Christmas eve here in Southern CA...sunny and 70 degrees today.

Been doing some brainstorming as to how I can get as mobile as possible for the coming show. There are a lot of "doc" type situations, parties, bars, clubs, Sundance, etc. I'll be wearing the soundcart for these situations. Of course they want everything, so I cant go simple.

We finished up Bewitched this past Monday with Nellie the elephant. Thanks to David Macmillan for bringing me on.

Merry Christmas.

Well, I did it. I've got a new 12" powerbook. Not sure what took me so long, this thing is great.

Merry Christmas to me...

Just when I thought I was off for the holidays... Back on to Bewitched for some 2nd unit. They are trying to complete photography by the Christmas break, with a lots to do.

K's out of town, just me and Ollie here. Christmas shopping to do.

Fighting off the urge to buy a 12" powerbook. :)

Done with Medium. It was a great show to work on and I'll miss the crew very much. We wrapped for the holidays last Friday, or should I say...very early Saturday morning.

I've already started preparing for Entourage. It is going to be quite a hustle, as I understand it. I'll be in documentary mode for quite a bit...I hope not too much. The problem these days, is that they want all the extras while in doc mode...ears, wires, etc. That means a lot of stuff in the bag.

Looking forward to the holidays. Kathy will be heading to Dallas next week for a farewell/Christmas party for TXCN, her former employer. I'll be hanging around the house...resting. Hopefully catching up on some reading. Oliver will be close by...as usual.

We took a bit of Thanksgiving break from Medium. Though I spent a few days of it working on Bewitched for David Macmillan. David was out ill...best wishes to him.

We are finishing up one more episode before the Christmas holiday break. The original schedule was to have us finish the season at the end of December, but we've gone over by a few weeks. I'll be moving on to do another project in January.

January will be the beginning of Season 2 of Entourage for HBO. Both Jeff Norton and Jeff Zimmerman will be helping me out on this one. We have a 14 show order, so we should be shooting till the end of March or so.

The new DEVA Vis working nicely, but with a few bugs. I would really like for it to at least do everything the DEVA 2 did...but that's not so yet. Whatever...

Been looking through a lot of blogs lately. I'm quite fond of a few...you should sifting through them. Mush more interesting than plain old websites...

I took delivery this past week of my new DEVA V hard disk recorder. There was a bit of frustration in the beginning having to do with the post facility not able to read the disks. This issue has now been cleared up and I'm hot to go. I've been using both the DEVA II and V all week, stacked together on the cart. Friday was the first day of DEVA V only. At this point I am very pleased with the improvements over the II and even now it would be hard to go back. As long as what I deliver to post production works, I've got a machine that I like. I'll still be running a DAT backup for some time to come however.

I'll add pictures to the website later in the week...

I've been on Medium now for the past 2 weeks and all is going very well. Not too bad on the hours, though we had a couple of long days this past week. We begin episode 10 this week with 13 total to shoot.

A big thanks to Kim Ornitz for passing the job over to me. He has gone on to do a show in India for the next couple of months.

I loaded my gear on the Camera Truck this past Friday. The show is Medium, and Jeff Norton and Damon Cleary will be helping me out as boom operators. Damon has been doing the show all season, so his help with the changeover is essential. I'm very lucky to have a great crew.

No new additions to the equipment package for this project, but the new DEVA is on the way.

Just an update... I'll be finishing up the season of "Medium" beginning October 25. Kim Ornitz has mixed the first 8 episodes and will be leaving for another project. They have been picked up for 13 episodes, so it will take me to Christmas. I'll get more information this coming week...

Still quite busy with day calls. Some interviews lined up, nothing definate yet...except for The Entourage in January. I think I was on a different project every day this past week. The Tonight Show has got to be TV heaven. The entire crew was great. I would love to work that show again. The Bush impersonator/interviews were hilarious, I couldn't even look at the guy...

Considering changing the cart around again, no shock there. It's always a work in progress for me.

