Issue 24 - The Association of Motion Picture Sound.

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Visit the nerv
AMPS website
www.amps.net
This Newsletter is edited by Bob Allen and Keith Spencer-Allen and is published bythe Association of lvlolion
Picture Sound for dislribution to all members. AMPS can be contacted through Brian Hickin, The Admin Secretary,
28 Knox Street London Wl H 1 FS. ltrlernbership enquiries to Peter Hodges, AMPS Membership Secretary, c/o 28
Knox Street, London Wl H 1 FS. Any communications with the AMPS Newsletter should be addressed to The
Editor, AMPS Newsletter, Old Post Otfice Coftage, Old Post Office Road, Chevington, Suflolk lP29 5RD.
AMPS
SUSTAINING MEMBtrRS
AKAI PROFESSIONAL
AMS NEVE
AUDIO DEVELOPMENTS
DE LANE LEA SOL]ND CENTRE
DOLBY
DTS
CYRIL COLLICK
FITZROVIA POST PRODL]C'1'ION
HARRISON
NAGRA
PINEWOOD STLJDIOS
RICHMOND FILM SERVICES
RYCOTE
SENNHEISER
SOI-ID STATE I-OGICSONY CINEMA PRODUCTS
TECHNICOLOR
TWICKENHAM FILM STLIDiOS
AMPS
Cyril Collick, who died on 1Oth September 1997 aged 76.
started his career in films in 1937 in the Sound Department at
the Studios of Fox British Pictures Ltd. In 1939 he joined
the RAF and spent the war vears in the RAF Film Unit in
North Africa. ltaly, tsurma and lndia rvith. among others.
John Mackey and l-arry Thornpson.
On return to the UK he began his long and distingLrisired
career. lirst as a boom operator, and then as a sound
recordist. He rvorked at Riverside Studios, National Studios,
Borehamrvood. and then in 1957, like many other people. he
became a \jery successful freelance.
A modest and quiet manner hid a ge nerous and thoughtful
heart; he helped many in the business and outside. He had an
intelligent u,it and rvhen present on the set his was alr,vays a
helpful and calming influence.
His many' films include The Collector. The Llagus. Untler
Milk Wood andThe Pa.ssenger, and The trhtrtlerers Amony
{/.s. for rvhich he was awarded a bronze medal at the 32nd
International Film & TV Festival of New York. while the
film was also nominated for an Ernmy award. The directors
and stars he w'orked r.vith include William W-v-ler. Samuel
Fuller, Antonioni, Richard Burton. Elizabeth Taylor,
Katherine Hepburn, Shelley Winters, Kirk Douglas, Dann1,
de Vito, Robert Englund, Jack Nicholson.l-ee Marvin and
Ben Kingsley.
He rvorked in rnany countries including Hungary,
Thailand. Israel, Germany. France and the US. on all types
of news. corporate and training filnrs, in addition to features.
He r,vill be missed by his rl,ife, Betty, and his children.
Jonathan and Judith, his granddaughter, Flora. and b.'- his
many friends and colleagues throughout the world.
t\:r\l.ljili liir\-\111 )\' (ilj(
2
.'l'
T
HE DEWLOPMENT OF A,L{PS
AMPS MtrMBtrR STtrVE F'ISH REPLItrS TO DAVID WYNNtr JONES
through the newsletter and other rnedia is to be
I read with interest David Wynne Jones' thought
provoking letter in issue 23. As a newcomer to AMPS encouraged..
(but not to the industry) my perception of the
On the subject of nerv nrembers. rvhilst an association
of
this sort must take care not to devalue its entry
differ
in
some
respects.
may
organisation
criteria. there is still a rvidell'held belief that AI\4PS is
Whilst AGN{'s and meetings to evaluate nerv
technology will always have a large part to play in an for people in the feature film industry only. As his
lefter points out. the divide between features and filnts
association of this sort. it is inevitable tlrat a large
section of the membership will not be able to attend. for television has been greatly reduced in the last few
vears- but tl're pe.rce^ption of,A\4PS arnongst peoplc'
Regrettabl.v I for one. h.a.ve.yet toattend a single
working primarily for television has not changed. A
meeting or screening. this is not due to "a certairl
snrall anrount of publicitl'mat, rvell prclduce an influx
apathy", but simply because I anr u,orking. The
unforfunate trend in our industry to work long hours. of experienced new members.
With regard to funding. rvhilst fhe concern over
six days a week means that in the unlikely event that
a meeting should occur on one's dav off. the chances mailing lists falling into the hands of junk mailers is
laudable. it does denv the association a valuable source
are that one will be in the wrong part c-rf tlre world or
of incorne. ,\lrnost everv organisation one applies to
still fast asleep (or both)!
now sells on information Iike nanres and addresses.
The Newsletter horvel'el has the advantage fhat is is
Surelv it must be possi ble to generate some income
extremely portable. and can be accessed with the
minimum of technology at anv hour of da-v or niglrt. n,hilst ensuri ng tlrat the conpanies that end up u'ith the
Articles of all sorts are valid. historical. operational lists are responsible. ,{s vou point out much of the
and technical. as man1,'new' problems can be solved information sent out u'ould be of interest to the
with recourse to old solutions. And a more detailed membership. and the small effort of tossing one or two
unopened envelopes into the 'circular file' rvould be a
knowledge of the historv and development of the
small price to pavcraft can only be of benefit to younger members.
It rvould be shame hou'ever if the Neq'sletter were to
After all some of the most entertaining and
be reduced to yet another catalogue of secondhand
informative moments on or off the set are to be
found when our more senior colleagues relate stories equipment interspersed u,ith w,ith adr,ertising from the
nrajor companies. there are plenty of these publications
of the 'good old da.vs'. I feel it is also important to
freell'avai lable al readr'.
note here that technical accounts of the 'how did
David Wvnne Jones has motivated me to think about
they do that variety'. rvhilst undoubtedly useful. are
AN4PS. and u'hilst u'e don't have to agfee on evel'\'
only'part of the stor\,. Recording the sound. whilst
often challenging, is onl;* one aspect of the process point. I think it is important rve should all listen. it is
after all what u,e do for a living. So please keep Lrp the
of filnr making. People. places and situations are all
ercellent work as it is appreciated b1'nerv members.
contributors to the u,ealth of erperience that A\'{PS
members hold. The redistribution of this wealth
even if vou don't see us verv oftenl
SI-EVE
FI
SH
.\\1I)S. .\\1I}]S
ASSOCIATION AFFAIRS
.\ \'OTE OI.THANKS
During the past year David Old and Martin Trevis
r regretfully decided to relinquish their places on the
i Council, r,vhile Brian Sirnnrons made it knou'n that
i he would not be seeking re-election in 1998. Further
i to these losses Edd.v Joseph gave notice that he
i would have to stanb dou,n fiom the office of
i Treasurer next vear.
i Increased workload is the reason lor all feeling
i they couldn't seriouslS,'der''ote the time that Council
i business necessitated and therefore thel,should
: make way for others to take on the responsibilitl, of
i contributins to the administration of the Association.
1 It's great to know that the motion picture business is
j flourishing horvever the departure of these people to
i its needs will be a considerable loss to the Council.
] I rvould like, on behalf of the AMPS membership
i to thank them sincerely' for all their personal
j contributions to the running of the Association and
i to wish thenr great success in the ventures that have
f '
'
x
',ithe Council
of their good services. It's
I deprived
i hoped that in the not too distant future they ma1' be
i able to offer themselves for re-electiolt.
a
-')
\CII- ELECTIO\S
Shortll' all eligible members rvill be receivins Council
nomination forms. It is hoped that all those receiving
f orms u,ill take the opportunitt'to nominate nrentbers
they u'ould like to have running the Association.
