckily, we were given it. The interrogation/interview scene of Jeff by the two police officers was held in a room built on one of our stages—complete with two-way mirrors and windows. Because of the amount of dialog, and the emotional performances, the director wanted to cover the scene with multiple cameras, which of course, meant a wide two-shot, as well as singles. Breaking the frame allowed us to get the booms where we needed them, and still complete the scene as the director wanted.

I’ve been working with my Utility Saif for more than a decade. On one of our earlier movies together, the Boom Operator gave Saif the nickname “The Gardener” because of his ability to hide a plant mic pretty much anywhere. This is a skill I find highly invaluable, and then I lucked out twice on Dahmer because Zach is also a master gardener. DPA 4098’s have become such an integral part of my gear. With their small size, but directional pickup, a well-placed 4098 can rival a boom mic in some instances. The obvious choice is to place them in cars, which we did plenty of times, but we also hid them on set in various locations. Then there was the “desk stand” setup—exactly as it means, a desk stand that I’ve attached an Ambient QuickLok to the end where a mic clip would normally live. This allowed us to quickly drop any mic on a shock mount onto the set and place it on the ground, behind doors, on or under furniture, etc.

Hiding plant mics is a skill, but it’s even better when you can get away with having a plant mic “hidden” in plain sight. On this show, that required collaboration with our Props Department. Because this was a period piece, and there were many scenes that required prop microphones, I met up with our props team early on and we discussed where it would be helpful to have working mics that also looked appropriate for the time period and scene. We had tabletop mics in the many courtroom scenes, handheld mics for reporters on the scene when Dahmer’s apartment was being emptied by the police, and lavalier mics for the many recreations of historical interviews that were planned, from Geraldo to 60 Minutes.

For the handheld mics used by reporters, my job was to source real working mics that would closely match the prop mics our Prop Master had already rented. A silver Shure Beta 87A was the winner. The tabletop mics picked for the courtroom scenes were luckily already working mics. These came in handy because our judges’ robes were made of a surprisingly loud material, so a wire placed on a judge just picked up a lot of clothing noise. The courtroom scenes also lent themselves to a lot of big wides, to showcase the entire room, so having some working mics directly in front of certain characters was very advantageous. Recreating the few sit-down interviews that Jeff and his family did was relatively easy, we just had to find a lav and clips that looked close enough to the ones worn originally by the real people.

To circle back to the main question I’m always asked, how did we keep our spirits up and push through the six-month shooting schedule? I think it really came down to the makeup of the department, and how we would take turns lifting each other up. Everyone would cycle through days that just really wore them down, and so the rest of the team was always there to try and provide either a moment of levity or just an ear for venting. We always made sure everyone was hydrated or had snacks, and we quoted dialog from the show incessantly. We’d all latch onto some phrase or line that sounded particularly ridiculous when said out of context, and then we’d just repeat it unremittingly, usually in a passable-to-awful Wisconsin accent. Then of course, we had to start or end each day with our favorite phrase, which I believe Saif came up with: “Another day, another Dahmer!”

Our Set Lighting Technicians started one of our favorite silly traditions—the rubber chickens. Our Dimmer Board Operator had one on his cart and would squeeze it at random times throughout the day, and eventually he brought in a whole bag of mini-chickens and handed them out. I kept mine zip-tied to the front of my cart. Everyone would be spread out across the stage, or location, and you’d hear one go off, and then this cascade of multiple chickens screaming would echo in return. It never failed to make us all feel better, as silly and dumb as it was. Our final shooting day was a fun one filled with John Wayne Gacy drowning someone in a bathtub—end on a high note, they say! As a wrap gift, I gave our Dimmer Board Op a giant chicken, and when squeezed, the chicken would yell for forty seconds uninterrupted. Needless to say … it was glorious.