Okay, it's been a couple of weeks...and pretty busy. Lots of day calls, both TV and reality television. I spent the weekend down in Del Mar with a Bravo show about Dog Show People. After many days of wearing my ENG rig, I've come to the conclusion that I need to think about a lighter rig. My back is killing me! These reality shows never stop shooting...for hours I have to wear the rig. I am considering going to the smaller, and lighter SD302 for when it's only a boom and 2 wires, which is most of the time.

My PSC M4mkII is starting to freak out...yet again. I really think this was a poor mixer from them. So many other companies have come out with better machines, and for the same price range. It's just too unpredictable. The headroom just isn't right.

I'm hoping to hear about some work before the Entourage starts in January. I'd really like to do something in between then and now.

Considerign going back to the verticle cart...from the Magliner. Any thoughts???

Been quite busy with day calls this past 2 weeks. I thought it would be slow, but I was wrong. Just did some openers for Monday Night Football today. Next week is shaping up as well.

I think all is set for Entourage season 2. Thanks to Mark Greenberg for bringing me on board. We start in January.

I got to visit my friend Craig Woods on the set of Bernie Mac today. He's been mixing that show for all 4 years now. We shot some promos for Mr. 3000 with Bernie and Angela Bassett. Pretty much 5 hours of waiting for 20 minutes of shooting.

Filming dog stuff this weekend, music videos next week and car racing next weekend...

Good news. I've been asked to mix season 2 of Entourage for HBO. Sadly we don't start till January, so I still have to find some work. The pressure is releaved a bit however. :)

It looks like a funny show. I've wanted to do a comedy for some time.

It's Labor Day here in the USA, a holiday. I've got a few things planned for the next week, interviews and re-packing the gear for days calls. This past week was spent mostly decompressing from the last show. It takes a few days to get the sleep patterns back in order, whatever that is.

On Friday I put my name on the list for a new DEVA 5. I've been waiting for the bugs to get worked out, and the waiting list seems long enough that I will get mine after many are figured out. It will probably be around 2 months before I see my new machine. All that being said, I can't wait now that I've commited. The Yamaha digital mixer is probably on hold for me now...the DEVA will do all the digital patching that I need. If all goes well with the DEVA V, I might go for the control surface when it comes out.

Still wondering if anyone actually reads this blog. If so, please post a comment...

Thanks!

Okay, the fog has cleared. We had the wrap party last night for Rikers...it was a great party. I can't say enough about the director and producers. They were very sensitive to each department, and especially the sound department. Charles Winkler is truly one of the best to work with...bar none. I hope to do many more with him.

Now...about HD/24P. The camera equipment was really not up to the task in my opinion. Way too many failures for a location package. I couldn't believe how many times the gear went down. If it wasn't the fiber cable it was a board in the camera... I really think Sony has failed in the ruggedness of the F900 and F950. It is fine for the studio, but on location...forget it. It does not save any money. You end up shooting far more throw away material in search of the perfect take. In a normal film set up, everyone prepares for the take in the same manner...rehearse, last looks, shoot, fix, repeat. With the advent of HD, it seems we just shoot the rehearsal and never get really set for the real "1st take". Things start being overlooked, which are usually caught during the rehearsal, and you end up with printed material that has flaws in continuity, dialogue, camera movement, lighting, and whatever else. Then, just because you can, sometimes they never cut and you do the scene 2 or 3 times before anything is fixed. A real bummer for every department. I'm not sure the actors like it either. It's not just on this production that I saw this happening, I've seen it on EVERY 24P show I've worked on.

Now it may seem that I'm venting here, but it really concerns me. We are going for quantity over quality. Not a good trade in my opinion. But, it is just that...my opinion.

I had a few hiccups in gear on this show, but mostly recurring problems that I'm working out. I am considering going to the new Yamaha 01V96 mixer. It is really a great set up for location recording. We'll see....

We wrapped Rikers last night, or I should say this morning...at 7:30am. It was a great experience for our whole crew...I wish them well with the movie.

Cleaning and repairing gear this coming week...nothing on the horizon yet. Day calls most likely.

Two weeks into production of Rikers, and halfway done. Big prison riot scene this past week, very difficult...but well done, I think. I have really enjoyed working with our director and producers. Their attention to all aspects of production is excellent and appreciated. This project will end far too soon for me...