Remember ),ou must get the consent of -vour nontinee
- their u iliirigness to ierve on the Council. Members
u,ho rvould like to serve on the CoLrncil themselves
should seek their orvn nominator.
In earll'January, r,oting papers u,ill be posted to
votin-q menrbers. The Council asks that voting be
taken seriously and all the papers returned as
instnrcted in the supplied addressed envelope.
COL
ANNUAL GENERAL N4EETING
Notice of the AGM n,ill also go out in early Januarv.
It is intended again to invite Sustaining Members to
be present to meet members and displal, products.
The Council hopes that members will make every
effort to attend. Date and place have yet to be decided
but ;'ori'll be notified.
A Merrl'Christmas and Happi' Nerv Year to all.
llot] \t.t.li\
NEWSREEL
FAREWELLTO SIR SYDNEY,
HELLO TO STEVE NORzuS
Producer Steve Norris will join the
British Film Comrnission on
November 3rd this year, and in
Januarv 1998. take over from Sir
Sydney Samuelson CBE as as British Film
Commissioner and BFC Chief Executive.
Sir Sydney, who was appointed by the
Department of Trade & Industry to set up the BFC
in 1991, said he was delighted that a producer of
Steve Norris' experience, enthusiasm and
imagination would lead the BFC into it's next era.
We would like to take this opportunity to
congratulate Steve Norris on his appointment and
wish him every success in his new job.
AMPS mernbers would also like to sincerely
thank Sir Sydney for all his great work during the
past six years. and for the interest shown in
AMPS. He u,ill be missed but he's bound to
continue being prominent in ntany motion pictttre
activities. We wish him exceedingly rvell.
HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE?
Because of liigh production costs here in the UK
due to the strong pound and unfavourable tax
incentives for big productions. 'Bond' producer
Michael Wilson warns that the backers. MGM.
would insist on'Bond 19' being made in a lower
cost countrl'. Wilson said "There is no support in
this countrr'. Tl-re tax incentives in the last budget
far.ours smaller films. We are all subject to the
laws of economics and the present system is
creating a filnr mountain; for every Four Weddings
and Ftrll lvlontt, there are -50 small films funded
from tax breaks that never see the light of day."
Eastman Kodak has announced
plans to slash 10,0O0 jobs 10.57o of its workforce - as the
world's largest photography
company reels under blorvs from
and
lier
forei gn competi tors.
ot
Japanese
i@i
BFI LIBRARY
BFI Library and Information Sen,ices (LIS)
holds the world's largest collection of published
and unpublished documentation relating to fi1m
and television.
The BFI's computerised database SIFT
(Summary of lnformation about Film and
Television) includes details of over half a million
film and television titles with a similar number of
personalities, with references to ol,er one million
periodical articles.
The Library and Reading Room is a major
research facility. [-lS also provides a range of
information services including a telephone
enquiry service and a paid research service.
ONE FOR THE ALIBI BOOK
At a meeting of the Institute of Broadcast Sound
earlier this year, Anthony' Faust asked why
clapper idents always seemed to be an inaudible
mumble combined u,ith an out of focus shot?
Answer: "Not enough in the budget". A
member claimed that q,ithout a third member of
the sound crew with a separate microphone for
the ident, and with actors and recordist 100 yards
away from the canrera, it's just not possible to do
a decent ident any more (quoted fror-n the
April/May issue of Line L/p),
Unbelievable. Questions arise such as r,vhat is
the boom op doing? Why can't he pan over for
the clap? Surely he isn't 100 yards away from the
camera and actors? Why isn't the recordist closer
to the camera and actors? (Perhaps he wotrld
rather be at home and have the actors phone their
parts in.) Why can't the recordist put the verbal
ident on prior to each take? Most good mirer
panels have an ident mic, if not a clip mic. on the
panel or on the recordist themselves fed into a
spare channel - it's all that is needed. It's not very
often that all the mic inputs are in use.
Claps. when being used along with verbal
idents are important and sound crews of even two
should use their ingenuity to record them clearly.
If you think that you are punishing the
producer for short crewing then think again, it's
the editorial departmenf you're punishing and
they don't deserve it.
As for out of focus boards. then sack the
operator and focus pu11er.
Idents are part of the job.
BoB ALLEN
gUoTABLES
Maktng aJunngfiIm prouides aII the enjogment oJ getttng gour leg caught in the
blades oJ athreshtng machine.
Woody Allen, {trsquire magazir,e, 1975)
1
INTERNET MOVIE, SITE
GOES PROFESSIONAL
The Internet Movie Database (l\{Db),
the most popular and longest established
film resource on the internet is being
moved onto a professional footing. The
lMDb was started in 1990 by Colin
Needham in Bristol. within a Usenet
newsgroup becoming accessible on the
World Wide Web in 1993. It is currently
n-raintained by 18 people in six cottntries
across the world and has information
about 65.000 movies and 300.000 people.
'fhe success of the project has led to
the setting up of a contpany (lnternel
N{ov'ie Database Ltd) to rutt and
continuously maintain the database. Tl're
company. registered in England, rvill
continue to maintain the lMDb's mission
to provide the best free movie data on the
internet. The sites http:i/us.imdb.comi and
http:/iuk.imdb.coml are now on line.
To help the database reach its target
audience and enhance its service, the
IMDb offers a range of advertising and
sponsorship packages for film and other
commercial sectors" Database users are
encouraged to click the advertising
banners at the top of the Pages to support
the database. and visit the sponsoring
si
www.amps.net
At last AMPS has its orvn 'official' Website. After
rLrnning the old website for the past two )'ears on web
space allocated to me b1" nty Internet Sen'ice Provider.
AMPS Council decided to take trp an offer from the
British Filn-r Commission of a subsidised presence on
the Web via their own Information Provider. This is just
as well. since I have run out of storage space on my
own allocation of 5 MB, and the new site offers us forir
times the storage, good enough for a year or three!
'fhe BFC have a large site on the Net, w'ell worth a
visit on wwu'.bfc.co.uk and it is still expanding. 'f he
Film Guilds were all offered their own space by tire
BFC but so far, only the Film Accountants' Guild and
ourselves have signed up and we are the first from the
biocks. OLrr Web address is fully registered to AMPS
and is accessible from anvrvhere in thc rvorld.
The Websitc has some ne\r featttres. We are norv
running Microsoft FrontPage Extensions u,hich means
there is much more interaction" tvith a Search Engine. a
GLrest Book and a Disctrssion Area. We plan to erpand
further and to incltrde features from ottr Nervsletter on a
more regular basis and have a 'What's On'?' page 1o
publicise our meetings and film shorvs to members. I
hope rve wiil soon be able to offer a service to the
Membership to have CVs linked to their Directory entr;'.
and we will accept material in either printed or electronic
form. Members with their own websites or Emaii
address that I know about already have a link. Please
keep me informed of any changes or new additions.
If you are still considering the internet. now is a good
tinre to sign up. There are rnany corn;retitive deals being
offered and the cost is falling. Drop in for a r isit
tes.
l\'1Db aims to capture anv and all
information associated rvith movies from
?lcross the rvorld. starting with the earliest
cinema, going through to the very latest
releases and even movies still in
production. It covers filmographies for all
professions in the industry. plot
srrmmaries. character names. mo', ie
ratin-9s. year of release. running times.
movie trivia. quotes. goofs. soundtracks.
personal trivia, alternative names.
certificates. colour information, country
of production, genres, production
companies. distributors, special effects
companies. sound mix, reference
literature, filming locations. sequellremake
information, release dates. advertising tag
lines. detailed technical data. alternative
versions. l-aser disc availability. languages,
reviews. links to official studio pages. fan
pages. image and multimedia archives.
direct purchase links for movies and
associated merchandise. box office
grosses and Academy Award information.