But that’s how you do it, that’s how you survive half a year working on a project that highlights the worst and darkest of humanity. You surround yourself with good and talented people and you allow them to have the natural ebb and flow of human emotions without holding them to some ridiculous and impossible standard of perfection. I am very proud of the work we did on Dahmer, and I owe that absolutely to my team.

by James Delhauer

Equipment in the film and television industries is highly specialized. The tools that we use are custom designed to their purpose, making it difficult to “shop off the rack,” as it were. This can make gear an expensive investment and, what’s more, many of the products we buy as part of our kits or equipment rental packages are not designed by the people who are going to use them. To be sure, they are developed with end users in mind and the most successful vendors have found success because of their ability to internalize feedback and incorporate it into their products. But a disconnect between developer and customer is not uncommon. That cannot be said for the products of Halter Technical, which have been developed for production sound workers by production sound workers. Following this year’s NAB Trade Show in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to sit down with Halter Technical CEO and Founder (and Local 695 member) Doc Justice—who shared some insight into new production sound products like the Microsone Discreet Audio Monitoring System. 

Q: Alright, tell me about you. What’s your story? 

Growing up in Philly, my start in sound came as a DJ as a teenager in the mid-’90s. At first it was mobile parties, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, and country club events. That led to nightclubs and even a stint in commercial radio. After college, MTV’s The Real World came to town and I got my first taste of production as a PA. From there, I moved out to LA to put my full efforts into mixing sound for unscripted TV. I worked mostly in large-scale house reality, competition shows, dating, and cooking shows. My specialty was working with large track counts with a lot of RF channels.
 
Q: This was before Halter Technical, right? 

Halter Technical was born on set. In reality TV, handing out an IFB meant giving Producers and Directors a coiled headset that so many of them just hated. These headsets weren’t made for IFB’s; they were designed as “listen-only” walkie-talkie headsets. They sound terrible, they’re not comfortable, and they’re just not made for producing TV. When I couldn’t find a better offering, I made one myself. That’s how the field monitor came to be. Once that started to take off, other sound pros asked me to make something for scripted work. That led to the release of the scene monitor. Then, people wanted something more substantial for scripted Directors and Producers. That became the elite monitor. Now, we have a line of headphones that are built specifically for these different jobs on set.
 
Q: And that led to the development of the Microsone? 

Each piece of gear is a tool to accomplish a job on set. Microsone Discreet Audio Monitoring System is our new take on an earwig, so on-screen or onstage talent can monitor audio, take cues, be fed lines, listen to playback; all without having to stop the action. 

Q: An earwig is pretty common in an audio kit, isn’t it? What makes this unit different from all the other devices on the market?

Microsone was born out of frustration. I set out to solve as many of the issues of previous systems as I possibly could. Our system works by connecting the Microsone (the earbud, itself) to our Control Pack via Bluetooth. The Control Pack is an IFB receiver that can be fed by any analog transmitter that you currently use, so you’re not tied down to a proprietary base station or frequency limited technology. So your long-range transmission comes from your transmitter to the Control Pack, and that audio is then retransmitted up to the user’s ear. We were able to really modernize the whole earwig concept and pack it with advanced features.
 
Like what? Give me some examples.

The Control Pack can receive VHF (174 MHz-217 MHz) and UHF (470 MHz-608 MHz) audio. This enables you to have as many isolated channels as you can coordinate. There are four banks of frequencies with seven channels per bank you can manually program. The top-seated 3.5mm jack works as an output to be used with a wired headphone like a typical IFB, but it can also be used as a line input jack to feed a source directly in without RF. Since we use Bluetooth, you could pair the Control Pack to any Bluetooth headphone to use as a wireless IFB. Or you could pair it to a Bluetooth speaker and have an instant wireless video village speaker setup.
 
So you can use the Microsone to listen to tunes at work? 

We have one customer who purchased a system because they work with a method actor who likes to have music fed into his ear to keep him in character. Now, he can have a Microsone paired directly with his own phone, and control his own music, even if he’s off set in his trailer.
 
Awesome. How do you handle volume control so you’re not blowing out an actor’s ear? 

The Control Pack has a volume knob that allows the user to set their own volume. They don’t need to call out to the Sound Mixer to raise or lower their volume. If the production or talent’s wardrobe doesn’t allow them to wear the Control Pack on their person, it can just be stashed nearby since the distance from it to the Microsone is typical Bluetooth range (10’-25’).
 
And what’s the power situation like? What kind of batteries does the system use. 