The Jeff's have had their hands full this past week with lots of wires and gear. We were all over the place. My cart looked like an installation...thankfully I didn't have to move for the big scenes. Since we are doing this show on 24P/HD, we tend to move the village as little as possible...sort of shooting around the video world. This has made my antenna loom very essential. We are running the antennae out as much as 100 feet for each set up. It's far better than running multiple wires all over the set, and moving for every set up. I'll try and go into more detail after the show.

We have also done quite a bit of testing for Lectrosonics on this project. There might be a modification to the UM400 series in the works.

We're a week into production. It's a fast paced shoot, not much down time...if any. The actors are great, I'm very impressed. We're having to wire a whole lot more than usual, and than I hoped...but all is sounding good. The DEVA is getting a work out.

Jeff Norton is getting quite a workout as there is little or no rehearsal for anything. It's a very spontainious deal everytime we roll. It make for a very exciting picture.

More next week...

Prep and camera tests went well. We're using a new deck from Sony, a portable HD deck that will record 4:4:4. I'll be sending digital audio to it for scratch track editing. The master audio will be the DEVA, which will be used for the dialogue edit. The camera boys had their hands full for the test, so Jeff and I hung out on the perimeter. All was fine.

We start production tomorrow on a stage downtown. We're there for 2 days then we head to Nelles Prison camp for 12 shooting days.

I'll be testing a stereo mic rig and a new ear wig system on this show. Peter Devlin has graciously loaned me his two systems for testing.

Scouts went well...best I've been on, very organized.  Production meeting was yesterday, quite good...2 hours.  We load the truck today, camera tests are tomorrow.  Last minutes on Friday.

Great group if people assembled for this project.  Looking forward to it, can't wait actually.  Great script...

Wished we had more time for shooting, but that's the project.

Location scouts begin today.  Looking forward to this project, though the 24P thing has really become a pain in the rear.  It has so many variables, simplicity is a thing of the past.  Camera will be working with the new Sony 5000 machine on location this time, I'll be feeding digital right to the machine.  They wanted me to run the machine but I turned that down.  The only drawback is that they will probaly use that track, even though they say they wont.  I'll do my deal, and see what happens.

My workflow will be: DEVA master (24 bit), DAT backup (16 bit), AES through the DAT to 5000 - channels 1 & 2.  I am treating the DAT and the 5000 as backup.  Sync will be from the DEVA via Lockits on all devices.  DEVA and DAT will be 29.97, cross jamming Lockits to 23.97.

Starting a new film next week: Rikers, with DL Hughley.  It's short project, mostly shooting in prison facilities...should be interesting.

My crew will be back with me for this one, Jeff Norton on boom and Jeff Zimmerman as utility.  I'm looking forward to getting everyone back together.

As per usual, I wanted to add something to my cart, and in the process have dismantled the whole thing.  I'm re-doing a few things that have been bugging me over the last few months.  I'm adding two Marshall 7" HD monitors right above the mixing panel.  It should be nice. 

Check back on the website in a couple of days for new pictures...

Ho... Sorry it's been a while. We just got back from the summer, family visits around the country...very glad to be home.

Still doing day calls...Monk this week.

Just finished a very good book: The Zenith Angle, by Bruce Sterling. If you are any kind of geek, it's a must read. It will empower you. :)

I've got some updates to do on the gear, I've been daydreaming while travelling...as ususal. The dual monitor thing has got to change a little. Also, the roll cage will be changing a bit. The barcode system will also be in place.

What to read next?

It's been a couple of days of work per week, not too bad...keeping me busy at least. Tomorrow and Friday I will be back doing ESPN-ESPY awards shoots. I did some of these last year, including the big music video for the opener. Matt Brady has been producing these for some time, nice of him to call me back.

Still waiting to see on a few projects...my name is in the ring for a couple. We'll see...

Had a good time yesterday at Huntington Beach. 2nd unit shoot for Cloud 9 at the AVP volleyball tournament. Very nice day at the beach. I've forgotten how much a DAT recorder weighs...good thing I don't do that everyday. Back to the cart for me...