It's fully hyperlinked both within the
database and to thousands of external
sometime!
SANDY MacRAE
Ernail : sandl' @ macrae.tcom.co.uk
info@ amps.net
THANK YO[t Suntlv antl son.s - The setting up antl
r;rguni.sing oJ the AMPS v'ehsire hus ull beenlhi work
of the MucRues. Our pu.st site, on Saru|,-'.\ own spuce
allocutiott, hus over the pctst tw-o \1eut'hatl hundreds rt
visits and received nrunr c'.)tTtpliments on ils exc'ellence.
The set Ltp ttrul lat'out supplietl to the British FiLrn
Commission web site orgttttiser\ wu.\ so professioncLl
tltut they ac'r'epted it without alteration thLn .stn''in':
sites.
Moving around the database is very
easy. A example search page shorvs a few
of the more common searches you might
use and the full search guide
full list of searches available.
contains a
For more information on IMDb
Emai[: [email protected]
AX4 P S u (:o n\ i de rcth le de.r i gn.f'e e.
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also be useful for the time when the docs director
runs up to me and says "Did you get that just
now?". however - perhaps we should not let the
management know that we can now do this- they'll
tttt'.t...
DEVA - Can She Sing?
Not only was I pleasantly surprised by the turnout
for the AN,{PS Deva meetins at Twickenham on 21st
September, but I rvas l'r'r.t'pleasantly surplised to be
driving home rvith one of the demo machines at the
end of the demo. I have to say now that I rvas deepl,v
impressed by Glenn (Sanders') denronstration of the
machine. and was very keen to have a go a.s.a.p. - a
few words at the end of the meeting. and tlrere I was
driving home with a very different concept in 'tape'
recorders. I could not wait to play with my new tov.
For those who are not familiar with Deva here is a
very brief description:
Deva is a standalone digital recorder which
have us arriving last, and expect us to be ready first!
Deva takes about l0 seconds to set booted uo
when you first turn or. The screen !i ves you a'
message to wait until it is ready to go. There is a
small clock face type indication which spins round
to let you know that the processors are all rurrning
OK. As with most modern digital machines, it is wise
at this point to check the set up of the machine
(sample rates, tracks used, ilp & o/p setup for audio
and tic etc.). This is the point at which you really get
to grips with a new machine. I had not been able to
extract a nranual from either Glenn (Sanders - N4r.
Zaxcom and the machine's inventor) or Harris
records onto
internal hard disk
drives, and/or
external SCSI
drives (e.g. Jaz).
There are 4 x
analogue i/p and
oip channels, or
2r stereo AES i/p
and o/p channels,
and you mi.r
internally to record
to 1,2. or 4
Studio Products
(UK agents) so it
was a voyage of
discovery to see
whether I was able
to make head or tail
of the software.
Although I am a
complete
ignoramus when it
comes to
computers, I have
always been
channels
reasonably able
sim ultaneousll,.
11,i1fi 2s6llqr-t1rpe
softrvare. I found that I was able to find my wav
around Deva's software rvith relative ease. The onll'
thing that I had trouble with was when trying to set
nry own values as start tirnes for the t/cand ubits. I
did manage to do it, but it was late at night in a hotel
roorn (post meal. wine and bar) and I never
managed to remember the key sequence.
It rvas whilst trying to retmce those (tipsy) steps
that I managed to make Deva crash - I was getting
frustrated and had resorted to some very bizarre key
sequences at which point Deva just stopped
evervthing - a classic computer crash type scenarit'r even the little clock logo stopped turning. A quick
power off, and back on. solved the issue - [ tried to
make Deva fall over again but it was not to be. This
was the only wobble in three weeks of use. I showed
the machine to various friends, and always did the
violent shaking demo. which is almost as inrpressive
as the pre record trick. Deva never flinched again so
I put the crash down to nre. not Deva.
Audio quality is superb - Deva currently uses 20
bit A-to-D's though 24-bit are promised soon
(machines will be upgradeable). The clarity of
sound is fantastic - I particularly noticed it with
complex. busy waveforms like applause, but
generally it just sounded effortless, light. airy and
transparent in my headphones. Access around the
disk is virtually instant - if you stop recording, you
merely press PLAY to immediately start playing
what you just recorded. If you then push REC the
machine will automatically stop playing and start
recording at the end of what you were just playing
back - so you have to work really hard to
You can make a separafe o/p rnir. DE\/A supports tic
at all the usual rates. The maclrine I used could
record 2.5 track hours on the internal disk. though I
note fronr Zarconr's rveb site
(http://www.zaxcom.com) that the new drives will
support 7.-5 track hours at no extra costll N'lic i/p's
are on XLR. almost all the other iip's and oip's are on
multi rvay 'D' connectors u,hich rvill alnrost guarantee
that I shall not be making up my own Deva leads.
Deva runs on an internal NPI tvpe battery for about
2 hrs (NiCad) - so we should be able fo improve this
figure to 3 hours at least rvith any of tlre various neu'
Nickel N{etal Hydride NPI's which are on the market
now.
I took the Deva out to work on a daily basis (run
in parallel with rn1' DAT machine) for about 3
weeks. We did a fair bit of travellino. a range of
rvealher and humidities. arrd sr.,me ierl ardirorrs davs
(started on docs and then the first week of a drama).
I was most impressed. Deva is small. so much so that
a few interested bystanders on the crerv were
reluctant to take the machine seriouslv. This issue is
easily resolved by doing the fantastic Deva pre
record trick. lt is nota new idea. but it does impress
Deva can be set uo in the software to record all
incoming audio into a RAN4 memory bufTer, anC
then to record from the buffer if so required. 'Ihis
means that the machine can start recording ("to tape
as it were") up to l0 seconds BEFORE I push the
record button on the machine. This I can
immediately see is useful for the pre roll of the train
(or car) coming round the bend, or for the wild track
of the town clock (which invariably does NOT ring
when the minute hand gets up to the l2). lt would
:
accidentally erase
6
anything.
b
Here are a lew other likes and dislikes in brief:-
CEoRce I-ucAS oN
DIGITAL TECHNIOLOGY
LIKES:
C Small size and rveight
adjusts iip
f NeverClip - Zaxcoir's inpLrt level detectionatsystem
the A-D stage'
to
clip
impossible
almost
it
is
that
such
lain
6 ,qUltit), to create separate mixes to tape and o/p's -, ie thethe
iUitity to record split iracks, but to send a scratch mix to
director.
J Instant access and cueing.
D Clear display - easy to read in daylight
E Urg" mnge-of adjustment on Bass cuts and High Pass filters,
ulro .-o*pt"isor/limiters on each i/p channel.
3 Headphone monitoring - clever system of scrolling round the
various options.
fl Battery life 3 hours on a NiMHY
3 Un"o*ptessed audio recording - sounds fantastic
Not quite DISLIKES but could be improved!!:
C Meters are a bit small
O Lin" i/p's and o/p's, t/c iip's and o/p's, syncs etc' digital.
i/p's and o/p's are all on multi pin D connectors - small but
fiddlv - non standard leads.
- no M&S (coming soon) but this
-.1 Headphone monitoring
night cieate too many options to be able to scroll around
i
i
:
easily.
i
This leaves the issue of the disk forrnat. There has been some
worry about the practicality of the hard disks on which the
audio is recorded. I must say that I was originally sceptical
about their robustness. I now have no worries in that respect at
all. I never once heard so much as a blip in terms of audio - and
u,e did try very hard (and failed) to make it jump on numerous
occasions.