The Control Pack powers off two AA batteries. With the Control Pack receiving UHF audio and retransmitting it over Bluetooth, you can expect about twenty-four hours of use. If you’re using rechargeable AA batteries, those can be recharged internally using the USB-C port on the side of the Control Pack. That USB port can also power the Control Pack without batteries, which is great for permanent installations or powering off a bag kit. Anyone who has used an earpiece that takes hearing-aid batteries knows how frustrating they can be. The Microsone has a built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery that lasts for five hours of continuous music. It recharges in the charging case from 0%-100% in just forty minutes. Two Microsones are included with each system. You can transmit to both Microsones simultaneously or have a spare ready to be deployed on demand.
 
What else makes this a better investment than something from one of the other audio companies out there? 

The Microsone itself is built as one, completely sealed device. It can withstand a drop with anything breaking off it. It can be completely painted with makeup to match the talent without worry about sealing a battery door or corroding the inside. Beyond that, you’ve got all the versatility and power of the Control Pack as well.
 
Oh, that’s handy. I assume you don’t wash it in water afterward?

Cleaning it is as easy as wiping it with an alcohol pad. 
 

Q: That makes more sense. But let’s bottom line it. How much does the system cost? 

The entire Microsone D.A.M.S. kit, which includes two Microsones, the Control Pack, the charging case, a wall charger, and a USB Type C cable retails for US $1,200. Production sound professionals know that this is an incredible value, and something that can earn themselves a significant rental on.

Q: How does the Microsone fit in with the rest of the products you make at Halter Technical? 

All our audio monitoring solutions are built for professional use. Everything we do, and everything I do personally, is done with the goal of solving problems on set. Microsone is a great problem solver, and fits in place with a line of great tools that are developed specifically for us.
 
That all sounds awesome. And where can folk buy this gear? 

All our products are available from our wonderful retail partners. The full list of dealers can be found at our website at https://www.haltertechnical.com
 
Any sneak peaks at whatever your team is working on next? 

I can’t give away any secret recipes or anything, but I will say that all of our products exist due to user feedback. The only way we’re solve users’ needs is if people tell us what those needs are. I know from my own experience on set, the products I think would benefit people, but everyone’s experiences are different and diverse feedback is paramount for the company. That’s why we’ve tried to make ourselves extremely reachable through social media and through the website. For anyone who wants to talk shop, please reach out!
 
I would like to thank Doc Justice for his time and for sharing the latest from his company with us here at Local 695. From the time I spent with the Microsone, I would say that it really is a useful tool for a production sound mixer’s kit and, if this is an example of what’s to come at Halter Technical, I look forward to seeing what Doc and his team will bring to the table next. 

by Bryan Cahill

Like my 2003 Buell Lightning motorcycle, I still have some good days in me, but I need a lot of maintenance and occasionally, the replacement of an expensive part.

Whether you’re like me and have put in a few miles or you’re more like a late-model Honda CBR, you still need constant maintenance to stay at peak performance.

As I wrote in the 2022 Winter edition of Production Sound & Video, jobs that require raised arms such as boom operating may cause the development of thoracic outlet syndrome or TOS. Symptoms of TOS include pain or weakness in the shoulder and arm, tingling or discomfort in the fingers and arms that tire quickly.

Luke Kelly of Elemental Movement Personal Training recommends a few stretches that can be of benefit to all but especially Boom Operators and performed on or near set as quickly as going to get a cup of coffee. I perform them daily.

First is the thoracic extension:
Hands placed on a wall, a little wider than shoulder width. Think of squeezing your shoulder blades together at the bottom, raising the back of your hand upward and trying to sink your sternum to the wall.

Next is the pec minor stretch:
Stand with one arm against a door frame; start with your shoulder at about a 90-degree angle, now turn your body away from that arm, even turning your toes to face the opposite direction if needed. Repeat with the other arm.

And finally, the scalene stretch:
Open the palms so that they face forward, extend fingertips toward the ground firmly, look over one shoulder and breath. Repeat for the other side.

Additionally, you can add this related technique.
This time one shoulder will raise up toward the ear, and the ear will attempt to meet it. From here, leading from the chin, we turn our head to face the opposite direction of the raised shoulder.