Looks like it's my turn for day calls. Tomorrow I'm doing some 2nd unit for Cloud 9, starring Burt Reynolds. We're at the beach for a Pro Beach Volleyball tournament. Pretty much run and gun all day, so I'll have to be light.

Hopefully some of these day calls will turn into something more long term.

I got a last minute call on Friday night for a shoot Saturday morning! Thankfully I have a day call package that will fit in my van. It ended up being some pickup shots for the upcoming movie Taxi with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah. I'm glad I have all kinds of playback stuff, as it ended up being playback in a vehicle while recording the actor singing along with the track. None of this was relayed to me in the frantic phone call at 10:30 pm the night before, but as usual... I bring everything. All went without a hitch... :)

I can't stress enough how important it is to be prepared for as much as possible these days. The days of just showing up with a deck and a microphone are long gone...

A big thanks to Jeff Zimmerman for answering his phone late Friday night as well. He didn't boom as much as he did music playback. Another important note...be able to do as many jobs as possible in the sound department, we never know when we have to shuffle around and do other duties.

This past weekend I subbed for Stacy Brownrigg on Fat Albert, directed by Joel Zwick...great cast and director. It should be a funny show. I had the chance to mix on a Zaxcom Cameo for the first time. It was a bit of a shock but I mostly enjoyed it. There were a few odd moments, but by and large all went smoothly.

I signed yesterday with Prime Artists for agent representation. Time will tell on this move...I think it will work out. He seems to know everyone...that's where I'm at a loss.

Re-arranging the van and garage this week. Trying to make my day package fit in the van again...it's gotten rather large. I'll be purchasing a trailer soon for the longer projects and travel jobs. More later on this...

Looking for work...

Wondering if anyone reads this blog...???

Looks like I'll be signing with Prime Artists for agent representation. I guess my interview went well...

I hope this will help with the cold calls...I hate them.

Monday....

Working for Stacy on Fat Albert this weekend, should be fun. He's got a Cameo so I'll get some time on the digital mixer. I need to download the manual today.

Meetings tomorrow...hopefully I'll have an idea of some work coming up.

Writers and Teamster threatening of a strike...everyone is trying to get shows going and done before that happens. No news on She Spies season 3, might be a goner. Who knows, hope not...

More later...

Been a nice slow week. Lots of cleaning the garage and dusting off gear. It's amazing how much space you gain when you clean out the garage. It happens every time!

Still no word yet on a new project, hopefully something will turn up soon. I'm shakin' the bushes. Meetings next week...hopefully something will turn up.

It's gotten quite warm here in So. Cal., a bit earlier than usual I think. The AC's working hard already. Nights are nice and cool though...good for dog walking.

I've been doing some cable and equipment modifications over the last couple of days...I'm looking forward to completing them next week. My crew will be happy.

More later...

We wrapped Hostage this past Friday with a day in the crawlspace. A great job from everyone on the sound crew and a special thanks to Peter Devlin for bringing me on board. It should be a very good movie.

No plans for work as of yet. I need some time off to rest and clean up. I've posted some sound crew pictures on my website: http://www.palmeraudio.net/gallery.htm

I'll update a little more often now that I'm off work...

Wow...sorry it's been too long. I finished up Species III two weeks ago. Many thanks to my great crew Jeff Norton and Jeff Zimmerman. I think we did a fine job for the company and I look forward to hearing the results.

I immediately cleaned all my gear and loaded it onto another job. Peter Devlin was so kind to recommend me to replace him for the remainder of Hostage, a Mirimax film. We have several weeks left, all on stage at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. The film is written by Robert Crais and stars Bruce Willis. We are off for the Easter Holiday weekend, and I'm catching up. George Flores and Jeff Zimmerman are finishing up this picture with me.

That's the update...

Week 4 is in the can. Lots of special effects this week...which means a lot of guide tracks for me. All in all, very good stuff. Let's see...the DAT recorder went down this week, got it repaired...the DEVA is acting weird, it's going out next week...I've blown up two power supplies for my cart, they're back at their maker. Kind of a tough show on equipment, and I can't really figure out why. I guess it's just my turn, as I rarely have these issues. Thankfully I'm real paranoid and I have backups for just about everything.