The issue of horv much they cost and how many to have is
an interesting one. Zaxcom have just announced on their n'eb
page (http:iwww.zaxcom.com) that the disks now hold 7.5hrs of'
audio track time. Zarcom's LIK agents Harris were unable to
quote an exact price for a disk but said that it u'ould remain as
planneci for the smaller disks rvhich is a LIS p'rice of $600
irarrslating to ttnder I-100 in the L-K. This is att improvement irt
the order of x3 at NO EXTRA COST. This more or less ensures
that rve should only need one disk perday to record on u'hilst
on location. If r,r,e assumed that disks are used at transfer tcr
synch up and make clorre tic backups of some description
- /perhaps CD-R with t/c stamps. or DAT (loss of quality - onll'
r6 bit). or mavbe Jaz or similar. then thev could well be
returned to location for re-ttse with the directors rushes the nert
day. If rve send in one disk per day. and they take two days to
be returned. then we would still have 5 disks on location at an)'
time. I would have thought that -5 disks at any tirre on location
would be a good buffer zone to cope with slip ups in deliveries.
There is the question of how rl'e charge productions for the
disks. but I calculate that if I were to rent my disks to a
production at the same price that they buy my DATS, it would
pay for mv set of Deva disks in an average working year. whilst
costing the production no more than the tape stock would have
done.
CONCLUSION
Deva seems to do everything that Glenn told us it would at the
AN{PS meeting in October. lt is small and light, sounds great,
was very reliable in my experience, and is very easy to learn and
use. The media issue would appear to be resolving itself (no pun
intended) with the new storage times etc. I desperately want one,
but need to find a production to get it onll
sr\r()N
'
Everyone seems to think that digital
technology devoids the medium of content '
but that ii not true at all. If anything, it
broadens the content. There were vast
numbers of things you could do in a
literary medium that you couldn't even
think about doing in a movie. If you said.
"There are 10,000 people trudging over
the hill", well to accomplish that in real
life is a very, r'ery difficLrlt undertaking.
To do a movie hkeThe Ten
CrtrnnrcLnclnrcrlts or Ben-Hur would be
'
cost-prohibitive norv. But the digitai
technology allow's tts to do even lnore.
Until this point in film u'e have been
lirnited to the short story in terms of
scope. Digital technology allows tts a
niuih larger scope to tell stories that w'ere
prett)' mLich the grounds of the literary
rs'()',
.\\r1,.\
P.S. l)ct,tt (:etutot .sitt.g, ltttt dcte.s vibrole.rul;thwlrctt pltu'etl ort lotrr lup!
i
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f
j
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':
ntcora.
Digitirl tcchnologl is lhe santc
revolution as adding sound to pictures and
the same revolution as adding color to
Nothing more and nothing less.
pictures.
Digital in film is just like digital in
writing. It nrakes the medium nruch more
malleable: \'ou can make a lot more
changes. You can cut and paste and moi'e
things around and think in a more fluid
style - and I love that. We're just getting
into that on a srand scale in fiim. I don't
think I'd ever go back to analog. I haven't
used an editing machine with film on
sprocket holes for almost eight years. I
hardly even know horv to hold a piece of
filrn anymore - I don't think I could do it.
It's just too much work. It's too
cumbersome, too slow, and you can't
manipulate it enough. It would be like
going back and scratching things on
rocks
(
I
lrottt ll'ired
rturgtt:.irrc
)
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DISNEYS SNOWWHITE
- The Story Behind The Picture
As a smali boy Walt Disney was taken to see a
silentfilmcalled Snow White, based upon the
classic Grimm fairy tale. This made a lasting
impression on Walt and no doubt explains why he
chose Srun, Wltite und The Seven Dwurfs as the
subject for his first feature length cartoon. He had
already achieved fame with his 700ft cartoon shorts
of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto, also a
Silly Stmphou, calledThe Three Little Pigs which
was President Roosevelt's favourite. In 1934 the
money was beginning to roll in from all over the
world for these shorts, as they were technically
superb and far ahead of the competition. Disney
decided to spend the profits on a full length
cartoon, although the initial budget for Snou, White
was $-500,00O - more than the company reserves.
There was some doubt as to whether the public
u,ould go for a feature length cartoon, as Louis B
Meyer reputedly said "Who's going to pay to see a
drawing of some fairy princess when they can see
Joan Crawford's boobs for the same price?".
But in spite of brother Roy's plea to 'just stay
with Mickey Mouse', Walt Disney had his own
w'ay as usual and began shooting Snow White in
the summer of 193-5. He assisned his most talented
and experienced animators to the film; Norman
Ferguson \vas responsible for production design
and sketching the Wicked Witch, Harn Liske
concentrated on Snow White, and young Frank
Moore handled the Seven Du'arfs. Frank was a
self-taught artist, and as an 18-year old had
an i mated the Thr e e Li r t I e P i s s. Unfortunatel t'
Disney's most fanrotrs animator, Ub Iu,erks. rvho
had mastermirided all the earll- cartoons such as
SteamboutWillie andThe Ske leton Dance,had
already left the company to start up on his own.
For .Snox, Wltite, Disney introduced a brand neu,
animation technique called 'Multiplane', with the
background and foreground cells separated to give
a more realistic effect of depth.
Snou, White had to have music and songs of
course, and Frank Churchill (Disney's pianist) was
asked to compose some compelling theme tunes.
Frank had prer.'iously written Who's AJruid O.f The
Big Butl Wol.f. and soon the first few bars of the
Dwarf's song lVizi.vle While You Wrtrk were heard
all around the studio.
Disney rvas looking for somebody with a young
clear voice for Snor,v White, and gave an audition
to a talented 13-year old Canadian girl. Having
listened to a recording of her singing Somedat, M.t,
Prince Will Come, he turned her down because she
sounded too mature, too professional. Her name
was Diana Durbin. Disney settled instead for an
unknown amateur called Adriana Caselotti who had
a thin soDrano voice which sounded more virsinal.
Atlritttttt ('tt.sel,tttti, Ilte voit'e
u.l
.\ttorr Wltite
Work went on steadily all through 1936, with
the studios often open seven days a week so that
animators and cell animators could complete their
quota. Disney was becoming increasingly
concerned that not only his reputation, but the
whole future of the studio rvas at stake on this one
film. Snoiv White had already cost $ 1,750,000
which rvas far more than MGM had spent on
Broudv,ay h.'lelodt,of 1936 rvhich a cast of
hundreds including Robert Taylor.'fhe Bank of
America had already'come to Disney's aid r,vhen
his orvn monev ran out. and norv another
$500.00 was needecl to finish the filrr-r. After
vierving a rough cut of the footage completed so
far, the Bank agreed to provide an additional loan,
although it gave them some sleepless nights. By
this time exhibitors were keeping a close watch on
the production and its problems. Radio City
Music Hall in Nerv York made an advance
booking for Snow White and placed an ad to that
effect in \./uriety. Other exhibitors rvere not siolr'
to follow.
The World Premiere rvas at the Cathay Circle
theatre in Hollywood in December 1937. and the
film rvas also chosen as the Christmas attraction at
the Radio City Music Hall. Word had spread
throughout Hollywood that Snon' Wltire was
going to be a big hit, and the first night audience
included most of the top stars and producers.
When the lights i.vent up at the end, Walt Disney
appeared on stage and was given a standing
ovation. With tears in his eyes he told the
audience that he had always dreamed of having a
Hollywood gala premiere for one of his cartoons,
and they had made his dream come true. More
than 20 million people saw the film during the
b
first three months, and it earned over $8,000,00O
on its first release. Snow White was awarded a
special Oscar in 1938 at a time when there was no
category for animated features.
The policy on screen credits for a Disney film
was simple, as only Walt Disney's name would
appear. For years nobody ever knew who did what
on a Disney film, but the policy was changed for
Snow White so that many artists. animators.
composers and voices who had worked on the film
were credited. Now telegrams of congratulations
began to arrive for many of the technicians who
had contributed to the film's success. Walt Disney
gave the entire studio staff and their families a
'thank you' party in the form of a weekend at a
resort near Palm Springs with all expenses paid.
