Back shooting at the Mouse House ---Alex Ginzo, Sound Recordist

 

 

 

 

Walkie Talkie Radio Etiquette on a Film Set

 Tips for Proper Radio Use:

*Be professional
*Always use your name when identifying yourself. Common practice is to say "Go for ____(your name)" when someone calls for you.
* Keep your voice low when taking on the radio. Most crew will have ear pieces but keep your voice down. Especially when around actors. Just because they are not in front of camera does not mean they are not working.
*Know that anyone could be hearing your conversation.
* If you need to have an extended conversation (or private) take it to another channel. Do this  by telling the other person "Go to Channel___". For really private talks its best to ask them to meet you in person.
*Production Assistants (P.A.s): If someone higher up than you has their radio battery go dead, give them yours and get yourself a new one. Same if their radio breaks. Be prepared by carrying a couple of extra radio batteries with you. You are being Johnny On the Spot by being so prepared!
* Always say "copy" meaning that you heard and understand. Without a response, people wonder if you heard them or not.

Common Radio Codes:
10-1: Going to the bathroom for #1.  Sometimes people say 10-2, meaning it will take a little longer...Poop!
10-4: I have heard and understand
10-20 or 20: Location of someone or something as in "What's your 20?"
"Copy": I Have heard and understand
"Do You Copy?": Did you hear me? Do you understand?
"Radio Check": Say this if you are not sure that your radio is transmitting or working. The proper response is "Good Check". If you hear someone ask for a radio check....respond!
"Stand by": Means that I am busy at the moment and will respond ASAP.
"Flying In": Always respond when asked to bring something or someone to the set. It lets them know that you are on it. Also lets us know that multiple people are not attempting to do the same task and wasting precious manpower and time.

Depending on where you are and who you are working with the codes/tips may change. Be flexible to learn, not a stubborn know it all!

Film Photography Terms

F-stop-The amount of light transmitted by a lens based on a simple mathematical calculation. Focal Length of lens divided by the diameter of the aperture.

But different lenses will take in different amounts of light depending on the number of elements in them. So two lenses with an aperture of f4 may actually allow different amounts of light to pass through them. One might create a brighter image than the other.
T-stop-Similar to F-stop but a T-stop is measurement of the actual amount of transmitted light for a particular lens as opposed to the theoretical calculation of an F-stop.
T-stops are used mostly in the motion picture industry.

"Bracketing"-Shooting the scene several times with different F-stops/T-stops to create a range of exposure effects.

 

Learn About Lenses

 Link:  https://www.learnaboutfilm.com/making-a-film/equipment-for-low-budget-filmmaking/choosing-lenses/

 

This podcast has some great stories and strange happenings from Hollywood of the past.

You Must Remember This Podcast link

 Tip off @ #miamiheat for the #nbaplayoffs Eastern Conference Finals. EN1 & EN3 are here to broadcast. #nep

Film Crew Slang

 

 

 

 

Film Terms

 Ambience or Room Tone- It is the  pervading atmosphere of a place.(often psychological). Ambience is widely used as a description of noises present in the environment.   In film and video sound production, Ambience usually means the background sound accompanying a scene. Sound recorded without dialogue on the location or set can be used to bridge gaps in the soundtrack. Each location has a distinctive ambient sound that can sometimes be difficult to match in the postproduction studio.

 

 

 

 

Before there was A Nightmare on Elm Street, before Alien there was "The Tingler" (1959). A parasite that attaches to your spine causing hallucinatory nightmares that kill you. It grows stronger when you are afraid. This film is a classic from the mind of horror director/producer William Castle. When the film came out there was also a device attached to seats in some movie theaters called Percepto! which when activated by onscreen action violently vibrated your seat. Tickets sometimes came with a Death Certificate saying that you died of froght!