We've got 1 more week to go, then I'm off for a few days. I am jumping on to the last week and a half of Hostage for Peter Devlin so that he may go and start another show. After that...who knows.

I think I may be testing some new gear as well...we'll see.

Just finished week 3 of Species III. All in all I'm quite happy with the sound we have recorded on this project to date. The locations have been a nightmare for ambiance, but that's somewhat normal these days. Even on stage we have so much noise from fans, SFX, crew, and above everything...the cameras. I'll keep from that rant this time around.

I have to say, I've got a great sound crew. The Jeffs...Jeff Norton and Jeff Zimmerman are doing a great job. It is very comforting to know that all I really have to do is mix...everything else is taken care of.

We've got 2 weeks to go. The hardest location is coming up this week...we are shooting at the old power plant in Rodondo Beach. The final week is on stage.

Hopefully we'll know more about She Spies in the next week.

Beginning week 2 of Species III. These F900 cameras are the loudest video cameras I've ever worked with. In the words of another sound mixer, when these things spin up...it sounds like the DP is making daiquiris. I can't get a clean close up without fan, tape transport and servo noise. We are working on a barney type glove...hopefully the KATA product will work.

The show is good, the actors are good, and the crew is great.

Lots of multi track on this project. I'm trying to use the DEVA to it's fullest. I'm really enjoying the machine, I hope we can get a couple of bugs worked out.

We start splits and nights today...

We've had a week of tests with the new 24P format. Things went poorly in the beginning but got better as we realized the deck was bad at the post house. All if our stuff was fine. It caused a lot of anxiety, but all is good now. For those that may want a detailed list of the testing procedure and the results by the step...contact me via email and I'll get you the info. Email - phil@palmeraudio.net

We start shooting on Monday bright and early. There are an enormous amount of visual effects in this production for such a short schedule...we'll see how it goes.

Many thanks to all the people I've called this past week for guidance and help...Dave F., Wolf S., Bill H.,Chris S., the techs at Plus 8, and all the guys over at Westwind. I really appreciate all the help.

I'll report the progress of the show as regularly as I can.

Thanks to all...

Sorry it's been a while. We finished up Desert Greed...very dusty. I'll be cleaning my gear all weekend. Jason London finished up the show with a fine perfomance.

The next project is much more intensive...an HD 24/P shoot for MGM. We are continuing the Species series of movies with Species 3. Jeff Norton and Jeff Zimmerman will be booming for me. I have no idea who is cast for this movie, but will very soon. We start shooting February 23 with camera tests next week.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Well, we're a week into Desert Greed. Very dusty and cold...not what I hoped. The DEVA is performing flawlessly. Now I wished I had never waited...

Rob's doing a fine job, Noah as well. Good to have them aboard. We're already a day behind, but I'm onto something else right after, so I'm not hangin'.

It took all week to get over the cold, but I feel pretty good today.

It's Patrick Marten's birthday...Happy Birthday buddy!

More later...

Friday before we start Desert Greed. I've gotten sick...go figure. I hope it's a quick one, but it feels like a cold.

Bought the DEVA 2 yesterday. I can't wait for that company to deliver the next generation of recorders, so I had to bail and buy the older tech. At least it's time tested and working. It will work well for the next year, then I'll upgrade.

Man I feel horrible.

Load the truck today, that will be a bit of a relief...I think. Looks like I'm on for Species 3 as well. Nice to know I've got some work lined up.

I was right...now we are pushed to the 26th of January. Working title now is Desert Greed. Luckily my crew has decided to stay with me on this one.

Things are starting to get busy around town, so I feel okay about things, today. That could change of course. :)

Still waiting on the new DEVA...my hope is to have it in time to play with it for a while before my show in February. They have a history of delays, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

Worked on Angel this past week. Real nice crew over there. Funny episode...

First work week of the new year...and I'm not working, yet. The small show got pushed some more...as was expected. We scout on Thursday and production meeting Friday. I actually bet this gets slammed again as well. Now we are trying for January 20 as a start.

Getting the gear up and in order. Enjoying that actually.

Went to the LA Auto Show today. Very cool.

Want to get back to work.