Film Set Walkie Talkie Radio Etiquette

 

    Tips for Proper Radio Use:

*Be professional, no angry tones or bad language.

*Push the talk button and pause a moment before speaking. This makes sure that all of what you said is heard and does not cut out your first few words.

*Speak clearly.

*Keep the conversation short.

*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. Know that anyone could be hearing your conversation.
*Always use your name when identifying yourself. Common practice is to say "Go for ____(your name)" when someone calls for you. If you are calling someone, identify yourself and call for them.

* Always say "copy" meaning that you heard and understand. Without a response, people wonder if you heard them or not.

*If you didn't hear or misunderstood what someone says you reply "go again?". They will repeat and once you understand you can then say "copy".
* 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.

*Ear pieces are also referred to as Clear-Coms, Shorty, Tubeez or surveillance kit.
*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. Be prepared by carrying a couple of extra radio batteries with you. You are being Johnny On the Spot by being so prepared!


Common Radio Codes & Lingo
10-1: Going to the bathroom for #1.  Sometimes people say 10-2, meaning it will take a little longer...
10-4: I have heard and understand. Same as "Copy".
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?

"Eyes on":When someone or something is spotted. "I have eyes on Mr. Cruise."

"First Team": The principal actors in a scene. "I'm walking first team to the set"

"Second Team": Stand-ins and extras.

"Flying In": Always respond when asked to bring something 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. This can be combined with 10-4 or Copy..." Copy, fog machine flying in!

"Keying": When someone accidentally pushes the radio talk button. This can be embarrassing in many ways. It also interrupts others trying to communicate.

"Kill": When something needs to be turned off. "Kill the fog machines."

"Lock it Up": Don't let anyone through, quiet.
"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.

"Strike" or "86": When something needs to be removed from set. "Strike that prop".

There is much more radio lingo to learn. Try to learn a lot before your first time on set. The internet is an amazing place for info.

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!

 

Halloween Pick of the Week

 "The Re-Animator"(1985) Directed by Stuart Gordon

Med school student Herbert West experiments with re-animating dead tissue. His professor dies in the lab under weird circumstances and Herbert is forced to continue his "re-agent"work at a new university. Gore and humor propel us through a Frankenstein/Jekyle & Hyde/Zombie hybrid flick based on an original story by master of horror H.P. Lovecraft. On a relatively low budget this picture provides excellent production value, performances and direction. It is deftly designed for hardcore horror fans who revel in the absurdly gross. Popularity led to a series of re-animator films. If you enjoy "The Evil Dead","Dead Alive" and the "Living Dead" films, "The Re-Animator" belongs in your Netflix line-up.

Film Lingo

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

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.

 

 

 

 

Film Lingo/Slang

 

Ambience or Room Tone- pertains to the pervading atmosphere of a place. (Often more of a psychological, rather than technical description)  Ambience is widely used as a synonym for ambient sound. Ambient sound consists of noises present in the environment.   In film and video sound production term Ambience usually means the background sound accompanying a scene.   Ambience is used for background sounds.  Sound recorded without dialogue on the location or set to 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.

Spritzer- No... it is not a carbonated wine cocktail on set. A spritzer is a pump/spray bottle of water used for misting an actor's skin to make it appear wet or sweaty. It is a way of controlling the "wet look" for continuity of shots.

Pick of the Month

 Bellflower (2011)- Two drinking, smoking college pals build muscle cars & modified weapons hoping that Armageddon happens. Their goal? To rule the roads just like in their all-time favorite film "Mad Max". That's enough for me...I'm in.