Like regularly changing the oil on my bike, keeping the chain lubed and checking the tires, these stretches can help performance and might help prolong your career.

by Eli Moskowitz

SAFETY FIRST
We hear these words on set all the time. Then we turn around and see production ignore safety to accommodate the pace at which the producers would prefer we work. For many Fishpole Boom Operators, this is a physical safety issue. Many Directors have stopped worrying about the length of a take because they no longer need to worry about the cost and supply of every foot of film now that cameras have become digital. Keeping your arms and hands up above your head is a taxing workout for the most avid gym-goer. Now add to that workout: the weight of the fishpole, the weight of the microphone and mount, the weight of the zeppelin and other wind reduction if you are shooting outside, plus the transmitter; no matter how small they are now; adds weight too… OK, now consider all that weight and the effort of holding it above your head for long periods while you are also moving around to cover multiple actors and trying to stay out of the shot and avoiding throwing any shadows. Phew!! It’s even exhausting just talking about it.

ENTER THE XO-BOOM
Over the years, there have been many attempts to create helpful safety rigs for those long takes when you can’t put your arms down with a long extension to your pole. Some of those other rigs were so over designed by a specific operator that no one else could really use it, while others tried to limit the amount of strain to the body but left the user almost locked into position. The XO-Boom from Cinema Devices is designed for everyone with safety and versatility in mind to assist on a modern production. Cinema Devices has had a wide variety of camera rigs to help with handheld stabilization and many Steadicam operators have used their products on set for years. Now the company has brought the Sound Department a safety rig of our own. At its core, the XO-Boom works as a “steadiboom,” with the padded vest distributing the weight evenly on your body. The height adjustable mast at the center of this design does the heavy lifting of holding the fishpole in the air, leaving the operator to focus on the task of getting the sound without worrying your arms will start shaking during a long take. The tensioned quick-release clam shell can accommodate the diameter of the standard fishpoles on the market with soft sound deadening foam on the inside of the shell. For counter force, there is a rubber foam inset hook connected to a latex elastomer tubing that secures to the vest and gives your pole balance when using the longer extensions. A pair of custom-designed Squid clamps made by Cinema Devices keeps that hook from sliding up and down the pole.

Since we are always on the move and even though you may prefer to boom right or left hand dominant, that isn’t always a luxury of the spaces we find ourselves shooting in. So, the XO-Boom is just as versatile. The mast and over-the-shoulder padded strap can be moved from one side to the other as fits your needs.

If it stopped there, that would be enough but Adam Teichman, the designer of the vest, took it a step further and thought of the ENG bag mixers out in the field, too. There are a pair of posts that screw into the bottom of the front of the vest to support your bag and a pair of clips that help keep your bag secure to the rig—all without adding any additional tension or strain to the user’s back or neck. The weight is distributed evenly to rest on the hips and avoid the risk of injury.

MY EXPERIENCE
I am a second-generation sound man who was lucky enough to grow up on Hollywood sets going to work with my dad, Edward L. Moskowitz CAS. My fascination with the magic of movies and television began with me sitting in the sound booth with my dad on Golden Girls and Empty Nest, watching the pros make television. I am one of the few lucky sound men doing the job that they imagined they would have when they were a kid. In my teens, I attended the performing arts magnet program at Pacoima Middle School and worked with other kids my age to bring our own short stories to life on the school’s audiovisual equipment. Looking back, I see what a great learning experience I had at a young age.

I feel privileged I had the opportunity to learn from my own father and worked with him on several shows at the end of his career, including sitcoms Anger Management and Ground Floor and the single-camera series The Guest Book. There were many other talented mixers, boom operators, and utilities who also taught me the tricks of the trade along the way. I moved between sitcoms, such as Call Me Kat with Dana McClure before he retired and continued with Elyse Pecora when she took over this past season, to joining Bruce Peter’s crew for the last few seasons of his career on The Conners and Bob Hearts Abishola. Whenever possible, I worked on single-camera series like Supergirl and Lethal Weapon, filling in on feature films, numerous commercials, pilots, and low-budget projects to hone my skills.