Srutw White antl The Set,en Dwurfs went on to
make a profit of over $500,000,000 for the Disney
Organisation, including large overseas earningsand became one of the most successful films of all
time at the box office. Another money spinner u,as
the idea of selling miniature replicas of the Seven
Dwarfs, and the royalties on the model of Dopev
alone raised $100,000. It is only in the last ferv
years that the Disney Organisation has opened its
own chain of stores for the direct selling of Disney
memorabilia.
Coinciding with the -5oth anniversary of Snou,
Wltite. Disnel'Studios launched an ambitious
restoration programme in 1987 for all its classic
filnrs. Tlre initial restoration of Snov' Wltitc v'as
given to YCM Laboratories in Los Angeles, rvho
tused traditional methods and clean-up techniques
top eliminate scratches and damage due to handling
- the same techniques they used for the restoration
of Futttusirt in 1990. But 6y 1992 Kodak had
developed their neu, Cineon tape-to-film transfer
s,v-stem using high resolution digital electronics.
and they successfully restored a one minute section
of Sntm, lVhite as a test. Based on this evidence
Disney Studios made a commitment to restore the
entire film in this manner when the nerv Cinesite
facility opened r,r,ith a range of prototype
equrpment.
Snou, ltr/ltite contained 700 scenes. vr.'hich
amounted to I 19,-5-50 frames of 35mm film. Each
rvas individuallv scanned and transferred to digital
tape at a rate of 3 seconds per frame. As many, as
40 r,vorkstations r.vorkins in -3 shifts were
employed to detect flawi in the original film. which
r,r'ere replaced electronical I y by'' clonin g'
information from adjacent frames. Fine dust rvhich
had settled on the plate glass platen of the original
animation camera was visible, and proved to be the
greatest problem to eliminate. Dirt from the original
Technicolor separation negatives also showed up
as a minute,vellow. cyarl or magenta spots.
Operators had been trained to eliminate these flau,s
'/'ltt' r'<tntltle.r .\lultiplittt<, t (un(rd u ltrt lt q<rtt ittt illusrott of
rlrpllt to lltt utttntrtttott
correction. Snov, W'hite contained more pastel
shadc's than the deeplv coloured cartoons u,hich
vvere typical of Disnel'. and these colours had
faded.
The master tape was finaill' transterred back to
colour intermediatc' film using a (lincon camera at a
rate of 3 seconds per frame and a high intensity
Iaser light source. The rerele zrse of Srrr;n' \\'hite in
the summer of 199-l lvas an authentic replica of the
version premiered in 1937. right dou,n to the
1.33/ I aspect ratio. Like so many early Disney
films. Snov' llthite does not lend itself to cropping
for w'ide screen.
It is interesting to note that one of the sound
crew was William Garity. rvho had recorded the
sound for Disney's SteutnboutWillie. in 1928
whilst working for Pou,ers Cinephone. Garity was
also responsible for designing Funtu:rnuttl, the
multitrack photographic system used for Funtusiu.
.r(
)t
I\
.\t.t)t{t
i)
:;
: QUOTABLES
l
, "We don't usant nou), and. neuer shal|,
, the huntan uoi.ce i.n our nloutes"
using sophisticated software supplied b1' Kodak.
They also had to 'paint out' scratches and other
physical damagc. as rvell as apply colour
DW Griffiths
9
in 1924
I
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LOOKING FORA
F'ESTIVtr DRINK?
- .htlut Altlretl.rur\'.r rr .v'lutorter or lwo i: lqtxtd.fur .l'otr!
-f
here is sonething about a schooner of sherry
that suits all festive occasions, with its unique
bouquet, variety of tastes, and little or no hang-
over. But when studying the array of bottles on
the supermarket shelves do you know the
difference between one
sherrlz and another? If
you rvant to appreciate
the finer points before
y'ou buy, read on.
There are many
sherrv wines on sale.
nrade in Britain.
Cyprus. Spain and
South Africa. But only
those produced in the
Spanish town of Jerez
de la Fronteraare
allowed to use the name
'Sherry'. Jerez, situated
near Cadiz. is famous
for its dancing horses,
its annual horse fair, the
breeding of bulls and
Formula One racing.
Buf nothing compares
in rnrportance to the
Irt'dttctirrn t'{' sherr} .
All the rvell knorvn Bodegas are here including
Dourecq- (lonz-ales B1'ass. Harvey,s. Williams and
Humbert. and Seagrams.
PRODI ICTI ON I'ECHNIQUES
Over 20.000 acres of the surrounding countryside
are covered with Palomino grape vines. originaliy
introciLrced to Suain bv the Phoenicians. The
srapes. rl,hich are hariested in September. are no
longer trodden b), workers in special shoes w'ith
nails undernezith. but fed into modern Dresses. Air
intlatable nrbber balloon inside a steel iank
presses the gr:rpes against the epoxv-coated w'alls
at zr pressure of tw,o kilos per square centi rnetre ,
just as it u'as u'ith the old process. Production
then follou.s traditionai techniques. i^,'itli the
fermented u'ine being aged in barreis of Anrerican
oak rvhich give the rvine its unique flirvour.
Linlike table rvine shern,does not have a
r intage. It is aged by a Soiera s-\'steni u'ith rorvs
of barre ls stacked in tire bodega from floor to
ceiling. Nerv rvine is added to the top barrels, and
after a rest period. blended rvith slightly' older
u'ine from the barrels below. After several
blendings the full matured rvinc is drau'n off the
bottom rorv o1- barrels. Only a third of each barrel
is dralvn ol-f at any one timc'. "l'ernrlte rature has to
rernain at an even 20 degrees Centigracie summer
and rvinter. ancl never be lorv l5 dcsrecs. Each
barrel contains -5O0 litres, roughly 125 gallons,
and there is a sanrpling hole on top for insertion
ola Valencia rvhich is a long whippy rod with a
thin container on the end. Jerez has over a million
of these barrels. all hand made b;' a 'Batiendo de
Barril' who carves the staves and uses fire to
bend thern into shape so that the iron hoops can
be hammered into olace.
There are only three rn:rin types of sherry
Fino, Amontillado. and Oloroso.
F'INO
Fino is the youngest
and the driest wine
with the colour of pale
straw. Inside the
barrel, the entire
surface of the wine is
covered with a thick
natural yeast called the
'Flor' rvhich retarcls
oxidation and gives
F-ino its natural
fragrance and
freshness. The rvine
stays in the barrel for 3
to -5 years. after u,hich
it is bottled and sold
i mmediately. It virries
fronr dn' to verv dry
and is Spairi's national
drink, alongsidc
Sangria. Fino is drunk
rvith nridda)' tapas, urs an aperitif, and is serr'ed
either chilled or at roorr] tc'mperature. It can alscr
be usecl for cooking and is ide:il 1'or adding tcr
soups. At fiestar tirne it is fasirion:rble to \\'ear :l
'copa' around the neck in a le:ither liolder. so that
one is alrv'a1's readl' to accept a frec glass of Fino.
To appreciate the aroma the glass shor.rid ner.'er he
more than tu'o thirds fLrll.
AN{ONTILLADO
If Fino u,ine
is left longer in tire barrel it oxidises.
goes darker in colour. and change s its taste to
become Arnontillado. The rvine nratures and coLlld
be left in the barrel for uo to 8 r'ears but it u,ou1d
be too concentrated to cliink ancl rr ould have to be
mixed with a younger n,ine. Antontillado is a
mediurir dry wine. almost topaz in colour
a
"vith
slightly nutty flavour. It can be drunk as an
aperitif with olives. nuts and shellfish. and can be
used for some cooking.
