As part of the three-man dubbing team on Salt, Scott Millan was the music man, charged with weaving the compositions of James Newton Howard seamlessly into a narrative that was driven by music, balancing the needs of the score with the demands already placed on the audience by dialogue and special-effects sound work. On the eve of the Oscars, Film & Video spoke with Millan about getting his start in TV, working with director Phillip Noyce, and why this movie should be played loud.... »
When your movie is all about a runaway train, you need sound effects that convey the mass, momentum and danger of that disaster in waiting. For Mark Stoeckinger, sound effects editor on Unstoppable, the challenge was to work with director Tony Scott to convey something of the experience of being next to the tracks when a huge locomotive barrels by at high speed.... »
F&V took a look inside post-production on Predators by talking to editor Dan Zimmerman and re-recording mixer/dialogue editor Brad Engleking about living up to Robert Rodriguez’s mantra — at Troublemaker, filmmaking takes place “at the speed of thought.”... »
Glee has a split personality, says supervising sound editor John Benson, who spots the show at Technicolor Sound Services with co-supervising sound editor Gary Megregian and producer Alexis Martin. “The show is a constant contrast between the fantasy of the musical performances and the reality of a high-school drama,” he explains, emphasizing that the two never overlap. That makes the transitions from reality to fantasy and back as critical to the show’s audio as the music itself.... »
From time to time, I get a call from a customer who recorded audio-for-picture for a concert or reality show with “prosumer” audio gear using MetaCorder and wonder why their audio drifts when post-synced to picture. This article is an attempt to explain why recording audio for picture requires a high level of accuracy, often more than is available from prosumer audio gear, and ways to achieve it.... »
Last month, Lectrosonics began shipping the D4 – an all digital wireless audio transmitter/receiver system capable of 4 channels of wireless audio, with the following breakthrough features:... »
This tutorial shows how to build a USB power device from the industry-standard HIROSE 4-pin connector. The purpose of the box is to be able to charge/power small cameras and cell phones, using NP-type batteries and all HIROSE 4-pin compatible connectors. All parts are readily available from the Internet:... »
The DTV transition last month ushered in a new era of digital television by closing the door on full power analog television broadcasts and clearing the UHF-TV spectrum between 698-806 MHz. Much of that "700 MHz Band" was assigned to telecommunications giants such as Qualcomm, AT&T and Verizon in a highly publicized auction last year, but it is perhaps not as well known that significant portions were also assigned for use by Public Safety agencies.... »
Michael Legum is an Israeli-born sound mixer based in New York. He has worked on numerous features and television shows. He is currently Sound Supervisor for the upcoming second season of I Want To Work for Diddy.... »
Randy Wachtler, the president and founder of 615 Music and chair of the Production Music Association (PMA), talks about the future of surround, the rising popularity of minimally scored music and royalty tracking for composers. We caught up with him at Promax|BDA in New York.... »
Some of Hollywood’s top post houses are creating high-tech Mini-Mes, allowing directors to work on a film’s sound at their own offices while supplying gear and technical talent tailored to each project.... »
Lectrosonics, recognized the world over as a leading manufacturer of wireless microphone systems and audio processing products, will introduce the Octopack receiver dock and antenna coupling system at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, NV on April 20th. Designed for use in applications such as film and television production, ENG (electronic news gathering), and documentaries, the new Octopack features slots for up to four Lectrosonics two-channel SRA or SRA5P Digital Hybrid Wireless® receivers—offering up to eight wireless audio channels in an extremely compact, portable configuration.... »