I joined the union in April 2012 after completing most of my Y-16A hours on iRob! (thanks to the UPM Tony Carey). Working my way up from a trainee utility, I took any opportunity offered to me as a second or third boom and this gave me the opportunity many times to work fishpole scenes. At the beginning of my career, I was usually the younger man on the crew and, like most young men, I never thought about my back or shoulders. I grabbed that pole, got out there, and showed them what I had. Luckily, I never injured myself in the over-11-year career I have enjoyed. And I plan to use this XO Boom to make sure that I never do; to protect myself from injury and ensure that I can continue my career for the many years I still have ahead of me.

DEVELOPMENT
I first met Adam Tiechman and his business partner Ariel Benarroch at the sound mixers swap meet hosted at Film Tools back in the summer of 2020. After the lockdown began, many of us found time to finally go through the gear we’d collected. The parking lot at the swap meet that morning was filled with some great deals on equipment, both useful and collector’s items. This was also the first time many of us had seen each other since the lockdown began. Adam and Ariel showed up later that day to talk about this new vest rig for the Sound Department. At that time, they lovingly referred to the vest as the “OK boomer.” I quickly saw the potential in what this new safety rig had to offer. Over the past ten years as a union member, I have worked in many different formats from sitcoms to single-camera and small budget ENG-style features, all of which have had long fishpoled scenes. I saw the opportunity for utilizing this incredible new device.

I told them I would speak to the mixers I was working with and hoped that I would have an opportunity to try it out on set. Working with sound mixer Bruce Peters made everything easier. He excitedly gave me the chance to bring the XO-Boom onto CBS’s Bob Hearts Abishola several times while we were on the backlot filming large exterior scenes. After each opportunity to use the experimental rig, I gave Adam my thoughts and suggestions for improvement, and he would update the prototype to incorporate my suggestions before asking when I could use the newer prototype on set again.

One day, we were doing a Nigerian funeral procession out on the backlot of Warner Bros. Studios, using a pair of Scheops stereo microphones with elbows in a custom shock mount to form the XY stereo needed to capture the singing and instruments used in the scene. While the Camera Department had their standard four studio cameras that day, they also needed a Steadicam operator to shoot the processional. When the Steadicam operator donned his vest rig that day, I pulled out the newest XO-Boom prototype to use with my fishpole. I was able to move and glide alongside the Steadicam with ease and the fishpole was at almost full 22-foot extension to allow me to get over the camera to the singers. Immediate relief and enthusiasm for this device came when I did not have to put the strain on my arms or back to keep that long pole up in the air for more than an half-hour. After the first take, I checked in with Bruce to see how it sounded and he was very happy; none of my footsteps had transferred any noise to the vest, boom, or mics as I moved with the camera. The production team at Bob Hearts Abishola has been very positive about my use of the prototype on set, and I look forward to bringing the newly built production line model out next season.

The XO-Boom is not just for use as a field rig. I recently needed it on the new Mike O’Malley NBC show We Thought We Were Done. When I arrived on set one Thursday morning, our AD came to speak to me about a scene that we would be shooting in two sets simultaneously. Normally, of course, that’s no problem. We are equipped for that; one Fisher Boom system in each set. But this was different. We needed both Fishers in the large apartment set where one character comes down the stairs and moves all the way across the set. Then someone would need to use a fishpole to pick up John Cryer’s dialogue once we transitioned into the second room, where he was making a “quick phone call.” We all knew that “quick phone call” meant that I would be standing there for a while with the cameras running take after take. So, we offered production a few choices: They could either rent another ped from Fisher and bring in another boom operator and pusher, or they could agree to a cost-effective safety rig option that would allow me to work the scene as a boom operator moving at the pace that the production moves at without having to worry about back or shoulder injuries that are more likely to occur when the take exceeds a few minutes. The producers were happy to hear about this new cost-effective and safer option and authorized my use of the XO-Boom. Everyone involved was pleased with this solution.

This past Spring, at the 100th Annual NAB Show in Las Vegas, was the world debut of the XO-Boom from Cinema Devices. I went out and walked around the show floor for several hours while wearing a full XO-Boom system, complete with an extended fishpole from K-Tek. The strain on my shoulders and back were negligible and I was no worse for wear the next day. The reaction from the show-goers was enthusiastic and excited; this is something we have all been waiting for.