OLOROSO
To make Oloroso the barrels of w,ine have to stay
in the sun for 12 rlonths to acceler:ite oridisation.
the barrels being made of chestnut. The wine is
fortified afte r fermentation so that its final alcohol
content is betrveen 17.5Vo and 19.5ok.lt can also
sl"ay in a barrcrl for up to 8 years. and acquires the
colour of old goid with a lot of body. Oloroso is
availabie either mediunt srveet (dulce) or mediunt
l0
i'i i:aai''r
:liiit'\ i; ll\ L,i1!. ii ;i
.'i iiii lr S\\ r-C'i
i-r
iirtlsc
.it'ittii. rls :ril iiiiei'iiii
illilctit'.rtiri ;iilrkes it i ii'\ 11,,,,.1 .irti'r'i iriilt.
,Ali tiic \ e r'\ -i',\ rr'i crriliit \l-ici-iir\ ili-c llllltir'
'iite i
ir'i.,rr f)li.ri-l.)s() itilLi i1i'i llliiil()iilili ill coiili.ii'.
sirorriiJ bt' consiilct-c(i as i'i tle sst-ri il irte . iclcal {'oi:iitcrrtrttltt tc'il r.rt' rr, itii ccit'ce :ifiei il illclli. 'Ii''r
acldiirg solle il iteit t-uokitig:i ganltlloil steiiki
,l
ffi
ffi
ffi
.-iitri il.LS :i :il'i.r1t-q
SFiEllli\''-iY i]tr'i:' i i'l ES
Not so fili fronr Jcrcz. oit lltr' Atlarrtic coilst ii
llanl6car u hich proilLtccs i\4anzariilla. a light dn'
she'i"ii -1i i;c ti int' n ith ir uttiqtte flavottr. The
iilcals sirv ilt;rt ihis is tltte to the se a tlreezes
ri irfting ()\.r'tlrc ll'i:ttiii;ng n irte. Stttrth of
i'i,i'ilitrir ai'c \loittilirr iitrci \{ui'i lt's u hicil i'rls..r
-r',
lll'\).lriaa :;irci;''' {r 1;.' iitc.. Itl ihis lirr'a tli.'i'c llii
.,l
a)1\ ('i \. iiilri iil li;rt'r tri ii t r ic
ii tiii ri'\ sillt] i flrtiiil',
-l-ll.illi'gcii
il',.'.r r.'li iitcii liLri-rt-: irr rl r'ilrri-rcl-lliii c.
,:1-t'lrr:c is,\lr clrr., iutti;.ie .l li; ill{) ii;,'.i cl.tliit.'il
io lic ihc i-rliicsi in Sirrii;. n lricli iirr:. I1.{X)o
1,lili'ci:. ,i1l 1li.'s.' * iire ... iliiic :itrtiilit'io sltct'r.i.
ititai i.iia eaitsi(jarll)li lcs< c'rilctlsi" c.
\
i,
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.-r
rcl
I
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)ilSl i lJlt r, )ll)l ilSl
Alilost all iire Spanish bi':rn.lics irre prciclLie cil
ihc.lcrc'z hodcgas. lilii \ rr'\ ci-riisidcnrblr iir
Low.in fat and a great soUrce of
protein, iron, zinc and B vitarnins
Contains vitamin C and serves as
potential'rernedy for bladder ,,
infections
n; :11:l:
@t
k
l,:i""$rF
.
SP
@
Nine sprouts provide half our daily
requirement of folic acid and all our
vrtamtn u
i:
;\ltlir-rricir iri.ii c.)lrsi.icr.c.i :i sircli-5 iliis I cr'1 s\\ eei
',', inc is lliiic ii,ril \illrlilL-l Sfape s iising tite
S.:lt'i-li s\ sif iil. rr iri.'lr gii cs tilt' rr inr' rl itiglt sirgar
.f)ili.iit iir i"cliris l lti-rh llc,.'iri'l ie'.ci r^,i-2-j"l
Thc ioloiii-i ririt's fi'i,rir ii iiclr goicl to a iiai'k
:rnrhe;-. tr ilii ii \ti'i)irg i'r'Liiti illr iiitr'. Ii's liti eli
n ith :,i Scltitir-,ii ,''i'ixisii'it's. fre slt frtiit artd
iirecscs.
".1
Low in fat and rich in protein, especially
if you choose light meat and discard
the skin
WI
ld*E
ffi
Potatoes are often overlooked as a source
of vitamin C. Roasting with vegetable oil
rather than lard cuts saturated fat
@ggrF$:!;.t
t:rlt::t:,
:
:
Packed with potassium-rich dried fruit
and a fair amount of iron and fibre
One to three glasses a day of any type
of alcoholic drink can help to protect
against heart disease
^'
l.rr
A good source of "anti-oxidant"
nutrients, which may help protect
against heart disease and cancers
r'ol(liir iind flli liii-.-l'lici ;it'a lot so dri oi irs
f ir'f\ li. [-r'ctt.'lr l.i;,it.lies.,rti.l,rfi-ci',,,,-'''.
'.ifte I iilfkcr' ,lliiitk. Yi;it c;irt al so biisie
irlca,rlni
thc tirikci u iih ilre nr as ri clll
.r()!l\..1.!)lr.lrl)
The caffeine in four to six cups of
coffee a day can improve alertness and
concentration
QLTOTABLES
"l rlort't Lrg Lo guess **i7cLL a ttiilion
. peopie u:iIIlilce. It's lutrd enougit to lttToLl)
almL i ltke."
.
An excellent source of vitamin C. Daily
consumers of fresh fruit seem at less
risk of heart disease and cancer
ioirn Huston. dircctoi
Source: British Dietelic Association
!l
AMPS' FIRST TRAINING
COTJRStr
The old subject of lack of training on new sound
equipment, particularly for freelances who have
no'employers' to affange paid familiarisation
courses, arose when AKAI (UK) showed their
DDl5OO DAW and DDB dubber at our Anvil
meeting in April. We were pleased that Guy
Campell, Akai's digital sales specialist.
recognised that it is in vendors' interests to have
wide availability of technicians ready and able to
use their systems. He at once agreed to set up a
2-day course at-cost later in the year, and thus
was initiated in October a new dimension in
AMPS' services to Members.
The venue was a demo room in Akai's
premises in Hounslow- Due to late cancellations,
only 4 instead of 6 Members signed on, one of
rvhom already had a working knowledge of the
system, but all considered it not only interesting
and worthrvhile but enjoyable too. It was felt that
the abililies of the equipment were most
comprehensive, considering that the cost is far
lower than that of the 'market leaders'. One of the
attractive features is the dedicated controller
instead of the more usual modifed comouter
keyboard.
.\\
11'S
The knowledgeable tutor was Jim Betteridge,
himself an independent Sound Editor who owns
a set of Akai gear and whom AMPS has since
welcomed into membership, so it was a mutually'
beneficial occasion! 'Students' left with an
operator's manual written in intelligible English
for humans -- somewhat unusual . . .
Our thanks go to Akai (UK) who are, of
course, Sustaining Members. They are willing to
run the course again. so if any Members or
colleagues are interested please contact Peter
Musgrave (0 189-5 6350 1 0).
(llr\l:R.\1 . \ Iliir'l l\',
A get together ivith...
Avid AudioVision
& Akai DD15OO
et The Sound Designers
On Wednesday October 29h. twenty two
AMPS members from crafts across the board were
guests of Peter Hodges at The Sound Designers'
nelv studios in Wardour Mews, London W1.
The Sound Designers tr,vo brand new sound
studios are purpose built for digital post
production sound. Studio I contains an Avid
AudioVision system with a Yamaha DMClOO0
mixing desk n,hile Studio 2 is equipped rvith a
Yamaha 03D desk set up for ADR, Foley and
preparatory r.vork. The Akai DD 1500 is also in this
room. Alongside Studio 2 is a compact voice and
Foley studio.