The awards for outstanding sound mixing in film went to:

MOTION PICTURE – LIVE-ACTION

Top Gun: Maverick
Production Mixer: Mark Weingarten
Re-recording Mixer: Chris Burdon
Re-recording Mixer: Mark Taylor
Scoring Mixer: Al Clay
Scoring Mixer: Stephen Lipson
Foley Mixer: Blake Collins CAS
Production Sound Team: Tom (Huck) Caton Boom Operator,
Kevin Becker Sound Utility, Jeff Haddad Additional Sound Mixer,
Eric Ballew Additional Sound Mixer, Zach Wrobel Additional Utility, Cara Kovach Additional Utility

MOTION PICTURE – ANIMATED

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Original Dialogue Mixer: Carlos Sotolongo
Re-recording Mixer: Jon Taylor CAS
Re-recording Mixer: Frank Montaño
Scoring Mixer: Peter Cobbin
Scoring Mixer: Kirsty Whalley
Foley Mixer: Tavish Grade

MOTION PICTURE – DOCUMENTARY

Moonage Daydream
Re-recording Mixer: Paul Massey CAS
Re-recording Mixer: David Giammarco CAS
ADR Mixer: Jens Rosenlund Petersen

NON-THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES or LIMITED SERIES:

Obi-Wan Kenobi Part 1 EP. 6
Production Mixer: Julian Howarth CAS
Re-recording Mixer: Bonnie Wild
Re-recording Mixer: Danielle Dupre
Re-recording Mixer: Scott R. Lewis
ADR Mixer: Doc Kane CAS
Foley Mixer: Jason Butler
Production Sound Team: Ben Greaves Boom Op and 2nd Unit Sound Mixer, confidant, best friend, Erik Altstadt Boom Op, Yohannes Skoda Utility, Chris Burr and Yisel Pupo Calles Sound Trainees,
Scott Solan Boom, Cole Chamberlain Boom

TELEVISION SERIES – ONE HOUR

Better Call Saul S6 Ep. 13 “Saul Gone”
Production Mixer: Phillip W. Palmer CAS
Re-recording Mixer: Larry Benjamin CAS
Re-recording Mixer: Kevin Valentine
ADR Mixer: Chris Navarro CAS
Foley Mixer: Stacey Michaels CAS
Production Sound Team: Mitchell Gebhard Boom Operator,
Andrew Chavez Utility Sound Technician

TELEVISION SERIES – HALF-HOUR

Only Murders in the Building
S2 Ep. 5 “The Tell”
Production Mixer: Joseph White Jr. CAS
Re-recording Mixer: Penny Harold CAS
Re-recording Mixer: Andrew Garrett Lange CAS
Scoring Mixer: Alan Demoss
ADR Mixer: Chris Navarro CAS
Foley Mixer: Erika Koski
Production Sound Team: Jason Benjamin, Timothy R. Boyce Jr.

TELEVISION NON-FICTION, VARIETY OR MUSIC – SERIES or SPECIALS

Formula 1: Drive to Survive
S4 Ep. 9 “Gloves Are Off”
Re-recording Mixer: Nick Fry
Re-recording Mixer: Steve Speed

CAS FILMMAKER AWARD

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu

CAS CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Production Sound Mixer
Peter J. Devlin CAS

STUDENT RECOGNITION AWARD

Timo Nelson
from The University of Texas at Austin

AMPS AWARD WINNER

All Quiet on the Western Front
Production Mixer: Viktor Prášil,
Re-recording Mixer: Lars Ginzel,
Re-recording Mixer: Stefan Korte,
Scoring Mixer: Daniel Kresco,
ADR Mixer: Jan Meyerdierks,
Foley Mixer: Hanse Warns
Production Sound Team: Ondrej Vondracek Boom Operator, Lukas Kuchar Sound Utility, Jan Mesany Trainee, Jan Sulcek & Peter Hilcansky Additional Sound Mixers

BAFTA WINNER

All Quiet on the Western Front
Production Mixer: Viktor Prášil
Re-recording Mixer: Lars Ginzel
Re-recording Mixer: Stefan Korte
Scoring Mixer: Daniel Kresco
ADR Mixer: Jan Meyerdierks
Foley Mixer: Hanse Warns
Production Sound Team: Ondrej Vondracek Boom Operator,
Lukas Kuchar Sound Utility, Jan Mesany Trainee, Jan Sulcek
& Peter Hilcansky Additional Sound Mixers