Peter Hodges who has vast experience in both
film and television rerecording is head of sound.
He is probably also one of the most experienced
operators of the AudioVision system. It was this
particular skill that the visitors were keen to see
him demonstrate and answer questions about.
Also present was Susan Lenny, rvho undertook
to demonstrate the Akai DD 150O.
12
After rvelcoming glasses of red and white
wine on arrival. the assembled visitors divided
into two groups, one with Peter in Studio 1 for
the Avid demo, and the other with Susan in
Studio 2 for the Akai demo.
The demos lasted about 4-5 minutes after
rvhich the groups changed over, pausing
between sessions to partake of further drinks
and a delicious spread of tasty snacks.
Peter demonstrated hovv he used the Avid in
conjunction with his mixing desk to produce
final mixes. He said that many of his clients
come in with what he calls 'cutting copy' tracks
requiring much more work than j ust simply
equalising, ievelling and mixing. With the Avid
at his side loaded with the master disk he is able
to revert to the the original material and correct
the mistakes and rough patches occurring in the
tracks as laid by the picture editor or assistant.
When the actual demos ended there was no
dash to leave, the visitors continued to mingle
and discuss for at least another hour.
It was a most rewarding evening much
appreciated by all who attended. Many thanks
to Peter and Susan, and the other staff and
nranagement of The Sound Designers.
the ear
NEW CONSOLE,S ALL ROUND
The last few months have
seen a spate of investment in
new consoles from some of the
maior LIK facilities. Anvilat
Denham has placed orders for two of SSL's new
Avant digital film dubbin-e console, the first of
rvhich is due to be delivered in January. The
consoles will be installed in nervly built theatres.
An SSL Audio Preparation Station has aiso been
ordered to enabie projects to be prepared off-line.
Twickenham Film Shrdios have ordereci a
Harrison MPC for Theatre i io complimeut ihe
existins llPC in Theatre 2. The new console w'ill
be ccnfigurecl for trvo man operation. DB Post in
Soho has instailed an AMS Nei,e Logic DFC
digital film console in their new' Studio 5. They
have also added a ninth AudioFile to the facilit;,'.
Videosonics have also ordered a DFC console for
installation in their new film mixing facilitv at
their Delancy Street premises ivhich rl'ill be
renamed Videosonics Cinema Sound to
concentrate on audio post forfeatures and
longform TV drama. Meanwhile Videosonics
have installed an AMS Neve Libra in Studio One
at their Hawley Crescent base to handle both
music recording and mixing sound to picture.
The Sound Works in Cardiff is j ust compieting a
move into a new rnedia complex where it's
tacilities vr.'ill offer three dubbins suites. trvo
tracklaying suites ancl a iarge transfer bay. Studio
Cne rvill have a new SSL Axioin digital console the first UK installation outside of London. The
London Studios have added a AMS Neve Losic
in the refurbished Sound Dub Three studio.lt witl
work in conjunction with a Logic 3 used for track
1a5,ing rvith the final dubbing being completed on
the Logic l. Granada TVhas installed a Calrec S
Series analogue console on Stage One solely for
the recording Coronation Street's fixed sets. The
console outputs go direct to Avid and Digi Beta.
Angel Studios in lslington has installed a AMS
Neve VXS production console in Studio Three,
the large orchestral studio, to be used for
primarily for film and TV scodng. Angel's recent
scoring credits include Goltlenere, Tlrc Full
I[onty and One Night Stand.
1
fi
Anyone who uses a ProTools system rnay be
interested in a new software plug-in from Waves
by the naine of MaxxBass. This is a 'r,irtual subrvoofer that utilises proprietarl' algorithms based
on psychoacoustic research'. Apparently
MaxxBass analyses the audio signal and then
adds a series of harmonics to the signat which
stimulate a psychoacotrstic effect that enhances
bass perception. It doesn't boost bass at all, use
traditional EQ or compression but modifies the
frequency region above the defined area. This
apparently conveys an enhanced low frequency
experience to the ears and they claim even works
if the original bass signal is completely removed -
will still 'capture' the
fundamental from the added
harmonics. One intended
application is to extend the 'LF
performance' of poor speaker
systems by up to two octaves but another
application could be to create the effect of LF
sound without adding to the amount of lorv
f'requency energy in a mix.
fl
Marantz professional is to launch two new
portable digital recorders employing PCMCIA
flash ROM cards or PCMCIA hard drives. They
include the mono PMD6B0 and the stereo
PMD690. both having a projected price of under
f 1000.'fhe operator can chose between MPEG l.
MPEG layer II or linear PCM formats. The
machines feature basic editing functions with
possibilities for instant fiie exchange with an
exiemal conlputer. No iinrecode but they may
har e location appiications
ff
Rycote has appointed Sennheiser UK as the
sole distributor for its microphone windshields
and suspension systems. The agreement took
piace as from ist October.
fl
Tascam have cut prices heavily across a wide
range of their digital recording products. The DA88 has now been reduced by f1600 to {2382 ex
VAT. The new DA-!E is introduced at the
previous price of the Dn-88. The DA-38 is now
idX) cheaper.-fhe DA-Pi portabie DAT recorcier
is now tl i05, while the DA-60 tinrecode DAT,
tire Mini Disk prociucts and the CD-30ilCD-40i
CD players are also reduceci.
D
SSLhave announced the appointment ofJohn
Andrews as Marketins Director. He has a
background that inciudes the BBC. EMI, Aiice
arrd N-c ve Llect rou i cs.
3
The recent V&-A'97 exhibition saw' the first
public outing for Syence. a nerv company that
describes itself as a 'one-stop audio-post shop'
- a distribution, sales, service and consultancy
sen ice. Headed by Keith Sherry they wiil be
hancii i n g WaveFrame. the V- Moci I 00 IvlO- based
non-linear video recorder, Tascam's MMR-8
multichannel hard disk recorder, Black Box's QStream soft inter{ace for Colin Broad's Video
Streamer. plus a selection of further products
including some from Interact Systems. For
further information call 0l 81 392 10O I .
J
Unusuaill, named China Blue is a lerv post
orr Ihe edge of Soho. located in
Wedgrvood Mervs rvithin the 300 year-old showroom and rvarehouse of Josiah Wedgwood
pottery fame. China Blne offers both offline
picture editing and online audio post. [nitially
there will be two audio studios with a third under
construction. Accordins to MD David HamiltonSmith, the AudioFile-equipped studios first three
proiects are feature fllms.
facility
l-1
xffirsb
T8@@7h,
Lots of interesting books about this year, both
technical and semi-technical. Firstly there are the
two books available fron-r Barrie White - you may
recall the leaflet describing then, along with art
order fornt that u'ent out rvith the Autumn
Neu'sletter.
Nou' trvo more books of special interest to
people in movies have appeared.
An Atttobiocraphr Of British Cinema tells the
story of 50 years of British Filrn making in the
words of those who made them. Written by Brian
McFarlane from interviews with 180 actors and
film makers from all crafts. Surprise. surprise.
even sound is included, hou'ever don't get too
excited as only five out of 6-56 pages are devoted
to the author's intervierv with Peter Handford.
F lickerine Shctclou,s is another look back at the
British Film Industry covering the production of
156 features as seen through the eyes of a sound
man. F/ic'Acring Sluclou.r is production ntixer
John Mitchell's story, from entry into the film
business in 1933 until his retirement in 1986.
Manl' nrenrbers, I'm sure. knoiv John, indeed
man!'will have worked r,vith him over the years.
others probably know his name from the long list
of prestigious movies for u'hich he q'as in charge
of production sound.
The hard cover book is a handsome 32O-page
volume printed on arl paper. It is copiously
illustrated rvith black & white production stills.
The text is well written and contains humorous
anecdotes and tricks ofthe trade, such as the
uncooked ham skin used to suspend a
microphone on a piano rvire, enabling it to follow
a actor walking backwards dorvn a stair case
(who tirought radio mics were troublesome?).
Despite the fact that the book is s'ritten very
much with a general readership in mind. it's still a
jolly, good read for those iri the industry, and even
those in sound.
A couple of other new books on the technical
side have been taken from new publications listed
in the very comprehensive Focal Press 1998
catalogue.
SouruJ For Film & Televisiorz - There must be
quite a fevv books around now with this or a
similar title. This one is by Tomlinson Holman,
an associate professor at the University of
Southern California School of Cinema &
Television but is perhaps better known as Tom
Holman - THX developer, and the man behind
many of the technical developments at Lucasfilm.
According to the Focal Press catalogue, 'The book
is claimed to provide an overall introduction to the
field of recording, editing and mixing audio for
film and TV productions. A balance is struck
between artistic and technical content combining
theory and practice as no other text has done
before.'An accompanying audio CD contains
examples demonstration key concepts.
Hurulbook for Sound Engineers - This is the
second edition of the ltlew ALttJio Ct,clrtpetliu.
published in the USA by Horvard Sams and edited
by Glen M Ballou. lt clain-rs to be the most
complete source of audio information. Ideal for
most audio professionals it includes the latest
technological advances covering MIDf , cinetna
sound and compact discs; this plus all the acoustic
and electronic information vou're ever likely to
require.
Sounds Of Movies
by Nicholas Pasquariello (Port Bridge Books
ISBN 0-9653 1 t4-7 -3. f25.00)
The Sound Production Hanclbook
by Don Atkinson (Blueprint Chapman & Hail
ISBN 1-08-s713-028-6, f30.00)
The above books are available UK post free frot-n
Barrie White, TeliFax O | 446 7"7 lO 1 6
An Autobiographv Of British Cinema
by Brian McFarlane (Methuen, f.16.991
Flickering Shadorvs
by John W Mitchell (Flicks Distributors.
f2-i.00. UK post paidr
To order calI Tei/FaxO1242 -5188-57
Sound For F-ilm & Television
by Tomlinson Holman (Focal Press ISIIN
a,2 0-a0291-8. f25.00)
Handbook For Sound Engineers
Edited by Glen M Ballou (Howard Sarns
tsBN 0-672-227 52--5, f7-s.00)
r
F'OR SALtr
, M)'NAGRA Tt\tF-coDE RECoRDER in superb
i condition. reduced f4-50O. Many Nagra
i accessories available as a package or sold
1 separately - PoA. Beyer DT4B stereo headphones
i as new f I 10. Host of quality mic leads/pigtails
i and jumpers, from f5. Tliree alloy cases,
i 61 x l6x38cm f-50. 36x41 x.13cm f6-5,
i A*Z&rZscm f t2-5. 100 rolls Zonal5 inch low
i noise t/4 inch magnetic tape 900ft rolls - f2.50
i each. TRADING NAME for sale - my 40 year
i registered trading name (Sound Service). open to
: offers. Call Dai,id Wynne Jones on01412
i Zp U+. Email : \OOT 51.3 [email protected]
t1
THE, FUTURE FORETOLD?
Deur Boh
Many thanks to your friend Kit Rollings in
Nerv Zealand.
I am at the moment attempting to scale down my
collection of jazz recordings that I have amassed
over the passed 35 years. all on 114 inch tape.
DLrring the course of this mammoth task oi
dorvnloading onto a less space demanding format
(l liave over 250 tapes) I came across a batch with
the dreaded sticky tape sYndrome!
Not having had much to do with ll4 inch tape
over the past 10 years I was unaware of the
problem and rvas oreparing to dump the afflicted
DW Griffith, famed director of the early America
epic films Birth Of A liation and Intrtlerutl('( is
credited with being the inventor of the ciose-trp.
the flash-back and the fade-out. Glancing at this
still from his 1918 fll:rr Bn;ken Blttsvtrn:, tl
looks like he also foresarv the rnobiie phone too.
tat)e s.
(And N()/- it's n()t tnc rvilh the ri heclbarnrrr I - Bob Aiicn)
Then the AMPS Newsletter came to my rescuel
As I read how Kit resolved the problem I mttst
adrnit to a feeling of scepticism - bake in a ian
oven for five hours at 50 degreesl It sounded
n-rore like a Delia Srnith recipe than a technical
solution. But rvhat did I have to lose'l I u'as soing
to dump the tapes anyway. I loaded them into our
oven and set it for a long, slorv cook (should be
quite tast) ).
My scepticism rvas unfounded. After their
'treatment' the tape ran smoothly across the heads.
and with no discernible loss of quality to the
recordings. Thank you Kit and Bob for saving
some of the favourite music in rn-v collection.
I SPY BLACK PUDDING
Wh.ile wutching a f-ilm last w'eek w'ith ttttr tentluushter, she ohse rved a tinv item thttt
veur-olcl
'seenrctl
entiiell' 1ss1 qf pluc'e in cirtt: :r"nc, .shrtr in
u hedroom.
Rrschelle dest'rihetl if (uc'r:urutel),! )us u lurge
ptdding" hanging.from the c'ei Ling. Tlti.s
" putlding" , hrnuever svvat,ed.fitm sitle to side
"
blctck
rt
t't' tts i o nal L\' - t h e n st o pp
I
e tl
!
su,qgested u micropltone t()
onr
he
nutsetl
cla.ughter. who **cts ntrtre inclinetl trt heliet)e
rhu it
Regards
wu: sonrclhing tu eut. hLtn,c, in the bedrottm ( nrt
douht to nwture!)
[.i it ltuppens, bv r:hcmce, kt be u tnir-'rophrtne.
r+,h), had tlzis not heen notit:cd tluring the etliting
o.f the .filnt? lf, on the other hand, it turns out to
he u hlack pudding, is tltis LikeLt, to hetttme Ll nev)
EC
st o
ruge
cl
H-,I.RRY FAIRBTiRN
West Yorks
QUATABLES
All mg sholos are great Some oJ thent
are bcd, but ttrcg 6re aII great.
LOfd Gfade, [The observer, September 1975]
irect it,e'/
Pattl Ellis-Tunner,
Northwich, Cheshire
- take.n {rom the letters pu,qe of The Ratlirt Times
l5
A (;OOD IDEA A'T T'HI':'IIME
THE TALKINGARC
At the end of the 19th century several inventors
were attempting to record sound
photographically. In 1888 the American
AlexanderBlake photographed a pencil of light
from a vibrating mirror, using a glass
photographic plate which he kept in motion by
means of a clockwork mechanism. I-ater on a
Professor Simon in Germany found that if a DC
arc was modulated by sound currents, the
original sound could be heard acoustically, whilst
at the same time the light intensity varied. He
called his invention'The Talking Arc'.
In 1900, also in Germany, Ernst Ruhmer was
able to photograph The Talking Arc on to normal
motion picture film, and so became the first
person to produce a photographic sound
negative. He devised an instrument something
like today's sound camera which he called a
Photographophon. The camera speed was 10 feet
per second, and the sound track extended over
the full width of the film. His apparatus was
practical and the system worked extremely well
with excellent definition on the recording.
Amongst the early inventors one must not
forget that intrepid Dutchman called Hedick
who, in 1887, discovered that a manometric
flame (produced by gas under pressure) could be
modulated by sound waves. Image the scene
today if his idea had been adopted - "OK, roll for
a take"....... (Pass the matches, Fred)!.
' ;;l.z
SOUND ON-I;II,M
BY RUHMIiR. ]9OO
jOtIN.\I-DRED
.f
A HAPPY AIIID PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR
TO ALL
DON'T FORGET THEAGM