OSCAR WINNER

Top Gun: Maverick
Production Mixer: Mark Weingarten
Re-recording Mixer: Chris Burdon
Re-recording Mixer: Mark Taylor
Scoring Mixer: Al Clay
Scoring Mixer: Stephen Lipson
Foley Mixer: Blake Collins CAS
Production Sound Team: Tom (Huck) Caton Boom Operator,
Kevin Becker Sound Utility, Jeff Haddad Additional Sound Mixer,
Eric Ballew Additional Sound Mixer, Zach Wrobel Additional Utility,
Cara Kovach Additional Utility

Names in bold are Local 695 members

by Ric Teller

Satchel Paige gave this advice on how to stay young: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” My advice: “Take a look, it’s gonna gain on you anyway.” For the record, I got to see him employing the Bat Dodger, the Hurry Up Ball, and other unique pitches at Duncan Field, in Hastings, Nebraska, while on a barnstorming tour.
Yes, I am that old.

In February, Murray Siegel, A2 emeritus (a word that is etymologically related to merit), and I were talking while on the way into the Grammys at Crypto.com Arena. I mentioned that it might be my last one. Don’t hold me to that, I’ve been fooled before … by myself. But dancing around moving band carts and hopping over a stage full of cables becomes more difficult year after year. Anyway, Murray reminded me that we are at a station in life, and work where “lasts” is a reality. We agreed that being aware of those situations gives us a perspective on where we have been. So, here’s to the last Grammys as a band guy, the last long wrap, the last terrible catered meal, the last 1,500-foot piece of fiber-optic cable, tangled to the point that it should be used as prop spaghetti for Godzilla if Godzilla eats spaghetti. There is no photographic evidence of that massive tangle. Keith Hall thought about taking a picture but was dissuaded. Fiber-optic technology has changed the way we make our shows and, for better or worse, has extended my career by lightening the physical workload. I suppose soon, fiber will run from a central hub to all locations on a production, linking to a magic decoder box that will provide connections to video of any flavor, audio (both directions), comms, timecode, and featuring a spigot serving a hot cuppa Joe from Eric Johnston’s Single Batch Coffee Roasters. If that was indeed my last Grammy wrap, I felt it. The next morning, I was able to get up and go to work on a Beach Boys tribute, but I’m not sure I was any help to Ray, Ozzie, Henry, and my Friend, Robyn. Don’t ask that lovely crew, they’re too kind to tell you the truth.

Pronunciation guide: Emeritus—put the accent on the second syllable. If you accent the third syllable, it sounds like an illness. It isn’t.

As I am writing this, the Oscars are approaching. That I am allowed to work with the excellent group of people that takes on that massive undertaking and that I get to be around the terrific Oscar orchestra is always a treat. Once upon a time, I was a musician. Not great, but good enough that I have a true appreciation for the amazing players that will gather at the Dolby. Some I have known for a very long time. Of my regular annual shows, only The Oscars and The Kennedy Center Honors have orchestras. I am grateful to get to work with both talented groups. The Orchestra Whisperer.

The Oscars and the Grammys employ an impressive number of our Local 695 members both on the main show and on the many red carpet shows. I’ve managed to avoid red carpet shows for many years and won’t do another, but about thirty years ago, while we were doing the Oscars at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, mixer Paul Sandweiss called the late Evan Adelman and me into his booth. If you never had the pleasure of working with Evan, you missed out. He was not only a terrific sound guy but an excellent person, missed by all who knew him. We had just finished dress rehearsal and Paul informed us that we were going to do a show on the red carpet before the Oscars began. I was the A2, and Evan mixed (that might have been the first time he mixed live on the air). I grabbed two Vega RF transmitters and receivers and two Sennheiser 416 mics. The RF’s were the main and backup hand mics for our host, Oprah Winfrey, and I lovingly tossed the 416’s up into a nearby tree to catch some of the pre-Oscar crowd noise. That was it. The whole setup. When we finished, Paul took the mixing chair for the main show, Evan ran inside to A2 with Murray, and I quickly wrapped the Oprah red carpet show and hurried inside to join them. Needless to say, the red carpet has become a bit more complicated since then.
There are a couple of reasons that these rambles are not technical in nature. The obvious one is that I’m not smart in that way. When it comes to understanding how things really work, I often don’t. Recently, I was patching a show and met with an unfamiliar issue. We ran a Tac-12 fiber cable from the Denali silver remote truck to the stage where we connected it with a Calrec Hydra, the stage box that connects with the Calrec console in the truck. Normally, when connected, there are blinking indicator lights on the Hydra that we call heartbeats. I was under the impression that when the heartbeats were blinking, the Hydra was connected. It turns out that in this case, it was true that we had heartbeats and fiber connectivity, but data was not passing. Fortunately, Matt Herchko, one of the terrific Denali engineers, showed us some persistent troubleshooting and before long, we had heartbeats and data. It took an engineer, not an A2, to figure this out which supports Joe’s Third Axiom: Once you know where the electrons go, you can’t work on the floor no more.

A couple of days ago, as Patricia and I were driving to the Valley (of no return) to meet friends for lunch, my wife asked if I had ever worked with Eric Clapton. Short answer, yes. Now, sitting at my Ashley Discount Furniture Hecho en China desk, I recall the first time. The mixer, Don Worsham, called to inquire about my availability on April 15. In 1987. He told me he couldn’t find any A2’s. Was I busy that day? Back then I was often available. He indicated that it would be a relatively easy show (we had done the Grammys about six weeks prior). I would set one band and hand out a few RF mics. I arrived early at the venue, The Ebony Showcase Theatre on Washington Boulevard. Like so many, that building is gone. I ran cables from the Greene Crowe truck. BT-1, I suppose. Who remembers? Then set up the band mics, including all guest instruments, a handful of RF’s for vocals, and some audience mics. Soon, we were ready for soundcheck and rehearsal. The day flew by. That show, B.B. King: A Blues Session, was produced and directed by Ken Ehrlich who has been involved with many of the memorable music shows in my career. The tight, eight-piece B.B. King band accompanied an all-star roster of guests. Phil Collins on drums, Dr. John on keyboards and vocals, Paul Butterfield played harp (the harmonica, not the instrument featured in Marx Bros. films), vocals were provided by B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Etta James, Chaka Khan, and Billy Ocean. And the ensemble was rounded out by a trio of guest guitarists, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Eric Clapton. That was a full day. A heck-of-a-day.

I’m not big on band swag and never ask to take a photo (although I did sneak one at the Grammys a while back)
If you know, you know.
but in early February 2015, the opportunity to ask for something presented itself, and I took full advantage. The aforementioned Ken Ehrlich booked AC/DC, one of Patricia’s favorite bands, to begin The Grammys that year, performing “Rock or Bust” and “Highway to Hell.” It was the best opening in my thirty times on that show. After the band rehearsed, I asked a guitar tech if I could take a pick for my wife. A bit later, he presented me with three, from Cliff Williams, Malcolm Young, and Angus Young. She says it is one of her favorite Valentine’s Day gifts.

My ramble in the spring issue extolled the virtues of Oboz Low Sawtooth hiking shoes, my footwear for busy shows. I regret to admit that I failed to acknowledge the friend who suggested these might be a good choice. I would like to publicly thank Patty Scripter’s husband for leading me down the path of comfort.

A few weeks back, I stopped by the Local 695 office where our president presented my 40-year pin.

Thank you, Jillian, James, and Joe (I believe your dad was at my initiation). Forty is kind of a big deal for me. Real math. Craig will think that’s funny. Contemplating retirement, forty will be my last milestone. I started working shows in the fall of ’81 but waited to be initiated by a fellow Nebraskan, Roy Brewer, who was a friend of my dad’s. For those who missed my spring ramble, there is a terrific photo of my dad with a popcorn machine at one of his theaters. Given the chance, I’m sure some of my early coworkers at KTLA would have bet the farm against me making it this far. Forty years is a long time. A long, very enjoyable adventure. It would take an entire issue to list the mentors, coworkers, teachers, and especially the friends who have made the forty so gratifying, a word that is an etymological cousin to grateful. I am. Truly.